Satanath Records - Reviews: SAT171

Reviews: SAT171

On May 8, Satanath Records (Russia) and Amputated Vein Records (Japan) will release Scourge, the new third album by Amentia from Belarus. We’re fortunate to bring you the premiere of one of the new songs, “Sentence Executioner“, along with a previously released track named “Slow Decay“.

Amentia began as a studio project more than a dozen years ago and the veteran line-up includes members of Deathbringer, Thy Disease, and Disloyal, and former members of Posthumous Blasphemer. The labels recommend the album to fans of Blotted Science, Suffocation, Decrepit Birth, Misery Index, and The Faceless, among others.

“Sentence Executioner” is a turbocharged, pulse-pounding rush of technical death metal that’s brutal, alien, and rhythmically riveting. The technical virtuosity of all the performers is undeniable, but on this particular track they’ve harnessed their blazing fast agility in a framework of jackhammering grooves, with the lyrics voiced in deep, guttural growls.

The song is loaded with guitar leads and soloing that contrast with the punishing rhythms. While the riffs and rhythms jab and pulse in staccato bursts of skull-cracking percussive force, guitarist Artyom‘s fretwork generates fluid streams of notes that swirl, flicker, and spiral, adding an otherworldly dimension to the music’s adrenalizing physical impact.

We also encourage you to listen to the previously released track, “Slow Decay“. It reveals a more avant-garde, more head-twisting approach, one with more prominent progressive and fusion elements in the mix, but no less riveting in its force.

http://www.nocleansinging.com/2017/04/09/an-ncs-premiere-amentia-sentence-executioner/

Amentia are a band from Belarus that plays a very brutal and technical form of death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "Scourge" which will be released on May 8th as a joint effort between Satanath and Amputated Vein Records.

A very technical and technical sound starts off the album along with some deep death metal growls as we;; as a few screams and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording along with the solos and leads also demonstrating a great amount of talent and skill.

A great amount of prog elements can be heard in the guitar riffing while you can also hear a decent amount of melody in both the riffs and solos and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses blast beats can be heard in the faster sections of the songs and the album also remains brutal from beginning to ending of the recording.

Amentia plays a style of death metal that is very brutal and technical while also mixing in a more modern prog element, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover murder, death and extermination themes.

In my opinion Amentia are a very great sounding brutal and technical death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album.

http://extrememetalzine.blogspot.ru/2017/05/amentiascourgesatanath-recordsamputated.html

Seguimos con Satanath Records con la presente coedición con la discográfica japonesa Amputed Vein Records de la mano de AMENTIA, banda que nos llega desde Bielorrusia y que nos presentan su tercer asalto discográfico.

Si bien sus primeras obras hacían mella dentro del Brutal Death más acelerado, la dinámica de “Scourge” aúna mucho más dentro del Death Metal Técnico decantando un poco más la balanza hacia ese fin compositivo en el transcurso del álbum.

Desde la inicial “Kill Me” las atrocidades sobre el mástil son un ir y venir, una constante sin cesar y un escaparate digno de los menesteres más refinados.

Como decíamos, Death Metal Técnico que recorre un sinfín de patrones acelerados que desembocan hacia unos desenlaces francamente trabajados. El disco adictivo hasta su último desenlace pasa por dinámicas de lo más rebuscadas. Riffs melódicos, brutalidad lírica a borbotones, capas y capas de velocidades inalcanzables, palm mute hasta la saciedad, barridos e incluso sesiones de tapping a la velocidad de la luz son solo algunos detalles que priman en sus primeros minutos del álbum y todo ello con un saber hacer global que va abriéndose terreno en cada una de sus composiciones.

Obviamente tanto descaro y tantas partes en una misma composición dan la sensación de apretón en algunos momentos, aunque en líneas generales no sobrecargan y saben airear perfectamente cada una de sus partes de forma unida y a la vez con hilos independientes.

“I Don´t Believe” pasando por “Anorexia” dejan claro que su tema inicial no es para nada un espejismo y las partes rítmicas y solistas van en aumento y no cesan de derrochar técnica por los cuatro costados, pues no voy a negar que la destreza de estos músicos con sus instrumentos es a priori de lo más destacado del álbum.

Podríamos subrayar bastantes influencias en el transcurso del mismo, pero vamos, la música de AMENTIA te enreda y roza esas categorías incluso personales dentro del Death Metal Técnico, algo que quieras que no les hace bastante sólidos en ese campo compositivo, ya que lo único que les aleja un poco de ese término son los registros vocales, encargándose de marcar un poco las diferencias en el álbum siendo totalmente devotas dentro del Brutal Death en cada uno de sus ataques.

Otras como “Slow Decay” o “Sentence Executioner” nos dejan retales muy interesantes, dejando que los solos entren a sus anchas en partes inesperadas, algo que alguna que otra ocasión quizá les queda demasiado brusco, aunque vamos eso ya es solo una opinión personal.

Para situar un poco al oyente, la batidora podría ofrecernos algún punto del camino en donde bandas como MISERY INDEX e incluso THE FACELESS podrían ser sus constantes vitales más pronunciadas. Todo ello de una forma muy nítida, elaborada, alocada e incluso doblando el apoyo melódico hasta su último detalle.

Llegados al último ecuador del álbum, las partes instrumentales son incluso mucho más largas, comiéndose el relojero del álbum con creces y reafirmando aún más si cabe la enredada calidad técnica que se respira en este álbum en cada una de sus cuotas. Apurando el asunto, incluso tendrían cancha las partes más alocadas y técnicas de otros maestros como DEATH en su etapa más técnica, algo que incluso tendría su pequeño espacio en las presentes coordenadas.

Dicho esto, el cambio estilístico con respecto a sus anteriores obras anda la mar de subrayado, sonando mucho más personales, y creando una nueva etapa por llamarlo de algún modo que durante más de media hora dominan con una facilidad extraordinaria.

Ahora solo falta esperar a que AMENTIA sigan en esta línea en próximos trabajos y sigan rozando el listón de calidad que desprende este álbum, pues no hay duda que los seguidores del Death Metal Técnico disfrutaran de lo lindo con la diversidad técnica que nos ofrece “Scourge”, un álbum tan adictivo como técnico que les ahoga de nuevo en el candelero musical con una propuesta tan fiable como sorprendente.

http://www.friedhof-magazine.com/criticas/amentia-scourge

Después de un periodo de inactividad (cerca de 7 años desde su ultimo LP), regresan pisando fuerte con un trabajo sólido, memorable y que dejará satisfechos a los amantes del Brutal Death. Tras unir un par de vocalistas, Valery Toothgrinder y Zubov compañero de Alex (Fundador de Amentia) en Postumus Blasphemer, toman un profundo segundo aire.

Brutalmente técnico y anti-religioso, esos serían los adjetivos apropiados para describir lo que "Scourge" aporta a la escena Bielorrusa, una escena que posee en sus filas a bandas sumamente exquisitas, los mismos Posthumous Blasphemer, Serdce y aquel impresionante debut de Irreversible Mechanism que quedará para la posteridad.

Este álbum es machacante, no da respiro. Inicia con la premisa "Kill Me", Inmediatamente los riffs penetran como una sierra en madera, elementos Progresivos son perfectamente adheridos aquí en pasajes con veloces y exactos mutes que fragmentan el alma, solos que se presentan de manera orgullosa al deleitar el oído suturando las heridas previamente causadas, una voz líder con un growl que hace imaginar una entidad maligna susurrándote al oído apoyada por Toothgrinder con screams que funcionan a modo de remate en oraciones profanas y desesperanzadoras que desmoralizarían al más optimista.

No recomendable para oídos sensibles ni para mentes maleables. Avanzando por su paisaje desolador, puedes sentir el bajo creando una atmósfera perfecta con un slap que zumba cual abeja y la batería gusta en lucirse dictando el cambio del tiempo. El aspecto más contundente son las guitarras, sabrán atraer a tu memoria y seducirla con solos magistrales que nos recuerdan momentos nostálgicos que ya han sido superados con pasajes disonantes en momentos exactos.

Siendo estrictos los puntos flacos se pueden encontrar en la grabación de la batería, los platillos no están muy definidos, y si no estás prestando atención te puedes perder entre canciones.

En conclusión, Amentia se afirma en la élite del género en su país, junto a las bandas previamente mencionadas, con un trabajo oscuro de alta calidad y una manufactura apreciable a la primera oída, enaltece al género y nos presenta una mezcla de elementos muy interesantes que espero, se vuelva común. Esta es la clase de música que crea chicos sumamente enfadados.

http://www.rtmbmusic.com/2017/06/resena-amentia-scourge.html

Lo bueno de la globalización en el ámbito de la música es que escuchar bandas de cualquier parte del mundo es fácil. Y conseguir su material también. Lo malo de este acceso global y factible es que el filtro a colocar tiene que ser mayor. Hay que rascar bastante para encontrar de vez en cuando bandas notables y ya ni te cuento si buscas algo sorprendente. Por eso encontrar algo como AMENTIA hace recuperar la ilusión en este proceso. La banda de Bielorrusia lleva en activo desde hace 14 años y ya tiene tres discos en su haber y otros lanzamientos menores, pero no ha sido hasta este Scourge que tuve conocimiento de ellos y la verdad es que, aunque a priori se vendían como brutal death metal y por tanto pensé que no me iban a aportar nada nuevo, después de escuchar detenidamente el disco sólo puedo decir que ¡vaya sorpresa!

Efectivamente AMENTIA se expresa a través de la brutalidad y los patrones del brutal death metal. En su cara más técnica y retorcida, no excesivamente moderna y sin rastro de partes slam. Pero quedarse sólo ahí sería algo injusto. AMENTIA es como fue en su momento BRAIN DRILL o como es INANIMATE EXISTENCE. Un grupo que va más allá dentro de los esquemas de su propia expresión. En particular en Scourge esta frontera apartada son los terrenos de la armonía y el patronaje rítmico que me recuerda por un lado a GORGUTS y por otro a CRYPTOPSY. Atonalidad, desestructuración, partes de locura jazzística y mucha síncopa rítmica. De hecho lo más “normal” del grupo es la voz de Zubov, aspirada y sepulcral, con algún pasaje más agresivo cortesía de su compañero Valery Zubenko que me recuerda a Glenn Benton. El resto es pura aventura.

La contrapartida de este tipo de grupos es: ¿hay algún sentido en lo que hacen? Pues en este caso particular sí. Los 33 minutos que dura Scourge son un conjunto, pero también una suma de partes con individualidad. Eso sí la riqueza de cada corte es tal que uno a veces necesitará un descanso para apreciar todo lo tergiversado del asunto. Hay dos cosas que desde el principio me llamaron la atención, los vericuetos rítmicos de la batería (no aparece en los créditos pero pongo la mano en el fuego de que no es programada) y las líneas de bajo de Alex. Este último va a su bola directamente (y si no escucha el primer tema “Kill me” o más adelante “Slow decay”). Nada de contrapuntos, ni golpes en el silencio de las guitarras, no. Alex crea su propia línea independiente y complementaria a las guitarras de Artyom, hasta el punto de que a veces uno tiene la sensación de que ambos van en tempos distintos.

Compositivamente hablando el mayor peso recae en Artyom. Dejando a un lado riffs construidos y destruidos una y otra vez, el guitarrista aporta en cada tema armonías, solos y cambios diferentes al anterior. Es aquí donde la influencia de GORGUTS es más clara, si bien con dos diferencias: una producción más actual y poderosa, no tan fría e impenetrable como los canadienses, y un poco más de condescendencia con el oyente, pues aunque todo lo que se escucha en Scourge no entra a la primera, no hay nada que se salga de un patrón audible para oídos acostumbrados a tecnicismos. Empezando por el final, y haciendo el juego de palabras, la música de AMENTIA es una “Paranoia”, como el último corte (y uno de los más completos del disco), pero se deja escuchar también.

AMENTIA es una grata sorpresa en el mundo actual del brutal death metal. Una banda avanzada, que domina su propio estilo y su forma de entender la música y que al mismo tiempo sabe expresar y te dejará ojiplático. Scourge es para mi gusto uno de los lanzamientos del año en este tipo de géneros, al menos en lo que llevamos de este 2017. Gracias globalización.

http://subterraneowebzine.com/amentia-blr-scourge-2017/

En un primer momento esta banda era un proyecto en solitario de Alex Goron, el bajista que procedía de los Phostulus Blasphemer. Debutaron en el 2005 con un ep grabado en Minsk. Es una banda que siempre fichó por sellos rusos.

amentia 2Suenan interesantes por momentos. Es una banda que tiene dos elementos que destacan sobre el conjunto global. Lo primero es labor de su bajista, Alex, se nota que es el miembro más veterano de la banda desde el primer tema. Por ejemplo en Kill Me ofrece unas pinceladas de calidad, se deja notar desde un primer momento pero no es hasta I Don’t Believe donde toma el mando de las operaciones y deja destellos técnicos que suben las prestaciones de la banda.

Otro elemento de la banda a destacar es la labor de su guitarrista que nos sorprende con solos técnicos y limpios en todo momento. Dentro del Brutal Death lo normal es apostar por la mezcla de elementos, Slamming, Grindcore …. pero no es el caso de Amentia. No es una banda excesivamente potente pero tiene una técnica alta y sin ser una banda de Brutal Death técnico, logran mantener un equilibrio entre el Death y el Brutal y hasta hay cierta melodía en sus temas.

Los mejores solos del álbum son los de Slow Decay y Noble Death. Se guardan un as en la manga para el final con el tema Paranoia, un corte de ocho minutos, el más creativo del álbum, donde bajista y guitarrista vuelven a aunar sus fuerzas para recrear ritmos sólidos como rocas.

Como veis estoy todo el rato hablando de bajista y guitarrista porque la batería es programada y eso es una debilidad que no deberían permitirse. En un estilo como este, no concederle importancia a la base rítmica es un error que se paga caro. Hay dos cantantes, innecesario, porque los estribillos son secundarios en esta obra y son los elementos instrumentales los que sacan adelante el álbum.

También podría destacar como aspecto negativo la falta de atmósfera en los temas. Pero hay más aspectos positivos que negativos como por ejemplo la inclusión de constantes cambios de ritmo y diferentes influencias de lo más clásicas… de hecho más que influencias del Brutal Death habría que hablar de influencias del Death metal como la de los Exhumation, la banda pionera del Death metal en Bielorrusia que inició su carrera en 1990 con grandes demos. Siguen esa estela clásica y es un álbum entretenido que puede dejarse escuchar desde fans del Thrash, Death, fans del metal extremo y a los que les vaya algo más ligero, porque la clase del guitarrista permite aunar a un público tan dispar.

http://metalbrothers.es/criticas/criticas-internacionales/amentia-scourge-2017/

A AMENTIA foi inicialmente criada como um projeto de estúdio em 2003 por Alex Goron – um baixista da banda POSTHUMOUS BLASPHEMER da Bielorrússia.

No final de 2005, a banda entrou no estúdio SEHR GUT em Minsk para gravar sua debut EP “Mind Degradation”. Foi lançado pelo selo russo COYOTE Records como um Split-CD, juntamente com as bandas FORMALIN, FOREVER DEAD, SERRANDO CODOS.

A AMENTIA realizou seu primeiro show em 2006. O primeiro álbum completo intitulado “Burn to Hate” foi lançado em março de 2007 por outro selo russo do Moscow SOULFLESH COLLECTOR. O CD incluiu músicas de 7 bandas e uma capa da lendária banda bielorrussa EXHUMATOR – “Crucifixion Decapitated” + video ao vivo. O próximo lançamento “Incurable Disease” continha 9 composições técnicas e brutais e foi lançado em 2011 pelo selo russo MORE HATE Productions.

O estilo da banda pode ser definido como Technical Death Metal com alguns elementos de Fusion e Avant-garde.

Depois de 6 anos de silêncio, os frenéticos técnicos de vanguarda da Bielorrússia voltaram com o seu 3º álbum completo, com o título “Scourge”, extensivo e mordaz.

Sete trilhas intransigentes que estão matando suas células cerebrais com cada segundo de seu som. Rápido e cortante como riffs rítmicos de um machado; explosões de metralhadoras de enchimentos de bateria e batidas explosivas, solos paranóicos pervertidos, vocais de destruição de almas semelhantes a besta, e, obviamente, trituração de baixo virtuoso.

Apresentando membros de POSTHUMOUS BLASPHEMER, DEATHBRINGER, DESLOYAL, SUA DOENÇA. Fortemente recomendado para os fãs de BLOTTED SCIENCE, SUFFOCATION, DECREPIT BIRTH, MISERY INDEX, THE FACELESS, GORGASM e MESHUGGAH. Arte do álbum foi elaborada por MAYHEM PROJECT DESIGN.

http://rumorsmag.com.br/js_albums/amentia-scourge/

Continuing to unleash the extremity, Belarus-based technical brutal death metal masters Amentia are there to further the melding of complex and challenging rhythms with furious, blasting brutality that has made them one of the more explosive efforts in the genre. Finally returning after a six-year holdover from releases, the groups’ third full-length release was originally released May 7, 2017 on Satanath Records.

From the start, it’s quite apparent that the band is adept at going for the grand mixture of these two elements with plenty of stellar work throughout here. Tracks like “Kill Me” and “I Don’t Believe” fire off tight, surgically-precise riffing with spindly noodling with complex rhythms, there’s a great combination of elements at play here that adds to the charging atmosphere of the album. The frantic riff-work and blasting drumming here brings about a stellar series of up-tempo sections that fully spread the realm from furious chugging to blasting thrash beats and ignites a furious onslaught of complex rhythms throughout here that’s exceptionally well-played for generating that kind of challenging, technical work here.

While that’s only one part of the album, the other aspect here of its brutality is somewhat lower in execution but no less so in importance. There’s efforts like “Slow Decay” and “Sentence Executioner” which feature plenty of tight, deep churning rhythms throughout those challenging and complex riff-work that does enhance those somewhat by enabling this one to really go for the kind of pummeling beatdown as it’s featuring thick, deep rhythms slamming over and over again while still maintaining a sense of technicality needed to ensure a rather complex set of rhythms throughout here, and this becomes all the more likeable throughout here with this great assault. It does become somewhat of a minor inconvenience when it doesn’t really do that much to separate the tracks from each other with the whole of the album being a rather indistinguishable blur of tight, complex riffing and deep rhythms, yet that’s really all that really holds this one back.

Despite being slightly hampered by the lack of identity within the tracks throughout here, this is still one of the more explosive and enjoyable offerings in the genre overall and manages to get enough right here that this certainly makes for a welcome addition for any fan of technical or brutal death metal.

http://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/amentia-scourge/

Hey there tech-fiends, I hope some of you all enjoyed last week's early Dark Matter Secret stream because that record is fucking epic. Today I'm back in review mode discussing a recent release from Amentia, who hail from Minsk and are well worth checking out. Before we begin, here's the usual weekly reminder that if you're looking for more cool music, all prior editions of this series can be perused here.

While technical brutal death metal spliced with proggy elements isn't an unknown quantity, it's certainly not something you find every day. For that reason alone, I give thanks to the metal gods for Scourge, the recently released third album from Amentia. If you've never heard of Amentia before, the group was founded by (now an ex-member as of last year) Posthumous Blasphemer bassist Alex Goron in 2003, and went on to release two excellent albums prior to the recent release of Scourge. Given that Posthumous Blasphemer is a fantastic band themselves, that should give you a hint as to the quality of the material here.

Although the main focus here is technical brutal death metal, Amentia strongly favor eclectic sonic diversity from moment to moment, alongside an affinity for chaotic excursions, and also frequent diversions into prog and groove territory over straightforward songwriting. In doing so, they've managed to write music on Scourge unlike anything else I've heard in this specific sub-strain of prog-inflected technical brutal death metal. The band states that Scourge is "Strongly recommended for the fans of Blotted Science, Suffocation, Decrepit Birth, Misery Index, The Faceless, Gorgasm, and Meshuggah", which is what the album delivers, in a variety of mixtures and blends between the polar opposite prog and brutal sides to their sound fighting for control like schizophrenic twins in an endless battle.

The songs on Scourge are of such a strong and truly creative quality, that I can confidently say this release will more than likely appeal to a lot of people who aren't typically into the brutal minded tech-death sound. Amentia has concocted the perfect fusion between realms on Scourge, and their unholy gospel may very well infect you in ways both strange and deadly upon hearing it. If you dig what you're hearing embedded below, you can purchase Scourge through the Amentia Bandcamp page. Be sure to follow Amentia over on their Facebook Page as well.

http://www.metalinjection.net/av/tech-death-tuesday/amentia-dish-out-brutal-prog-tinged-shred-on-scourge

Amentia are a death metal band from Belarus, and this is their third album.

This is technical/brutal death metal that features a member of the very enjoyable Disloyal. This is underground and very brutal. There is, however, more to this band initially might meet the eye.

Amentia have a distinct streak of technicality to them; this is passionately delivered with some atypical riffs and avant-garde/dissonant elements. The songs on Scourge see the band carving out a brutally engaging mixture of styles, all played with uncompromising aggression and lethal, focused barbarity.

Scourge merges the modern style of death metal, as espoused by bands like The Faceless, with non-standard Meshuggah influences, and a healthy dose of Suffocation-styled brutality.

I keep returning to the word brutal, I just can’t help it. For all of the other elements here, (and there are a fair few of them), this band have brutality stamped firmly onto them down to their very core. All of the melodic, avant-garde, and dissonant elements that appear on this release are only really there to enhance the band’s brutally aggressive delivery, and it all works a treat. Scourge will flay you alive and mash you up, both at the same time.

The lead guitar work is infectious and sharp, while the bass is untamed and wild, seemingly wandering where it wants to. The drums and vocals are both inhuman, with the former setting a daunting pace and performing all kinds of time-change gymnastics, while the latter provide consistently ultra-deep growls that seem to echo in your soon-to-be-smashed skull.

If the high-gloss delivery of some of modern death metal’s finest is too much for you, and you prefer something that revels in the murk, while still providing the modern listening style, then Amentia are ones to get acquainted with.

Scourge is an impressive album released by an impressive band.

https://wonderboxmetal.com/2017/06/03/amentia-scourge-review/

Like most metal aficionados, I’m a lover of all things dark and different. Sometimes that perturbing passion manifests itself in a breaking of creative boundaries, musical or otherwise. 1 Despite my death metal tastes dwelling mostly amongst the ossuaries of the ancients, I appreciate when a band goes the distance in pushing the envelope. Hyper technicality often leaves me cold – overwrought wankery aimed squarely at the untouched trouser department of guitar techs everywhere – but sometimes a band gets it right, melding proficiency, foresight and progression to conjure something unique from the chaos. Belarus’ very own Amentia are perhaps such a band. Harboring members of veteran acts Posthumous Blashphemer, Disloyal and Thy Disease, it’s a maddening meld of bulldozing riffs and schizoid lead work that comprises third album Scourge.

To get the name dropping out of the way, if you’re a fan of Misery Index, Blotted Science or The Faceless then, chances are, you’ll enjoy the kind of technical death metal that Amentia are offering. First up, “Kill Me” wastes no time in engaging with progressive staccato riffing and frenzied blastbeats. The component that inexorably elevates itself beyond the onslaught is the insistent soloing of guitarist Artyom, whose leads are so omnipresent, it’s increasingly redundant to refer to them as “solos.” He furnishes every available audible inch of the album with surreal spider-like fret-work – all layered over fusion inspired rhythms and head-spinning fluctuations in tempo.

Between the Suffocation inspired breakdown on “I Don’t Believe” and the huge, amorphous grooves in “Anorexia,” a comparatively slower track that has absolutely no business being as memorable as it is, Scourge makes for a pretty impressive listen. The main feature of the record, however, is the somewhat avant-garde structures and claustrophobic presence that the consistent lead guitar offers. Inside of that, it can sometimes be hard to identify the albums’s personality. Between the obvious tech death stylings and New York inclination, there’s a clear reverence for acts like Beyond Creation in the group’s earnest need for progression – particularly apparent on the moody stylings of “Slow Decay,” though not to the extent of the other Children of Chuck bands, who are content only to build upon Godfather Schuldiner’s latter works. In fact, the music is so dynamic in its composition, that it almost renders growler, Zubov and his ultra low emanations, obsolete. Second vocalist, Vile, responsible for screams that can barely be discerned anywhere on the record, fares worse still. When a band so clearly able and of such faculty employ what feel like peripheral gimmicks, it can’t help but seem a little counter-intuitive. Maybe I’m just old and rusty, but I’m not entirely convinced that the record’s quality wouldn’t be diminished had it been wholly instrumental, which the majority of it is.

Special credit must go to Alex who not only supplies a wildly sentient bass, whose vibrations unpredictably prowl the entire record, but also wrote, mixed and mastered the album and, by all accounts, provided the rather exhaustive drums, too. His production offers the rabid instrumentation a primordial low-end – the kind of frequency that gave classics like Pierced From Within their herculean brawn. It’s this kind of percussive pugilism that so terminally hammers home “Sentence Executioner,” with riffs so unfaltering they practically terraformed my ear canals. One unfortunate trait of the production, however, and immune to the album’s overall quality, is each song’s tendency to begin and end abruptly, thus the transition from one track to the other can sometimes be a little indistinct. This habit results in the stronger material being denied the spotlight it richly deserves.

Amentia have consolidated their burgeoning influences and skill to delight and confound the ears of tech savvy death fans the world over. Although married to certain unforgiving engineering flaws, here is a record that surely succeeds in employing its baleful mania, and reminds us that the importance of extreme music, and its hand in broadening the horizons of what can be considered art, mustn’t be underestimated. If you too enjoy the creative malcontent, then dare to lock eyes with Scourge – “… for I knew that the King in Yellow had opened his tattered mantle and there was only God to cry now.”

http://www.angrymetalguy.com/amentia-scourge-review/

Alex Goron, who is the bassist of Posthumous Blasphemer, has returned with his side project Amentia and a follow up to the 2015 Mind Degradation EP. The Belarusian quartet has released Scourge under Satanath Records and right from the beginning, Amentia shall take you on a brutal death metal ride with “Kill Me.” Valery Toothgrinder and Dmitry Zubov’s harsh and screaming vocals highlight the song’s brutality by accompanying one another, not disregarding Goron’s bass plucking talents which emphasize the foundation of the song, and guitarist Artyom Serdyuk’s killer guitar riffs. Although not identical to “Kill Me,” “Slow Decay” and “Sentence Executioner” give you a near pure dose of brutal death metal. “Anorexia” on the other hand is much like “Kill Me” but with Goron and Serdyuk really showcasing their talents emphasizing the technical brand. “Paranoia” caps off this latest release just like it began but more aggressive, heavier on the drums and on the technical aspect and features two awesome guitar solos courtesy of Serdyuk himself. The Klown highly recommends that you lend this album your ears especially if you fancy yourself a death metal aficionado. Fan of Artificial Brain, Kronos and Dying Fetus will love this. Lastly, you can check out this album on the band’s bandcamp and judge for yourself.

https://ughmetal.com/2017/05/17/the-trials-of-may-12/

Belarus has grown to quite the extreme metal country in recent years, and on the 8th of May Satanath records brought out the latest proof of this in collaboration with Japanese Amputated Vein. Amentia plays technical death metal with a strong scent of brutal death metal (in every sense of the term). Scourge is the band’s third album, and it showcases their abilities very well. It takes technical musicians to play technical death metal, and Amentia has got them a-plenty.

Whenever I hear the genre tech-death being mentioned in connection with an album, I keep expecting Meshuggah/Yngwie Malmsteen type instrument masturbation. That is, technical and complex music being played technically and complexly somewhat for its own sake, which is something that doesn’t really lend itself to an underground music genre (also, Meshuggah and Malmsteen do have mad skills, which means they can get away with it a bit easier). In the case of Amentia, there is no trace of this. There are indeed choked back, heavy guitars hacking their way over ultra fast drums, strange melodies and the odd break, but the songs on Scourge are all solid death metal tracks. The vocals are incredibly brutal, and the deep growls connect riffs, solos and sputtering rhythmic experiments in an amazing way.

The chopped heaviness and grinding blast beats interact with clever licks and all-out solos, none of which overstay their welcome. Some of the things done here is difficult to even explain at all – the guitar work in “Sentence Executioner” is a mix of melodic horrors and the most butchered, chugging tech-death riffing you’ll hear this year. Shit is going on constantly on this one, and this is the first album I’ve heard in a long time where it wouldn’t feel entirely out of place to try to explain a segment from a song by inventing my own onomatopoeic language. For instance, the opening accompaniment of “Noble Death”: Ba ba-ba-ba ba-baba… Maybe not. Great track, though.

The bass sound is spectacular, and adds an extra dimension to the sound – imagine the bass sound from Maiden’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son being added to Cryptopsy’s or Suffocation’s heavier stuff. The production is also great. Mixing and mastering have worked in tandem to make the sound clear, with a very distinct separation of the different instruments, as is necessary in this type of death metal. More importantly: this tight, crisp production has been achieved without moving the whole thing too close to tech-death’s evil and retarded cousin deathcore. The aforementioned vocals also play a part here, of course, since no deathcore band ever had growls as awesome as this, but the guy behind the mixing table/computer deserves some extra praise for making sure that this came out the way it did.

Amentia have constructed an album which is extreme and technical, while also being surprisingly digestible. Scourge delivers violence, heaviness and plenty of complex riffing, but the combination of song-writing, the timely inclusion of attractive melodic parts and the great production means that anyone into extreme metal could and should check this out and enjoy it.

http://archaictriad.com/2017/05/13/amentia-scourge/

Third album from this band from Belarus. AMENTIA plays a kind of technical brutal Death Metal with undecipherable vocals and unorthodox rhythm patterns. The fact that they have already a few albums under their belt means that at least they are hard working with perseverance and that there are more than a few people that actually enjoy their sound. It also means they have developed a style of their own, and they are very competent musicians. The recording is very good, everything sounds in a right balance and it does not sound overproduced, something that harms many records today. And even if I am not a fan of the brutal Death Metal style (or slamming Death Metal as some call it) I find AMENTIA to be quite good at what they are doing. I think that it is their technical approach which is done with so much quality that makes them to be above similar bands. I can think of OBSCURA, DECREPIT BIRTH and some early CRYPTOPSY mixed with a good dose of SUFFOCATION and some bits reminded me of PESTILENCE “Spheres”. Yet, it is also an album not easy to get into. If you like straight forward brutal Death Metal, then it is not here. This is a challenge for the listener, and the band is wise enough to keep it coherent even with the weird song arrangements. The weakest point of the band is the vocals. Yes, I know that brutal Death Metal needs something low and deep, but then again some are able to do it the right way while doing a proper pronunciation (think of Frank Mullen) whereas when it just sounds brutal for the sake of it, it can dangerously become a parody of itself. For a band with the aura they evoke, with some bits of variety in the vocals and a bit cleaner approach, it will surely make this effort to be more enjoyable than what it already is.

http://www.voicesfromthedarkside.de/Albums-EPs-Demos/A/AMENTIA--11151.html

From Belarus a techdeath band named Amentia have come to surprise us all with some of the best brutal technical death metal you will hear all year. They might not be a household name within the genre, yet, but Amentia have existed since 2003 with Scourge being the bands third full-length release, six years after their sophomore album Incurable Disease. Having never heard of the band myself I was caught off-guard by the bands tight riffs and blasting drums. To me this is close to a perfect score, everything just seems to hit the right notes at the right times.

Not a single song on the album is even close to being bad and Scourge has been on repeat several times these past days. Only thing is that the songs tends to be a bit indistinguishable which makes it hard for the songs to stand out to one another. Sometimes that can be a good thing, sometimes not and in this case I would like there to be some more variation. In a year when heavy hitters like Decrepit Birth, Suffocation, Hideous Divinity and Hour of Penance are releasing killer techdeath Amentia are making a great effort to stand tall next to those monsters. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know a great upcoming band with an album you do not want to miss.

https://themetalgamerblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/amentia-scourge-technical-brutal-death-metal/

From the start, it’s quite apparent that the band is adept at going for the grand mixture of these two elements with plenty of stellar work throughout here. Firing off tight, surgically-precise riffing with spindly noodling with complex rhythms, there’s a great combination of elements at play here that adds to the charging atmosphere of the album. The frantic riff-work and blasting drumming here brings about a stellar series of up-tempo sections that fully spread the realm from furious chugging to blasting thrash beats and ignites a furious onslaught of complex rhythms throughout here that’s exceptionally well-played for generating that kind of challenging, technical work here. While that’s only one part of the album, the other aspect here of its brutality is somewhat lower in execution but no less so in importance. There’s plenty of tight, deep churning rhythms throughout those challenging and complex riff-work that does enhance those somewhat by enabling this one to really go for the kind of pummeling beatdown as it’s featuring thick, deep rhythms slamming over and over again while still maintaining a sense of technicality needed to ensure a rather complex set of rhythms throughout here, and this becomes all the more likeable throughout here with this great assault. It does become somewhat of a minor inconvenience when it doesn’t really do that much to separate the tracks from each other with the whole of the album being a rather indistinguishable blur of tight, complex riffing and deep rhythms, yet that’s really all that really holds this one back.

https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Amentia/Scourge/641048

"Scourge" é uma bujarda da Bielorrússia de impor respeito. Trata-se do terceiro álbum dos Amentia, banda de death metal técnico que impressiona pelos níveis de excelência aqui atingidos. Sabemos que muitas vezes neste género acaba-se por entrar numa competição para ver quantas mais notas se conseguem soltar num curto espaço de tempo e que a musicabilidade é sacrificada - nada de errado com isso, existe quem gosta. Felizmente para quem gosta de outro tipo de propostas, os Amentia conseguem juntar a técnica à capacidade de fazer boas músicas, mesmo que essas músicas sejam algo difíceis de interiorizar - o que acaba por dar mais gozo nas posteriores audições. Tirando a produção que tem um volume algo baixo, este trabalho é recomendado a todos os fãs de música extrema complexa, provavelmente o melhor da carreira da banda até ao momento.

http://radiowom.blogspot.com/2017/07/world-of-metal-magazine-6-out-now-ja.html

In Belarus, we may not have oil but we have ideas! Even from the sequel to the judging by the history of our four frightful ones of the day who dragged their hands in a pack of local formations, from POSTHUMOUS BLASPHEMER to SUFFERER passing by DEATHBRINGER, before forming a little more than ten years AMENTIA. "Scourge" is their third misdeed and it is announced for my small delicate ears as particularly wild. Technical too. Very.

Between the meticulous touch of guitarist Artyom, his precise and aerial solos that recall the great hours of NECROPHAGIST and the multiple unpredictable breaks he enjoys picking on each of these seven tracks with his mate Alex, ruthless with his bass, we think that the quartet of Minsk will give us a hard time. And it is not this introductory "Kill Me" that can not make lie so frenzied riffs that it scales unceremoniously set the bar very high. Impressive, just like the more "mid-tempo" Anorexia and all the smooth finisher "Paranoia" that testify as for the rest of a high-flying instrumental mastery. Of the beautiful work that it is possible to enjoy on each track that finds a fair balance in its structure, between unbridled rhythms suddenly braked by a giant break, leads placed with accuracy that precedes a cavalcade of hallucinated riffs. As for the place of the drums, I have not found any trace or that it is of a person to strike the skins, I deduce therefore that this is a drum machine, programmed of master hand so much its contribution to the whole is natural. The icing on the cake, the whole of this album was recorded by this same bassist, Alex, in his home studio, with a certain talent and that's not all ... since the guy also took charge of mixing and mastering! A work of goldsmith that gives this "Scourge" a sound ample and powerful, simply ideal. Hat down.

Add to this a sumptuous artwork signed by the Mayhem Project Design studios (also crafting the albums of DAMNATION DAY, KHORS, PYRAMAZE ...) which surrounds the music of AMENTIA of a perfume of mystery and you will get an album to not to miss under any pretext for any fan of death metal vindictive and virtuoso !

Fans of DECREPIT BIRTH, ORIGIN or SUFFOCATION, here is a beautiful complement hotly recommended for your purchases of the year!

http://www.hardforce.fr/actu/22639/amentia-scourge-chronique

A distanza di sei lunghi anni dal precedente ottimo 'Incurable Disease', la band di Minsk mostra una forma smagliante innalzando ulteriormente il tiro nei confronti della qualità della loro proposta. Dediti da sempre al verbo del technical/brutal death, in questo nuovo 'Scourge', i quattro musicisti giocano al meglio le loro carte calando sullo spartito tutta la loro esperienza di settore. I nostri si presentano questa volta con un prodotto altamente tecnico, violento, d'impatto e assai intenso da ascoltare a tutto volume, con variegati e stimolanti paesaggi sonori, taglienti e sinistri, comandati in maniera egregia, dalla voce gutturale dell'ottimo vocalist Zubov. L'act biellorusso si è poi fatto aiutare da una registrazione che permette tranquillamente di seguire ogni singolo strumento e che mette in evidenza le doti canore quanto le articolate peripezie artistiche del chitarrista Artyom che usa come mitragliatrici, chitarre ossessive e demoniache, uscite tra la follia dei Psyopus e il taglio macabro di Exhumed e Necrophagist, unite a venature di stampo death più classico. Perfetta la sezione ritmica con una batteria supersonica e un basso molto interessante, dal sapore decisamente sofisticato e dalla tecnica raffinata, cosa che offre decisamente parecchia verve all'insieme sonoro. Non sarà l'originalità con cui si distinguerà il combo bielorusso ma sicuramente gli Amentia verranno apprezzati per la bravura, la peculiarità e la personalità con cui costruiscono le loro composizioni, che sempre risultano vive e mutanti ad ogni ascolto. Ottima anche la produzione che opta per un sound reale e umano evitando quel suono finto e ipercompresso che a volte si tende ad utilizzare nel genere. La copertina è ben fatta e decisamente a tema, il disco mostra una durata giusta che si aggira intorno alla mezz'ora e con l'apertura affidata all'iniziale "Kill Me" e alla successiva "I Don't Believe" (brano peraltro stupendo con assolo spettacolare!) che insieme a "Sentence Executioner", rappresentano i tre brani simbolo di un album tutto da scoprire ascolto dopo ascolto, per una band che merita veramente tanta attenzione. In un mare di imitazioni e finti musicisti, gli Amentia risultano come un'isola felice. Entrate in sintonia con il significato del loro moniker e gustatevi la follia nascosta tra le note di questo ottimo 'Scourge'. L'ascolto è quanto meno dovuto!

http://thepitofthedamned.blogspot.ru/2017/09/amentia-scourge.html

Иногда становится чертовски обидно, что на крывийских землях не особо приживаются какие-либо формы метала, кроме фолка и “угля”. Впрочем, иногда и вне данных стилей проявляется активность, достойная внимания. Лично для меня таковой в последние года полтора стала череда чертовски удачных релизов в техно-брутале, начавшаяся незабавенным Eximperitus-ом и продолжившаяся новым Relics of Humanity, а также сегодняшними гостями.

Amentia – уже не новички, играют они аж с 2003-го и, надо сказать, что я понятия не имею, что исполняла группа в тот момент, да и есть подозрение, что ничего не пропустил. А вот «Scourge» - штука куда более достойная внимания. Избранный музыкантами брутальный стиль, в сочетании с отточенными риффами, ожидаемо взрывает мозг слушателя. Даже будучи фанатом более каноничных и олдскульных форм дэс-метала, не могу не признать мастерство музыкантов, которые выдают, как кажется, какое-то запредельное количество нот в минуту. Отмечу и отличнейшие соляки и проигрыши, с этим у Amentia более чем порядок.

Не могу назвать себя знатоком стиля, потому провести какие-то параллели мне сложно, да и не думаю, что в техно-брутале можно удивить чем-то. Хитов по тем же причинам не выделю, 7 песен на 33 минуты пролетают достаточно быстро и монолитно. В итоге мы имеем хороший, крепкий альбом, который точно не станет лишним практически в любой коллекции.

К дизайну буклета, как я понял, приложил руку босс Satanath Recs, основной же артворк выполнил Mayhem Project, в последние годы оформляющий большую часть пост-советского метала. Вышло у него весьма неплохо, пусть и слегка блёкло.

http://metalheads.by/en/review/amentia-scourge.html

Pochodząca z Mińska Amentia istnieje od 2003 roku, a wydana w 2017 przez rosyjski Satanath Records płyta Scourge jest trzecim albumem w dorobku grupy. Ma ona również na swoim koncie po jednym demo, splicie oraz minialbum.

Scourge przynosi nam 7 kompozycji, które trwają łącznie około 34 minut. Muzykę Białorusinów można zdefiniować już po pierwszych taktach i wrzucić do szufladki opisanej jako techniczny death metal. W sumie w tym miejscu mógłbym ten tekst zakończyć, ale jednak wypada przedstawić to, co proponuje kwartet zza naszej wschodniej granicy. Jak przystało na kanony tego gatunku mamy do czynienia z odegranymi z chirurgiczną dokładnością oraz matematyczni dopasowanymi dźwiękami. Raczej nie ma tu miejsca na przypadkowość i improwizację. Dominują połamane i przerywane rytmy oraz riffy, chociaż od czasu do czasu Panowie wchodzą w mniej precyzyjne granie i dają się ponieść muzyce oraz harmonii. Bardzo intensywną pracę wykonuje perkusja, która sieje gęsto, a bardzo szybkie podwójne stopy są słyszalne przez zdecydowaną większość materiału. Melodię można też odnaleźć w licznych solówkach, ale o pogoni oraz łamańcach po gryfie również nie zapomniano. Amentia definiując swoją muzykę, dodaje jeszcze przymiotnik brutal, ale szczerze mówiąc w moim przekonaniu, brutalnie w ich muzyce brzmi jedynie niski growl. Nie oznacza to jednak, że Scourge brakuje ciężkości. Jest to nielekka muzyka, ale akurat tego typu dźwięki wymagają przejrzystego brzmienia, aby słuchacz mógł cieszyć się każdą odegraną nutą i każdym smaczkiem, jak na przykład linie basu. Trudno jest to pogodzić ze wspomnianą brutalnością.

Uważam jednak Scourge za album wart uwagi. To, co mi się w nim podoba, to że pomimo technicznego charakteru muzyki, nie spada na słuchacza nawał trudnych to ogarnięcia dźwięków, co sprawia, że album jest relatywnie przystępny i może być dobrym wprowadzeniem w świat technicznego death metalu.

http://kvlt.pl/recenzje/amentia-scourge-2017/

Ever since I first heard Cannibal Corpse back in the day I have been fascinated by the really brutal form of death metal. As much as I love the whole Swedeath thing I am still morbidly drawn towards the brutal side. AMENTIA play that sort of death metal. A bit on the technical side though but still brutal as fuck. So if you are looking for melodies to sing along to you better play your In Flames albums. If you want tour head messed with and a really stiff neck along with a sore throat from trying to mimic the vocalist then this is for you. It is when I hear stuff like this that I realize how much I miss being manhandled by a brutal death metal album. A nice effort.

http://battlehelm.com/reviews/amentia-scourge/

After six years of silence, this Belarusian Death Metal squad is finally back in action to dismantle our bodies and souls with 33 minutes of extreme dexterity and utter rage.

Initially created as a studio project in 2003 by Alex Goron, bass player for Belarusian band Posthumous Blasphemer, Minsk-based Technical Death Metal four-piece beast Amentia is finally awake from hibernation after six years of silence to dismantle our bodies and souls with their third full-length installment, the brutal Scourge. Comprised of seven relentless original compositions tailored for killing our brain cells with each second of their sound by bringing forward fast and furious riffs, machine gun bursts of drum fills and blast beats and demonic soul-destroying vocals, Scourge lives up to the band’s name, leaving you with a severe mental impairment after banging your head nonstop like a maniac to its 33 minutes of extreme dexterity and utter rage.

Featuring members of Posthumous Blasphemer, Deathbringer, Disloyal and Thy Disease, and being strongly recommended for fans of bands like Suffocation, The Faceless and Meshuggah, Amentia already released in their underground career the split EP Mind Degradation in 2006, and the full-length albums Burn to Hate, in 2007, and Incurable Disease, in 2011, but it’s now in 2017 with newcomers Valery “Vile” Toothgrinder and Zubov on vocals that the group has reached a whole new level of brutality with their music. Displaying an ominous cover artwork by Mayhem Project Art, Scourge is not only the epitome of modern and technical Death Metal, but a solid statement by Amentia telling the world the band is back in action and they’re thirstier for blood than ever.

In the opening track, an amazing display of Technical Death Metal perfect for breaking our spine in half headbanging titled Kill Me, the quartet begins firing sheer brutality through their razor-edged instruments, in special Alex with his demented beats and Artyom with his lancinating guitar solos, whereas in I Don’t Believe their violent and rhythmic sounds keep invading our ears mercilessly, with the level of intricacy found in this sea of savagery in the form of music being astounding. In addition, the deep growling by Vile sounds beyond cavernous, which together with the also menacing guitar and bass turn this song into a must-listen for fans of the genre. And then we have the infernal tune Anorexia, with its first part being an instrumental feast of contemporary Death Metal led by Alex and his amazing drums, supported by the always cutting guitars by Artyom, before Vile returns with his bestial roars in another lesson in violence by Amentia.

Vile and Zubov sound like two enraged monsters in the visceral chant named Slow Decay, with its frantic beats and riffs being in total sync with their devilish gnarls (not to mention Alex’s pounding bass punches), followed by Noble Death, a song that brings more up-to-date elements of extreme music and tons of progressiveness where the sound of guitars strenuously slashes our senses so heavy and metallic it sounds, while Vile keeps barking and growling like a rabid gorilla for the delight of us fans of old school Death Metal. And if you think their slaughterhouse of Death Metal is over you’re absolutely wrong, as you’ll have to face Amentia once again in the high-octane ode to bestiality titled Sentence Executioner, ignited by the cutting riffs by Artyom and a furious growl by Vile, feeling like a hellish version of Dream Theater with a demon on vocals, with highlights to the fantastic job done once again by Alex on both bass and drums. And without a single second of peace, this Belorusian squad delivers another explosion of Technical Death Metal named Paranoia, showcasing crisp guitar solos and nonstop savagery, as well as a duel of gargantuan harsh growls by Vile and Zubov. The band keeps punching us in the head throughout the entire song with their blackened sounding, resulting in the perfect conclusion for such ruthless album of extreme music.

If you have the guts to confront this boisterous joint of Belarusian metallers and their demolishing Death Metal, you can take a full listen at Scourge on YouTube, follow them on Facebook and on VKontakte, and buy your copy of the album at Amentia’s BandCamp page, at the Satanath Records’ BandCamp page, or at Discogs. I just hope Amentia do not take another six years to release a new album, and that they keep blasting our ears with their action-packed Death Metal over and over again for many years yet to come.

https://theheadbangingmoose.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/album-review-amentia-scourge-2017/

Initially this band from Belarus was meant to stay a studio project. It was created in 2003 by bass player Alex Goron, but 3 years later it starts its live activity and since 2007 with various line-ups AMENTIA releases 3 full-lengths by the help of different underground labels. "Scourge" is their third and freshest long play in the row. Besides Alex the following members were involved in creating the seven songs of the "Scourge": Artyom Serdyuk – guitars (known mostly from DEATHBRINGER, THY DISEASE and DISLOYAL, just to name a few), Dmitry Zubov – esophagus (SUFFERER, ex-POSTHUMOUS BLASPHEMER, ex-WASTED) and Valery Zubenko – screams. At first their music sounds like some fairly melodious Death Metal compound, but the more you dig deep into the details the more you get acquainted with elements coming from such genres as avant-garde, progressive, fusion and even industrial. The mechanized way of playing the riffs as staccato as possible with as many breaks and tempo changes as possible gives the whole material a surrealistic approach. Still the song-structuring is way modern, trendy and Deathcore-like. Have nothing against all of these, but some of the songs simply come in a practice-like manner. Yeah, they are technical and maximally complex, but less interesting to listen to. I would rather prefer "real" songs instead of ultra sophisticated diarrhea. Nevertheless, hats off before the level of musicians. It's incredible indeed. Let's mention for example "Anorexia" or "Sentence Executioner", those songs are pretty straightforward and killer as for me. The drums were precisely programmed too, but the actual sounds of the samples, especially the sound of the cymbals need to be more naturalistic in my opinion or let's say behaving at least like they were hit by a human being. I would mostly recommend checking this stuff out for all the Deathcore freaks out there and maybe to fans of DECAPITATED and PSYCROPTIC as well.

http://castrum.com.ua/encomium/5albums1.htm

Белорусские технодэтстеры с отнюдь не радостным медицинским названием выпускают свой третий альбом, перебравшись с More Hate Productions под крыло к Satanath Records и Amputated Vein Records. Однако, не смотря на смену выпускающей конторы, беглецы не изменяют своему техничному дэт-металлу с привкусом авангарда. Мрачная атмосфера молчаливой недосказанности очень выгодно выделяет этот альбом и придаёт ему своеобразный фирменный лоск. В отличие от коллег из Death, Atheist и Cynic белорусы делают ставку на очень минималистичный и сухой саунд, в котором достаточно большое место отводится музыкальным ходам из серии “всё гениальное просто”, а утробный гроул вокалиста рассказывает свои истории очень угрюмо и совсем не истерично, лишь изредка и крайне неохотно обращаясь за поддержкой к скримящему бэк-вокалисту.

Думаю, Amentia хорошо знакомы с русской поговоркой про то, что скромность украшает человека. Звучат они действительно скромно, звёзд с неба не хватают, сэмплами не грешат и вообще не стараются прыгнуть выше головы. Если у этого альбома есть какой-то девиз, то звучит он, вполне вероятно, как “лучше меньше, да лучше”. За 33 минуты звучания своего полноформата ребята никого не напрягут и бурю в стакане не поднимут, но их лаконичные риффы и уверенные импровизации порадуют ценителей метрономной брутальности и тяжёлого фьюжна. Повторюсь, альбом звучит совершенно беспретенциозно и местами предельно просто, но эта простота – всего лишь фундамент, взбираясь на который музыканты выражают свои музыкальные идеи, которые на слух можно принять за какую-нибудь изящную древнюю ересь про философский камень. Их бас-соло техничны, а беснующиеся ударные – конструктивно-разрушительны, и это ли не здорово!

Есть что-то классическое в том, как они строят свои треки, и в том, как звучат их соло-партии, а ритм-гитары, лишь изредка решающиеся на эксперименты и оставляющие взваленную на их усталые плечи функцию ритмической поддержки, могли бы дать фору очень и очень многим на тяжёлой сцене, если бы когда-нибудь им дали волю. Однако я не думаю, что самодержцы из Amentia когда-либо отпустят свою гитарную агрессию на простор. Им слишком нравится импровизировать, а для того, чтобы это стало возможным, кто-то должен держать строй и создавать необходимый фон. Как раз этим и заняты ритм-секция и титаны-гитары, пока главный маэстро разрисовывает морозные пейзажи техно-дэта своей изощрённой соло-кистью. И, кстати, если вы сможете примириться с этим однотипным рокотом фонового дисторшна, то увидите, что музыка у данного коллектива не хуже, чем у большинства западных гуру жанра.

Чем больше я слушал “Scourge”, тем больше любил и понимал его. Отличные англоязычные тексты не зря размещены в буклете: понять эти достаточно витиеватые вирши на слух невозможно, однако в случае если вы хотя бы мельком окинуте их взглядом на бумаге, станет понятно, что ребята из Amentia настоящие спецы своего дела. Описание пограничных (в том числе связанных с приёмом наркотиков) состояний, медицинские термины, изящные речевые обороты – даже бегло пробежав по содержащимся в буклете буковкам, ощущаешь уважение к труду земляков Gods Tower и Hok-Key и желание погружаться в него глубже. Мой вердикт таков: “Scourge” – это неглупая музыка для неглупых людей, не лишённых симпатии к прекрасному и чувства стиля. Не удивлюсь, если этот CD окажется в коллекции у самых разных слушателей, далёких от ортодоксального дэта – музыка на самом деле гораздо сложнее, глубже и интереснее, чем в принципе может быть и бывает дэт-метал. Да и реализовано на уровне. Однако всё же минусую балл за слишком обильно разбросанные общие места у ритм-гитар.

http://astartaview.ru/amentia-scourge/

Con un intrigante arte de tapa, esta banda proveniente de Bielorrusia lanza ya su tercer larga duración, amén de demos, EPs y splits varios.

Si me preguntas el estilo, no tengo idea; mezclan variedades desde el Death, el Thrash, hasta el Black, el Grind, toques más técnicos y hasta algunos flirteos con el progresivo, por supuesto todo brutal, muy brutal. Los temas, aunque no muy largos en su duración, tienen varios cambios de ritmo y de intensidad.

Lo más destacable es esa batería con ritmos trabados y cambiantes, contragolpeando a la guitarra que mezcla machaques violentos con punteos dignos de un Death Metal Melódico. Las voces no se quedan atrás en esto y van variando a través de la canción, desde gruñidos guturales a ocasionales chillidos grinders.

No son originales, pero si interesantes. Lo que hacen, lo hacen muy bien. Chequéenlos.

https://rockarollazine.blogspot.ru/2018/02/amentia-scourge-2017-satanath-records.html

Amentia hails from Minsk, Belarus, and they play technical Death Metal à la Necrophagist, Obscura and the like. These fellows' hyper-technical and tricky Death Metal is full of odd time signatures, challenging and unorthodox rhythm changes, and extremely progressive and even jazzy elements. Most likely this stuff is directed at those listeners who prefer exaggerated technical wankery over anything else within Death Metal, so if you see yourself belonging to this category of people, your ears will be challenged by Scourge. I do value the guys' playing skills on this as much as 5 out of 5, but as for displaying themselves as memorable and catchy songwriters, I can only credit them 2 out of 5.

https://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=10419

"Команде ни много, ни мало 14 (!!!) лет и она недавно на конторе Сатанат рекордс выпустила полноформат под зловещим названием "SCOURGE". Компакт уже скорее всего добрался до меня по накатанным дорогам Почты России (точно!), и как только он попадет в поле моего зрения, то я уж обязательно напишу про него. А так я послушал несколько треков группы в вк, отметив для себя, что группа сочетает прецизионное владение гитарной ситуацией в каждый момент с неистовым брутализмом, создаваемым в разных точках сборки..."

Так начиналось мое интервью с белорусами, которое я сделал еще в ноябре прошлого года. И до диска дело дошло.

Истины ради сравнил звучание тех “нескольких трэков» с предлагаемыми на настоящем диске. Ну, как полагается, компакт решает. Мясистый звук, исторгаемый колонками, дает естественный акцент на низах, что с удовольствием показывает спектрограмма. Кстати, в пресс-релизе издающего лейбла указаны такие тэги: Technical Death Metal, а я ведь сомневаться уже начал. С самого начала. А потом перестал.

Потому что мне показалось (и вероятно буду настаивать), что команда делает дэт прогрессив. И хотя разница может быть невелика - в отдельных случаях. Но я настаиваю, что здесь прогрессивные элементы создают необходимый ритмический и мелодийный КАРКАСС, и собственно довлеют в музыкальном строительстве, а уж дэтовое ДОвоплощение - это дело наращивания мышц. То есть, ребята дали дэто-джаза? Типа того. Не пожалеете. С таким диском не пропадешь, тащемто. Не заскучаешь, однозначно!

К тому же могу сказать, что композер настолько глубоко копал, что проследовав в его кимберлитовые трубки, становится уже просто интересно их рассмотреть. На самом деле.

Ну вот смотрите - трак 1 «Kill me». С таким вот прямолинейным названием, калиброванным дэто-трешем и внутренним квадратным колесом, на котором пытается уехать, едет, ведет нас и доводит до полиритмии, нервических сбивок, и в поле чистом уже оглядывается, автоматом размахивает, ищет стеночку. И вот вроде длительность трека около пяти минут, а так много происходит в это время. Как главу романа прочитал. Прямо утрамбовано здесь четвертное измерение - как прессом забивали. Магия. Чистой воды музыкальная волшба. Кстати, там же и лирики хапнем от солирующей гитары.

Тут же надо сказать про вокалиста(ов). В буклете записано по странному ), но вокала здесь два, расщепленный гроул и потаенный скрим, причем в случае Amentia здесь нет речи о каком-то диалоге, который иногда создают иные вокалисты. Как мне показалось, вокалисты работают совместно, как бы восполняют друг друга, создают дополнительный объем в вокале (хотя тут в целом инструментального объема хватает. Кому хватает, а кому еще больше надо. Мне например). Чтобы визуализировать, отмечу, что тут не переговоры, а один вокалист будто бы дюбеля забивает, а тут же они ВМЕСТЕ начинают забивать - шикарное звуковое действо. НО. Тут, братья-металлюги, сразу скажу, реал диск желателен. Чтобы расслушать весь посыл команды. И это стоит того, ибо звук сделан здесь на ОТЛ.

Опять же про лирическую гитару... - композер задал струннику специальное задание играть такие партии, чтобы они сразу же выделялись из массива трэка и летали в положенных местах - легкие и дерзкие, как чайки, а иногда бросаясь вниз и разбиваясь о стальное тело композиции.

Трак под номером 4 SLOW decay хотел бы как-то отметить в этом смертельном альманахе. С настрагивания медиаторов начинает струнник, подключается медвежий гроулер, оформляя музыкальное действо в апокалиптик-нео-классик TORMENT. Ненадолго. Соскальзывая по колючей проволоке к трешевому новому порядку и брейкам во free-джазовом настроении.

Неординарная работа.

С особым удовольствием.

Includes OBI.

https://vk.com/wall216331265_3062

Šta drugo reći, osim da je izdanje veoma brutalno. Zapitam se na momente kakvo stvorenje je u studiju sedelo za bubnjevima dok se snimao ovaj album. Jedan od najdubljih glasova koje sam u poslednje vreme imao prilike da čujem. Pored svega, izdanje je takođe dosta i melodično, što razbija monotoniju brutal death podžanra. Bend na čijoj svirci se očigledno izgubi bar jedan zub. Izuzetno zadovoljavajuć album.

https://ciklonizacija.blogspot.ru/2018/02/blitzkrieg6.html

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiZF09lPcAo

Valko-Venäjän tasavallasta tulee Amentia, tuo teknistä death metaliaan jo pian puolitoista vuosikymmentä soittanut yhtye. Scourge on järjestyksessään bändin kolmas täyspitkä ja osoittaa helpon kuuloisesti kyvykkyytensä ainakin teknisellä sektorilla.

Scourge on kaikkea muuta kuin helppoa kuultavaa. Riffit ovat monisyisiä, poukkoilevia ja vaikeasti avautuvia. Voisipa joku tuumia, että myös täyttä tuubaa ja jopa sillä mitalla, että itse sävellysmateriaali kärsii teknisen suorittamisen takia. Tämä on ainakin puolitotuus, sillä Amentian biisit tuntuvat olevan sen luokan instrumentaalipornoilua etenkin kitaroinnin saralla, että biisien seuraaminen tuntuu työläältä. Tai ainakin siltä, etteivät kappaleet varsinaisesti vie mukanaan.

Lähemmässä tarkastelussa yhtyeen biiseistä kyllä löytyvät perinteiset rokkirakenteet ja jopa sitä tietynlaista suoraviivaisuutta, jollaista death metalissa ollaan totuttu kuuntelemaan. Tosiasia kuitenkin on, että niin kitaroiden, rumpujen kuin bassonkin tasolla yhtye tykkää sooloilusta. Tämä puolestaan kostautuu biisien toimivuudessa, sillä monesti levy kuulostaa lähinnä soittotaitojen esittelyltä eikä niinkään varsinaisesti flow-tilaan saattavilta kappalerakenteilta.

Oikeastaan ainoa suoraviivaisempi lähestyminen löytyy möräkän örinälaulun saralta, jolla ei pahemmin kikkailla tai erikoisempaa vaihtelua tarjota. Ja jos aivan rehellisiä ollaan, niin lopulta Amentian anti on kesyä vaikka Originiin tai Archspireen verrattuna. Toki tämä Cannibal Corpsen vyörytyksen teknisellä tasolla taakseen jättää, mutta samalla toimivan biisimateriaalin uhraten.

Soundipuoli on yllättävän vahva ja selkeä, olematta kuitenkaan rasittavan steriili. Scourge siis tekee periaatetasolla paljon oikein. Käytännössä lopputulos on kuitenkin vähän niin ja näin, enkä kykene pitämään levyä ongelmattomana. Puolituntinen kesto huolehtii lopulta siitä, ettei levy ainakaan yhdellä pyöräytyksellä väsytä kuulijaansa täysin tainnoksiin.

Ihan kiva soittopornoilutuotos kärsii lähinnä hyvien biisien puutteesta.

http://www.imperiumi.net/index.php?act=albums&id=18492

Fain technikás death metal, 7 track, bő félórában – röviden, tömören ez az Amentia – Scourge című legutóbbi lemeze. A fehérorosz csapat Minszk városából küldi ránk az áldást, olyan zenekarok előtt tisztelegve, mint a Decapitated, Necrophagist vagy a Suffocation.

Progresszív gitárrészekből sincs hiány, néha elsütnek pár igen ízletes szólót is, sőt vannak kifejezetten magas tartományokban mozgó riffek, amitől megvadult póklábak jutnak az ember eszébe, kb. olyan mozgásban pöröghetnek a riffmester ujjai. A basszeros is jó könyörtelen módon odacsattint ahova kell, de nincs túljátszva vagy túlművészkedve a dolog. Mestere a hangszerének! A zene kellően szét van törve, zakatolások-grindok tarkítják a lemezt, a dobos srácon érződik, hogy nem ma kezdte az ipart, viszonylag változatos módon püföli a komplex témákat, amiből szigorúan mindig csak egy van, nincs repetíció. Csak úgy áramlanak a témahegyek. Ez a fajta szisztéma nem csak a dobmunkára igaz, hanem a muzsika teljes egészére is, néhol olyan érzésem volt mintha Cyninc-et hallgatnék, annyi különbséggel, hogy itt brutális hörgés van a Paul Masvidal-ra oly jellemző vokálok helyett. Nem szolgai másolat, csak a szellem van megidézve, de az eléggé ügyesen.

Nem tudok egy dalt sem kiemelni a 7 közül, megy rajtad át mind, mint valami kegyetlen death metal úthenger, nincs megállás, a sebesség is végig gyors. Az előző két albumot nem hallottam, de ez a mostani hangzásában abszolút rendben van, talán kicsit a gitár-basszusgitár lett az előtérbe tolva, illetve kissé hangos az ének, ettől függetlenül végig élvezhető a lemez. Korrekt iparos munka, a műfaj kedvelőinek ajánlott darab, viszont egy kiugró, emlékezetes dalnak azért örültem volna. A hatos track (Sentence Executioner) végén levő aprítás kifejezetten tetszik, azt még percekig tudtam volna hallgatni ebben a formában.

A stílusnak megfelelő sötét-misztikus designnal van ellátva a korong, a gyári CD az orosz Satanath Records és a japán Amputated Vein Records által jelent meg, náluk keressétek.

https://www.rockbook.hu/hirek/szetostorozas-amentia-scourge-lemezkritika

Amentia is a Belarusian band, intentionally created for being only studio project. I know that they played some live shows already but from recent news they grounded the band to serve its studio purposes again Eventually, they are willing to play concerts in the future. Scourge is definitely album that has attributes to play it to wider audience in concert venues as much as possible. If they`d be around I will be there to see the band with such intense studio album like Scourge.

It happened that they are totally in my cup of tea with their old school death metal. Those 7 songs are everything but brutal, guttural-growl vocals even more cruel than music itself and they sing about horrors of the world that nobody with normal sense of existence would want to be part of, I guess. You can read about it on their dark-looking booklet of the CD.

The songs have all signs of progressive death metal. Often guitar shreds and quick break ups are characteristic of the album, not typical to conservative death metal but still, the spirit of old times is upon those compositions like a demon in possessed body. They have a little of abyssic, sinister atmospheres in tracks like Australian band Portal. The other time the songs or part of it, go very technical (guitar solos, nicely exposed bass and twisted arrangements - few times a bit jazzy) which remind me bands like Beyond Creation, Decrepit Birth (songs 5,6). There is some none-linear way of thinking about music in this album as it is in Meshuggah albums but Amentia is finding out their own paths to express complexity of death metal. They do not void to play fast and straightforward death metal as well. However it is all considered to be as brutal as possible. Good to mention that their natural anticipation is to write well written songs which represent this album.

Material has been recorded in home-studio. The sound has no major issues, it is quite OK, but they definitely have a room to improve the production and song writing to another level, most suitable for the band.

For now, the tracks like Don`t Believe, Anorexia and Sentence Executioner give you a meaning of what death metal is about. It`s very good album and Amentia is the band where the scene is much more interesting with them on board.

http://monarchmagazine.weebly.com/amentia-scourge-satanath-records-amputated-vein-records.html