January 2022 Feature Release – The Sphere Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Sphere has been nominated by myself. It's the 2013 fourth album "Flesh Is Heir" from Aussie industrial death metal outfit The Amenta, a band that I regarded as my favourite local band for many years. This was my one of my albums of the year at the time & I gave it a rave review but I haven't checked it out for a while so it'll be interesting to see if my feelings have remained so positive.

https://metal.academy/releases/7596

After giving this album a few revisits over the last couple of days I think my review from back in 2013 still holds up very well. These guys are generally listed as residing in my home city of Sydney but that's not entirely true as they're really more of national collaboration with Malignant Monster vocalist Cain Cresall coming out of Perth (which is over a four hour flight away from Sydney) & legendary Psycroptic, Abramelin & Ruins drummer Dave Haley residing in the island state of Tasmania. Regardless, these guys are like metal royalty here in Sydney & have blown away many a touring act in the live environment too. Dave is widely regarded as one of the best metal drummers in Australia (along with Ne Obliviscaris skinsman Daniel Presland) & is globally renowned while Cain is quite simply one of the most theatrical & psychotic front men you'll ever see & the album cover is a very true representation of what you could expect to see at one of his live shows. He's truly intimidating & creates a seriously imposing atmosphere. Anyway... here's my review:

I've always been a big fan of this band. Their first two albums were outstanding examples of industrial-edged death metal & their live shows are a true spectacle. I class them as my personal favourite from the current crop of Aussie metal bands so I had very high hopes for this release & it certainly hasn't let me down. In fact they've stepped it up to another level altogether. The production is better than ever before & it presents the songs in the best possible light. If you don't like triggered drum sounds then look no further because they don't get much more mechanized & up-front than this. It really does enhance the industrial vibe though & the drumming is a real highlight. This is some of the most extreme metal you will find anywhere. Stylistically they sit somewhere between Damaged, Anaal Nathrakh & Godflesh. It's extremely dark & chaotic with the electronic component adding to the insanity of the atmosphere. The slower sections are outstanding & push this dark atmosphere even further. They've included a couple of high quality industrial tracks evenly distributed amongst the metal tracks to give you a little respite from the non-stop assault on your senses & they fit the purpose well. I honestly can't fault this album. Amazing!

4.5/5