AMENRA With Fang and Claw

AMENRA – With Fang and Claw

On March 28, AMENRA will release two new EPs, De Toorn and With Fang and Claw. Both EPs will be released on Relapse Records/Suburban.

“With De Toorn we finish what we started with De Doorn in 2019,” says singer Colin H. Van Eeckhout. “We got as close as possible to our cultural heritage and offered the world a glimpse of where we really come from. With artwork by Aline Gorsen that goes back to the early years of the band, MASS I”

Guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove: “With De Toorn we carry on the spirit of De Doorn, and we dive deeper into the raw emotions of sadness, anger and transformation. It is a continuation of the ritual, a step further into the fire. At the same time, With Fang And Claw returns to the essence of Mass I, and embraces the primal force that defined our early years.

These two works are intertwined: De Toorn channels the lament and anger of De Doorn, while With Fang And Claw evokes the unfiltered intensity of Mass I to Mass IIII. Together they form a crucial passage in our 30-year journey: a reflection of where we started and where we are going. This transition is not just a bridge; it’s a reckoning, a moment that prepares us for the resolution that comes with Mass VII. Through anger and sadness, we rise, bearing both the scars of the past and the fangs of resilience.”

Guitarist Lennart Bossu: “The song Heden was the very first of these ritual pieces we had written. It grew very organically as we played together in the rehearsal room and it set the tone for the rest of De Doorn and De Toorn, so it’s definitely a song that is special to us.”

Van Eeckhout: “With Fang and Claw explores our previous work and merges with our contemporary existence, setting the direction for what will soon become our MASS VII.”

Recorded in one session in the same studio in the Belgian Ardennes where the band’s massive Mass VI was recorded with Seth Manchester (Machines With Magnets). Both EPs herald a new era for AMENRA.

“These EPs feel like the closure we were looking for, as we prepare for a new beginning in our nearly 3-decade journey,” says Van Eeckhout.