AMENRA – De Toorn (EP) – 12” – Black Onyx Marbled Vinyl

12” EP – Limited Edition Black Onyx Marbled Vinyl.

AMENRA make their highly anticipated return with two EPs that highlight the band’s career as one of the most compelling and unequivocally vital entities in extreme music.

Titled De Toorn and With Fang and Claw respectively, each of these EPs have distinct soundscapes, songwriting approaches, and emotional weight. The result is a two part journey through AMENRA’s raw, visceral beginnings, and a look into the band’s future as one of the most enthralling and cinematic experiences in the genre.

“With De Toorn we finish what we have started with De Doorn in 2019,” AMENRA vocalist Colin H. Van Eeckhout comments. “We came as close to our cultural heritage as we possibly could and offered the world a glance of where we come from. With the artwork reached back to the early beginnings of the band, MASS I. Aline Gorsen interpretation of the art propelled us in a world forlorn.”

Guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove comments: “With De Toorn, we carry forward the spirit of De Doorn, delving deeper into the raw emotions of grief, wrath, and transformation. It is a continuation of the ritual, a step further into the fire. At the same time, With Fang And Claw harks back to the essence of Mass I, embracing the primal force that defined our beginnings.

These two works intertwine: De Toorn channels the lament and fury of De Doorn, while With Fang And Claw recalls the unfiltered intensity of Mass I to Mass IIII. Together, they form a crucial passage in our 30-year journeya reflection of where we began and where we are going. This transition is not just a bridge; it is a reckoning, a moment that prepares us for the resolution to come with Mass VII. Through rage and sorrow, we rise, bearing both the scars of the past and the fangs of resilience.”

Guitarist Lennart Bossu says: “The track ‘Heden‘ grew very organically while playing together in the rehearsal room and it set the tone for the rest of ‘De Doorn’ and ‘De Toorn,’ so it’s definitely a track that is special to us.

Van Eeckhout shares, “With Fang and Claw explores our earlier work, and merges with our contemporary being, setting the direction to what will soon become our MASS VII.”

Recorded in a single session at the same studio in the Belgian Ardennes where the band’s massive Mass VI was recorded with Seth Manchester (Machines With Magnets). Both EPs herald a new era for AMENRA. “These EPs feel like the closure we were desperately seeking, as we prepare for a new beginning in our almost 3 decade long trajectory” says Van Eeckhout.

Tracklist:

1. Heden
2. De Toorn (Talisman)