Reviews list for Amenta, The - Flesh Is Heir (2013)

Imagine what Fear Factory would sound like if they kept their industrial death metal sound going after Soul of a New Machine. I could practically say that about any band mixing together industrial metal and death metal, but this is for real! Flesh is Heir has the best you can find from this combination these days.

A journey through a band's discography often starts from their latest or first album. It's not usually right in the middle unless you find it out of the blue, whether it pops up or gets recommended to you. Upon discovering The Amenta via their 3rd album, my mind was blown by how perfectly the band could reinvent the industrial death metal of Fear Factory's debut. Other bands have tried it and didn't catch on, but with Flesh is Heir, you know you're in for a mind-f***ing brutal attack.

Bleak doom-ish tremolo melody opens the title track that then blasts off into deathly chaos. "Ego Ergo Sum" has more ethereal yet brutal rhythm haunting like a ghost. "Teeth" takes the industrial vibes of 3TEETH and gives it the Gojira prog-death treatment. Then things quiet down in the interlude "A Womb Tone".

"Obliterate’s Prayer" has gigantic hooks to obliterate anything in the song's path. "Sewer", at some moments, makes me think of Winds of Plague if the symphonic elements where replaced with industrial ones. "The Argument" has more Godflesh influences, particularly in the chorus. "Cell" is a slower track with spooky-a** ambience. But of course, there are still some riff bombs set to f***ing blow you apart.

There's more sorrow in the still chaotic "Disintegrate". Then "A Palimpsest" is one more ominous interlude. "Tabula Rasa" can slice through you like a razorblade in brutal hellfire. A twisted addictive way to head out! And once the chaos stops, you might just feel up to replaying these killer 45 minutes.

Barely anyone can listen to Flesh is Heir everyday, but it can be easy for me to do so. It's pure twisted rage from the deathly depths of Hell that lets you think of the bleak state of humanity. The album flows so well and even the highlights can fit well with one another. It's so heavy that you can feel it like a nuclear asteroid explosion and still live. One of the most brutal offerings in extreme industrial metal!

Favorites: "Flesh is Heir", "Teeth", "Obliterate’s Prayer", "The Argument", "Disintegrate", "Tabula Rasa"

I was always a big fan of this band. Their first two albums were outstanding examples of industrial-edged death metal & their live shows were a true spectacle. I class them as my personal favourite from the more recent crop of Aussie metal bands so I had very high hopes for this release & it certainly didn't let me down. In fact, they 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 read 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!