Amenta, The – Occasus
This truly is a frustrating release for me. The Amenta are a bizarre turbo death quintet from Australia and even though the triggered drum sound (used to tighten up the drum kit to emphasize speed) drives me insane, I can look past such a minor point since the music is so rich and creative. Expect the speed and brutality of bands like Hate Eternal and Nile, but The Amenta seem to approach this style with more of an open minded take. The riffs themselves are very atypical; mixing the out of key dissonance and hard hitting changes with a cold, black metal sense for melody. Add inventive synth and experimental ideas to the mix and the music takes on a life all its own, which seems to be the norm for most bands arising from Aussie soil. The killjoy for me regarding “Occasus” is hands down the vocals. With such a vibrant mix of metal devouring the airwaves, the vocalists boring and uninspired guttural bark lacks the dimension and variety needed to compliment the music. It’s as simple as that. Thankfully I can listen past his lifeless performance and continue to be amazed by the dexterity and inventiveness of this bands playing and original adaptation of a beyond tired medium. – Marty
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