Composer Reacts to Amenra - Ter ziele / Am kreuz (REACTION & ANALYSIS)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Amenra - live at Best Kept Secret 2022
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0:00 Intro
0:49 Reaction
11:15 Analysis - The Purpose of the Softer Moments
15:45 Analysis - Diving Into the Heavier Concepts
21:36 Analysis - A Longing For Something
25:59 Analysis - Muddy Production
28:15 Analysis - Did Not Resonate With Me
32:30 Analysis - Lyrical Dive
37:54 Analysis - Tying The Themes Together
39:12 Outro

[@majimasmajimemes1156]

Amenra and their slow-burn, dynamic style of post-metal can provide catharsis to pent-up emotions, which is why a lot of people would and have actually cried to this.

[@ProgPro96]

I think this was mentioned on the Oathbreaker video but Amenra and Oathbreaker are part of the same "collective" called the Church of Ra, so the similarities you noticed between those two bands were on point. There was actually a live show that Amenra did where the vocalist crucified himself and members of Oathbreaker came on stage to fill in for his parts. They're an intense and emotional band heavily influenced by 90's sceramo, so I think the same thing that would make a screamo fan cry to screamo music would work here too. The mixing for this live show is pretty muddy, but so is the production for the studio version of this song since it's off one of their early albums. Their actual live shows sound massive though and no recorded version of it will be able to compare. It's impossible for me to not tear up while watching them play live. As for the clean vocals, if you want more of that I'd heavily suggest checking out their song A Solitary Reign, even if it's on your own time. Maybe that song would've worked better for a "songs to cry to" week.

[@CriticalReactions]

Ya know, hearing the bass expanded the way it is here gives a pretty good idea of how big and powerful their live sound is. I could imagine it would be an impactful show between the raw emotions and the insane volume they're using.

[@kristofbe1]

The vocalist usually sings like that. Either that or softer clean vocals. Amenra is avery intense live band. The vocalist will sometimes self-inflict pain on stage by having hooks pushed through the skin of his chest and back and then hanging waits on them. So at least, it'll make him cry. "Ter ziele" is a somewhat archaic Dutch phrase that basically means "passed away", while "Am Kreuz" is German for "on the cross". So I'm guessing the song is about death and grief.

[@ReadyMindsetGo]

Their entire theme is death and grief so yeah, I think you're right haha

[@kristofbe1]

The song Marrow by Yob has brought many a big tough metalhead to tears and is less repetitive. Just in case you still need songs for this week.

[@Underournorthernstar]

Gorgeous song, love Yob

[@modefathy1205]

after watching this live like 100 times i see world black and white

[@ElizaSkold]

One of my absolute favourite bands, but yeah, no surprise that it didn't do much for you =P (although you liked their other song that you did, as I remember). Not really the Amenra song I'd have picked for this week either, though I do think it fits just due to the pure emotion in the music. I saw them play this one live myself and it's definitely an extremely cathartic experience, though not one for tears. As mentioned here already, Amenra and Oathbreaker are both part of the Church of Ra along with a few other bands and Amenra side projects, so there's definitely similarities. Lennart Bossu actually plays guitar and writes in both bands, and Oathbreaker's vocalist Caro has performed with Amenra live as well as doing loads of vocals on their most recent album.

[@MaciejCzub]

I've already watched a whole series of reviews of this type of music on YT (Amen Ra, Neurosis, Isis, etc.) and each time the reaction is the same: "did not resonate with me." It seems as if there is some magical ingredient here that is elusive to most, but resonates with a certain narrower group to such an extent that it turns them into devoted fans. It also spawns taboos of apologists who try unsuccessfully to capture that sound and vibe. I personally immerse myself in these sounds completely and let the pressure crush my skull. The entire "Mass III" is like an hour spent at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

[@CriticalReactions]

"Skull crushing sonic pressure" sounds like an acquired taste if I've ever heard one 😅

[@MaciejCzub]

There's no denying that there's a hint of sadomasochism in it. Something I used to perceive as dissonance, today it brings a thrill of satisfaction. The brain adapts to certain stimuli. However, this does not take away the merits of the musicians themselves. The sounds here are chosen carefully, the chords form deliberately bizarre structures, the repetitions are exactly enough to induce a certain trance in the listener. This is not mindless noise. By the way: this version of the song is of terrible quality - the original on the album is much clearer.

[@CJLindermanDragonBugg]

I only tune in for a few videos a week I would say, and I keep lookin' for more Neurosis. ;) I dig it though man, I'm still here, still hangin' out. Just thought I'd check in!

[@blackwaters26]

AmenRa is one of those bands where I never listen to recordings, but always go see the them live when I can. Just simple songs with massive grooves for getting into that trance-like state. Also, the instruments completely drown out the "dying dog" vocals when you're up front.

[@cheekycupcake5616]

Enjoyed letting thoughts flow with this music thoroughly, as if getting lost in a giant abstract oil painting. And even liked the abrupt yet sparse pained vocals. But when the lyrical song surprisingly started it kinda took me outta the cool ride was experiencing. Still really good tho, cheers🌿

[@VestigialLung]

You’ve probably already picked out your songs for the week and probably won’t be looking for more depression for a hot minute after this week, but anytime you’re in the mood to feel really fucking sad, I’ve never heard a more gutting song than Pain of Salvation’s Passing Light of Day. You covered another one from the album previously, but it’s the album written about the vocalist’s brush with death from a flesh eating bacteria infection. Passing Light of Day is him saying what he thinks is a final goodbye to his long-term partner. It’s…not an easy listen, but it’s incredible.

[@REDSIN1000]

🤘💀🤘

[@mattjammy9884]

Awesome post.....thank you.....you should checkout similar bands to these if not done already! For example ROSETTA, BOSSK and ISIS......

[@tystimyr]

Amenra are from the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, in Dutch the r is indead rolled (unlike in German), so I think your pronounciation is quite alright

[@moccles]

I think they were last featured on Melancholy week. Funny, huh. I love them, they're cathartic but not the kinda of heavy that makes me want to cry though.

[@CriticalReactions]

I find it interesting when stuff like this happens. There are obvious enough people that find this sad, or sad adjacent, as evident by their inclusion in both themes, but I don't get those emotions at all with it.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

This is a solid post-metal track but I truly have to wonder who is crying to this? I mean, I get that post-metal can be emotional in that "sonically overwhelming" sense in how it builds to huge climaxes, but it's still strange to think of this as music to cry to. I guess the latter is just super subjective, but it would have to be an incredibly rare person who'd cry to post-metal, and I'd guess that even includes most post-metal fans! EDIT: LOL, after listening to your commentary it seems we had the same thought about how anyone could cry to this!

[@tiarkrezar]

If there's one post-metal band that fits into this category, it's definitely Amenra. Their style basically merges the most crushingly melancholic parts of doom metal with the visceral intensity of screamo. While most other post-bands tend to be vaguer with their their themes and lyrics, the emotions conveyed in their music seem much more powerful and sincere. I can 100% understand how it could bring people to tears. For me personally, their songs resonate deeply on an emotional level, but not enough to make me cry. With the exception of a few moments like the ending of Plus Pres de Toi, the overwhelming intensity of it hits on an entirely different level.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

@@tiarkrezar I can appreciate you feel this way but after having heard quite a bit of post-metal I don't see a lot that distinguishes this from, say, Cult of Luna or Neurosis as the way you describe their music (crushingly melancholic parts of doom metal & visceral intensity of screamo) is basically what those bands do too. Obviously, there are subtle differences in their specific style, but those basic ingredients are there in all of them.

[@tiarkrezar]

@@jonathanhenderson9422 True, but I don't think others push these aspects quite to the same extent. Neurosis probably comes closest in terms of atmosphere. CoL with their usage of synths and more typically "beautiful" melodies often manage to evoke triumphant or uplifting vibes. Amenra's atmosphere on the other hand feels like 100% doom and gloom. That's not to say that uplifting songs can't make you cry for entirely different reasons, depending on your tastes or mood, they can fit the theme just as well.

[@ProgPro96]

@@tiarkrezar I can say certain Cult Of Luna songs have made me tear up, but it's usually the instrumental ones like Waiting For You and Dim, or the final section of I: The Weapon. Amenra for some reason just has an entirely different vibe from CoL. They're more doomy, which provides the melancholy, and more influenced by screamo which provides the emotion and sincerity. If Amenra had different vocals I don't know if I'd be able to cry to their music, if they had faster paced chugging the way Cult Of Luna does I probably wouldn't be able to cry either. But they just have that perfect mixture of things that brings out powerful emotions in you. While Cult Of Luna is my all time favorite band, I can't really say the same for them and I definitely don't feel that in Neurosis' music either. And maybe I should also mention this, I rarely ever cry to music so Amenra is doing something right.

[@MichaelKing-qe6uq]

Not my favourite of theirs, I'll be honest, and not a band for this weeks theme as well. That said, I do love a lot of their stuff, it's deliciously heavy & crushing.

[@iggypopdrop3509]

I liked it but I have no idea how a song with indecipherable lyrics would make you cry.

[@CriticalReactions]

I think that's gonna be a recurring trend this week. Songs that make you cry "when you know the context." I'm not expecting anything to make me tear up on a first listen. And having that under-expectation is going to make this week better, I think.

[@chopchop080808]

It's weird, but Amenra is def a mood. Their stuff is kind of the thing when you vibe with it and the tone of it, it really hits you. Not sure this was the best example for this theme, Diaken (the last track from this show) would have been a better showcase for it for a broader audience.

[@articircle]

indecipherability isn't necessarily a dealbreaker for me. sometimes the sound of the music can be so emotionally compelling. like Sigur Ros's Von live from Heima; it's an entirely made up language, and yet it still moves me

[@pooplup111]

If it’s done right, you don’t need to understand the lyrics to cry