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The Amenta - Biography


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Biography

THE AMENTA, crudely welded together in the sickly dawn of a new millennium by Erik Miehs (guitars) and Timothy Pope (electronics, programming), are an amalgam of the extremes of musical expression. Combining the uglier aspects of modern black metal, the atonality of death metal, the grit and grime of extreme industrial and dubwise, ambient electronica, THE AMENTA create a hitherto unimaginable combination which, while genre-less and undefinable, perfectly soundtracks an era of rot, rust and ruin.

THE AMENTA is a fluid collective, utilizing any instrument, technique or musician to carve out hymns of decay and disgust. The current touring line-up consists of:

Cain Cressall (vocals)
Erik Miehs (guitars)
Timothy Pope (samples, keyboards)
Dan Quinlan (bass)
Robin Stone (drums)

Beginning in 2002 with the independent release of the Mictlan EP, THE AMENTA, have been slowly honing and refining their craft, before releasing the completed work to acclaim from critics and fans alike. Following Mictlan, THE AMENTA, released the first full length album, Occasus, on Listenable Records in 2004. A deliberately atonal and ugly beast, Occasus embodied a new age in extremism. Focusing on the percussive blast of an impeccable rhythm section, the discordant growl of fractured guitar metallics, eerie and ugly samples and keyboards and a vocal presence that perfectly matched the fire and fury, Occasus received perfect scores and hyperbolic reviews all over the world.

In 2005 THE AMENTA were awarded the "Best New Metal Band" award by Kerrang Magazine, Australia and took to the stage for the first time. Headlining around Australia, THE AMENTA, blew minds and raised fists while simultaneously honing the aggression and chaos of their live show into what would become the second album, n0n.

Released in 2008 by Listenable Records, n0n saw THE AMENTA, step away from the safety of repetition and embrace a colder, dirty aesthetic. Covered in the grime of radio static and fractured vocal samples, n0n saw THE AMENTA experiment with a new kind of metal. Focusing on the interplay of percussion and electronics, with guitars becoming just another ambient texture, THE AMENTA, created a perfect accompaniment to themes of media saturation, terrorism and binary thought patterns. Combining over a hundred tracks per song of often subliminal detail and guest appearances from Nergal (Behemoth), Jason Mendonca (Akercocke), Alex Pope (Ruins) and Alice Daquet (Sir Alice), n0n was ecstatically received by critics and fans.

Since 2009, THE AMENTA has been very active, touring both locally and internationally. Beginning with a European tour with Deicide, Samael, Vader, Devian and Order Of Ennead, The Amenta have been amazing audiences with an intense stage show utilizing strobe lights, fog, ambient instrumentals and a stage presence that has been described as truly confronting.

Following the destruction of Europe, THE AMENTA toured around Australia and New Zealand. Once with fellow industrial noise terrorists The Berzerker and another with brothers in noise, Psycroptic and Ruins.

In early 2010, THE AMENTA got the chance to terrorise North American hordes on a 40 date tour with Vader, Decrepit Birth, Warbringer, Augury, Swashbuckle and Rose Funeral. Intense and confronting both on and off stage, THE AMENTA, where hailed by new fans as the most extreme live experience yet seen.

2011 will see THE AMENTA return to stages locally and globally with a soon to be announced European tour and headlining Australian dates once again with Ruins.

THE AMENTA finished putting the finishing touches on the new NON Studios just in time for it to be their home as they wrote and recorded the full length follow up to 2008's, n0n. While it is too early to describe the completed album, early signs show that it will recapture some of the organic grandeur of the Occasus era material, filtered through the electronic grinder of the n0n era experiments while focusing on creating a more ambient and extreme sound.

In 2011, THE AMENTA unleashed V01D - THE AMENTA's response to download culture. V01D was an experiment. New models giving the power back to the artist and the value to the fan.

In 2012, THE AMENTA continued with more touring as they recorded and released the Chokehold EP and the year 2013 so far has seen the release of the Teeth EP and will be followed shortly thereafter by the new full length release Flesh Is Heir!

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