ABSENT IN BODY
Plague God RELAPSE
Industrial deliverance from Amenra, Neurosis and ex-sepultura linchpins
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 In Spirit In Spite – recalling the similarly washed out electronic vibes of Kelly’s Corrections House project.
Sarin, on the other hand, boasts the kind of imposing, tectonic riff that could have only come from Scott Kelly’s hands, but peppers it with distorted Ministry-esque vocals and militant snare rolls from Iggor.
Plague God isn’t quite the revelation that Amenra’s latest album, De Doorn, was, and it certainly doesn’t attain either the enveloping atmosphere of classic Neurosis or the bludgeoning force of early Sepultura; but despite the credentials of the personnel involved, it feels wrong to stack it so directly against their previous glories. While there are certainly similarities to those bands to be found, this very much feels like its own beast, and there’s something special bubbling away here. Provided this isn’t a one-off, there’s a lot of potential here for Absent In Body to transcend the ‘supergroup’ tag and blossom into a powerful force in their own right. ■■■■■■■■■■
FOR FANS OF: Amenra, Neurosis, Corrections House
KEZ WHELAN