THIS SUPERGROUP’S DEBUT has been a long time coming. After signing to Scott Kelly’s Neurot label in the early 2010s – and getting him to lend vocals to their 2012 album, Mass V – Amenra guitarist Mathieu J. Vandekerckhove and vocalist Colin H. Van Eeckhout finally went the whole hog and started a fully fledged band with the Neurosis guitarist/ vocalist in 2015.
Sweetening the deal even further on this long-awaited full-length is the presence of former Sepultura drummer Iggor Cavalera, who adds even more power and energy to tracks like punishing opener Rise From Ruins with his trademark tribal rhythms and heavy-hitting style. The apocalyptic The Acres/The Ache is even better, with Iggor’s spiralling drum patterns gelling perfectly with the plodding, extremely Amenra-esque pulse.
Absent In Body isn’t just Amenra Mk II, however. There’s a palpable industrial vibe running through this debut album – especially on tracks like the bleak, stark – recalling the similarly washed out electronic vibes of Kelly’s Corrections House project. on the other
