Text by Nilo Vieira
The two religions with the most practitioners in Belgium are Christianity and agnosticism. In a way, this contrast helps to understand Amenra , a band from the city of Courtrai. The religious symbolism is in the name ("Amen Ra"), all their albums have "Mass" as a title, and they formed a collective called Church of Ra. And yet, the group led by vocalist Colin H. Van Eeckhout doesn't seem interested in explanations or dogmas. As if the supernatural were mundane, or vice versa.
With a heavy mix of sludge metal, post-rock, and post-hardcore, the quintet's reputation grew mainly through their live shows. Between live projections, deafening volume, and rituals of self-flagellation, it's become a cliché to say that their performances are almost a religious experience. Suffice it to say that Neurosis, their main influence and whose label, Neurot Recordings, has released Amenra's albums since 2012, stopped using projections in their shows after being intimidated by the high level to which the Belgians did so.
About to bring all that intensity to three dates in the country (February 28th in Rio de Janeiro, February 29th in Belo Horizonte and March 1st in São Paulo), Colin spoke with us. Check it out below.
WIKIMETAL: This will be the band's first time in Brazil in March. What can people expect and what do you expect?
COLIN: My standard answer to that question is that the audience can expect an Amenra show, nothing more and nothing less. Believe me, it's more than some can handle. We'll do our best, as we always try. It's always about having no mercy or compassion for ourselves on stage; we give everything we have inside us every night. The heavier we play, the more we deliver, and the more easily we'll "get you there." We'll tell our unbridled story, in the most complete way possible.
Regarding what we expect, our motto is "expect nothing, receive everything." Our guitarist Mathieu has played in your beautiful country a few times and has spoken very highly of it. So we are obviously looking forward to being there.
WIKIMETAL: Labirinto and Basalt will be opening for Amenra. What do you think of the bands?
COLIN: We love the guys and girls from Labirinto. We played with them in Europe, and we had a great time together. We loved their album ( Gehenna , 2017, which features guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove on the track “Locrus”). We still need to check out Basalt…
WIKIMETAL: It's curious that a country the size of Belgium has so many official languages, and this appears in your albums. Does singing in multiple languages hold any particular significance for you?
COLIN: In fact, our country has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. Perhaps that's why we never limit ourselves to using just one language. The choice of lyrics depends on the meaning attached to the pronunciation of the words. If you translate the same sentence or paragraph into several languages, there will always be one that sounds deeper than the rest, that seems to convey the essence better, and so it is chosen.
Another thing that guides me in this direction is that these lyrics belong to everyone. Pain has no language. So it makes more sense to reach as many people as possible in their own language.
WIKIMETAL: Still on this topic, I spoke with Kristin Hayter, of Lingua Ignota , last year and she described the work as a language for expressing pain. You toured together, and both she and Amenra take this idea to the physical plane in performances. How important is the concept of penance to your art, or would you say it's just natural?
COLIN: Pain is an undeniable part of life. Personally, I don't see our music as penance, but as an attack that threatens what is precious to someone. Like a fight, or perhaps even going to war. The physicality only emphasizes the need, the true nature, the strength. It needs to hurt, otherwise it means we didn't fight hard enough. There was a time when I personally felt that my blood needed to flow to compensate for the suffering of the people around me. That was the only time I felt close to the concept of penance.
WIKIMETAL: Amenra's discography has a sense of continuity, both musically and thematically. You've been on the road for over twenty years. Will this agony ever cease?
COLIN: A human life is never spared from heartache. If you love, there will always be pain. Everything ends in tears, always, it's a matter of time. Pain is a constant, sadness never ends.
WIKIMETAL: There's a profound aura of spirituality in your music. What is your relationship with religions?
COLIN: I believe there's something out there, and that we can even "invoke" it sometimes. Something you can draw energy, strength, hope from. Something to believe in, something you can count on. I have no idea why we find ourselves where we are now. Belief and faith are needs for a human being, and yet they don't need to be defined.
WIKIMETAL: You formed Church of Ra in 2005, a collective created to work with like-minded local musicians. Today, the Belgian scene is receiving more attention, with bands like Brutus and Oathbreaker, who have been part of the collective since the beginning. Do you still keep up with the local scene?
COLIN: Of course, Belgium is so small. A little lake with all these talented musicians. We bump into each other weekly, helping each other out here and there. It's really beautiful, it warms my heart just thinking about it. I think we inspire and support each other with every small individual achievement. There's no rivalry, just camaraderie.
WIKIMETAL In the interview for Nós Somos a Tempestade 2, a book by journalist Luiz Mazetto, you mentioned that you didn't have time to watch films. In April, Amenra will provide The Mirror . How did this idea come about? I even joked with Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) about doing something like that with Stalker , which is his favorite film, and he was quite adamant in his response…
COLIN: We are not easily intimidated, and we are not afraid to dive into challenges we are not worthy of (laughs). It's probably one of his most difficult films, in my opinion, but that doesn't mean it's not feasible. We were invited by the MOOV festival to do the soundtrack for a film of our choice at the Concert Hall in Bruges. We automatically went towards Tarkovsky, as he was the director who most inspired us over the years.
WIKIMETAL: What is the influence of the Russian director's work on Amenra?
COLIN: Nostalgia and melancholy are present in both worlds. There is an analytical but poetic approach in our work, which is exactly where we meet. I have always had great respect for the director, as he truly believed in his vision and followed it to the end, despite what his contemporaries expected or demanded of his work. He was ahead of his time, and I have rarely seen artists as meticulous as he was. Involving even his parents (literature graduates) makes the art even more "his" – poetry, image, everything combined. He created his own world, which no one has been able to recreate. We draw a lot of energy and ideas from his creations.
WIKIMETAL: The band's music can be described as gray, but Amenra has a very visual approach, with live projections and even a book. Do you feel the need to translate your work into more tangible mediums?
COLIN: I believe it's a matter of spreading our "world" or abstract morality through whatever means necessary. Using new media formats makes everything seem like a clean slate again, where inspiration seems easier to grasp. It's a challenge to "do what we do" outside of familiar mediums. There's so much to be said about our work that can't be translated with just lyrics and music alone anymore. We want to reach or touch as many people as we can. People need to absorb as much energy as possible, so we feel an incredible urge to create.
