Review by Death8699 on July 14, 2019.

This one reminds me a lot of the older days when the band put out Persistence of Time and State of Euphoria. There's still that tint of thrash metal to the core of their sound, but now with more groove along with it. Joey still sounds the same on vocals and the guitars throw out some strong rhythms/leads. I'd say the blend of thrash/groove metal definitely does apply. Great album here, this one you can't really get tired of. The band has been around for so long and pretty much (for the most part) have the same line-up they've had for years. What's most striking here is the music and vocals. Joey sings great on here and the guitars have some awesome riffs! You have to hear it!

Does this album go along well the whole way through? My answer is yes, it never gets boring. What's different? The ingenuity in the songwriting flat-out, the musical compositions are strong on every song and that groove is thick, not just thrash metal. It's not a musically fast album though the leads are. They are quite technical, the main guitar riffs are solid, going on strong for every track. They mix exquisitely with the vocals as do the drums. It sounds like they tune down a little bit, making the music a little heavier then mix in that groove laden style in there. The bar chords and tremolo picked riffs are all quite well played and thought out. Very good songwriting! 

What's to be expected in the production quality is the fact that the guitars are well heard, vocals don't drown out the music, drums are well heard on here too, so overall a solid album sound-wise. Nothing really very wrong about how this album sounds production-quality speaking, I think it's really solid. The guitars hit home with me on here. They really did a good job at piecing everything together. You don't just hear groove guitar, you hear quality in some of its' thrash-stricken style, but it isn't an album that's really overly aggressive. Now that they've turned on the groove to their sound, they've made their metal sound quote like that to the likes of Soulfly's 'Savages' release.

Their clean sounding music isn't for the whole of the album. It's just a part of their diversity. It really is an overall album that is something that any metalhead could get into because the music is so well pieced together. It fluctuates, but not in severity. It's really a mild metal album. Some darn good lead work as well! i think Joey sounds awesome as usual on here. His voice makes Anthrax unique in the metal community. It's what sets them aside from bands like Exodus, Slayer, Testament etc. Even though their aggression isn't as prominent than is on their earlier days, they are still making quality metal. This one is probably one of their better ones in their discography.

Still skeptical? Well you shouldn't be because Worship Music hits home with each and every track. They dig deep in creativity and hit home with all outputs. Don't expect anything extremely fast or thrash laden. Even though the crunch tone on the guitar is still there, the intensity has backed down and they're playing more groove than thrash. The thrash elements are still apart of this album, but the music aims more at a groove to it. It really is diverse. If you haven't liked more recent Anthrax releases, this one you'd be surprised that you'll like and is well better than just an average metal release. These guys are still going on strong! They own!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 14, 2019.

This one reminds me a lot of the older days when the band put out Persistence of Time and State of Euphoria. There's still that tint of thrash metal to the core of their sound, but now with more groove along with it. Joey still sounds the same on vocals and the guitars throw out some strong rhythms/leads. I'd say the blend of thrash/groove metal definitely does apply. Great album here, this one you can't really get tired of. The band has been around for so long and pretty much (for the most part) have the same line-up they've had for years. What's most striking here is the music and vocals. Joey sings great on here and the guitars have some awesome riffs! You have to hear it!

Does this album go along well the whole way through? My answer is yes, it never gets boring. What's different? The ingenuity in the songwriting flat-out, the musical compositions are strong on every song and that groove is thick, not just thrash metal. It's not a musically fast album though the leads are. They are quite technical, the main guitar riffs are solid, going on strong for every track. They mix exquisitely with the vocals as do the drums. It sounds like they tune down a little bit, making the music a little heavier then mix in that groove laden style in there. The bar chords and tremolo picked riffs are all quite well played and thought out. Very good songwriting! 

What's to be expected in the production quality is the fact that the guitars are well heard, vocals don't drown out the music, drums are well heard on here too, so overall a solid album sound-wise. Nothing really very wrong about how this album sounds production-quality speaking, I think it's really solid. The guitars hit home with me on here. They really did a good job at piecing everything together. You don't just hear groove guitar, you hear quality in some of its' thrash-stricken style, but it isn't an album that's really overly aggressive. Now that they've turned on the groove to their sound, they've made their metal sound quote like that to the likes of Soulfly's 'Savages' release.

Their clean sounding music isn't for the whole of the album. It's just a part of their diversity. It really is an overall album that is something that any metalhead could get into because the music is so well pieced together. It fluctuates, but not in severity. It's really a mild metal album. Some darn good lead work as well! i think Joey sounds awesome as usual on here. His voice makes Anthrax unique in the metal community. It's what sets them aside from bands like Exodus, Slayer, Testament etc. Even though their aggression isn't as prominent than is on their earlier days, they are still making quality metal. This one is probably one of their better ones in their discography.

Still skeptical? Well you shouldn't be because Worship Music hits home with each and every track. They dig deep in creativity and hit home with all outputs. Don't expect anything extremely fast or thrash laden. Even though the crunch tone on the guitar is still there, the intensity has backed down and they're playing more groove than thrash. The thrash elements are still apart of this album, but the music aims more at a groove to it. It really is diverse. If you haven't liked more recent Anthrax releases, this one you'd be surprised that you'll like and is well better than just an average metal release. These guys are still going on strong! They own!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Yener on June 12, 2019.

Time for another Mass.

There is somewhat of a trend in the metal industry. Perhaps even the music industry. When bands and artists are pounding out records once every two years. Some artists even do one every year. Never could really wrap my head around that. What's the rush? Doesn't an artist need to evolve and go through some stuff - like life - in order to talk about new experiences and new perspectives? I could never understand that. And I still don't.

Amenra are not one of those bands. And it's a good thing I am patient when it comes to experiencing new music. It's been 5 years since the previous Mass was released (Mass V), but as is usually the case with Amenra, the wait for new sonic landscapes are worth it.

Yes, sonic landscapes. Amenra - for anyone who has been following them for any amount of time - or are even remotely familiar with the name, knows that Amenra are not your typical band. I've heard them be labeled as sludge, stoner, doom and even… hardcore? Nevertheless, none of these titles matter here. Forget about them. Forget about them all.

Let's get to the settings.

Vintage, open back sound monitors are appreciated, but not essential. Headphones, for this particular album, are highly recommended. A dimly lit room is suggested. Wait for the skies to darken. Perhaps rain, if you're lucky. Because no images this album will ever evoke will be that of the sun, light, or any form of happiness. This is made to take you into the complete opposite direction. This is made to take you into the scariest place of them all. The depth of your own mind.

"Children of the Eye" - it takes us nearly two minutes to hear any sort of melody. Then a lone guitar lurks in slowly. Ever so quietly. Ever so gently. The tension builds, slow and cunning. It takes over four minutes for the track to kick in. The tension is finally released. The band finally explodes. The collective weight of five years' worth of frustration, depression, anger and despair fall on your chest. The wall of guitars and Colin's tortured screams pierce your ears and nervous system. Senses are on red alert. The hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.

Amenra are back.

One of the rare bands these days, on this level, that instead of caring about financial issues, cares more about their music and their lyrics. That is the exact reason why they don't make albums often. Amenra is just an instrument, you see. The music needs to come to them. It needs to channel through them. They are merely transferring that what is submitted through them. They are not here to make money. They never were. They are here to share experiences, share life and death, and everything in between.

The images painted here are rather special. While Mass listeners will be familiar with most of them, there are also some new ones to be found here. As a whole, the band are still evolving. While previous Mass' were all mature records in their own right, this one I believe is different, even more matured and refined. Their sound is quite similar to what it was before and that's a good thing - I would not like to experience a Mass with completely alien sound values after this point. It just would not fit. The familiar tones welcome you in. And like any good film director which has their own style, it is the same concept here. As time passes, you get familiar with the tones (both sonically and visually) and visions the band creates.

The album also includes singing in French and Flemish. As demonstrated on previous albums, Colin is a very capable singer when he is singing clean, and it's a part of Amenra's sound that I've come to really love. "Plus Près de Toi" features some incredible verses sung in French.

Another thing to note about this album, are the odd time signatures. The general feel of the album is quite loose - I highly doubt a metronome was used during this recording, and if it was, then that's pretty odd. The drummer trails along the beat ever so slightly, just enough to give it that "wind" before a crescendo. The timing is almost always off by just a fraction. And it does not matter at all. The guitars, as we've come to expect, provides us with a wall of massive noise and suffering. As a contrast, they also provide some of the most gentle and delicate melodies I've heard in recent times. Pitch black and pure white.

The lyrical content, as always, is extremely well written, poetic and bleak.

"Come rain, wash us all away
Here come the first wave,
Nothing will remain
Forever more
No more"

This is not easy to digest. One does not simply listen to Amenra and continue with their normal lives as if nothing happened. Because there is no ignoring this. And like all Mass albums, this is meant to be listened to as an album, not individual tracks. Anything else does not do it justice. This is more of a ritual than an album.

This is by far one of the best albums Amenra has ever made. I hope they can channel Mass VII out of them when the time presents it to them. I would be enthralled and honored to hear it.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10

Review by Yener on June 12, 2019.

Time for another Mass.

There is somewhat of a trend in the metal industry. Perhaps even the music industry. When bands and artists are pounding out records once every two years. Some artists even do one every year. Never could really wrap my head around that. What's the rush? Doesn't an artist need to evolve and go through some stuff - like life - in order to talk about new experiences and new perspectives? I could never understand that. And I still don't.

Amenra are not one of those bands. And it's a good thing I am patient when it comes to experiencing new music. It's been 5 years since the previous Mass was released (Mass V), but as is usually the case with Amenra, the wait for new sonic landscapes are worth it.

Yes, sonic landscapes. Amenra - for anyone who has been following them for any amount of time - or are even remotely familiar with the name, knows that Amenra are not your typical band. I've heard them be labeled as sludge, stoner, doom and even… hardcore? Nevertheless, none of these titles matter here. Forget about them. Forget about them all.

Let's get to the settings.

Vintage, open back sound monitors are appreciated, but not essential. Headphones, for this particular album, are highly recommended. A dimly lit room is suggested. Wait for the skies to darken. Perhaps rain, if you're lucky. Because no images this album will ever evoke will be that of the sun, light, or any form of happiness. This is made to take you into the complete opposite direction. This is made to take you into the scariest place of them all. The depth of your own mind.

"Children of the Eye" - it takes us nearly two minutes to hear any sort of melody. Then a lone guitar lurks in slowly. Ever so quietly. Ever so gently. The tension builds, slow and cunning. It takes over four minutes for the track to kick in. The tension is finally released. The band finally explodes. The collective weight of five years' worth of frustration, depression, anger and despair fall on your chest. The wall of guitars and Colin's tortured screams pierce your ears and nervous system. Senses are on red alert. The hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.

Amenra are back.

One of the rare bands these days, on this level, that instead of caring about financial issues, cares more about their music and their lyrics. That is the exact reason why they don't make albums often. Amenra is just an instrument, you see. The music needs to come to them. It needs to channel through them. They are merely transferring that what is submitted through them. They are not here to make money. They never were. They are here to share experiences, share life and death, and everything in between.

The images painted here are rather special. While Mass listeners will be familiar with most of them, there are also some new ones to be found here. As a whole, the band are still evolving. While previous Mass' were all mature records in their own right, this one I believe is different, even more matured and refined. Their sound is quite similar to what it was before and that's a good thing - I would not like to experience a Mass with completely alien sound values after this point. It just would not fit. The familiar tones welcome you in. And like any good film director which has their own style, it is the same concept here. As time passes, you get familiar with the tones (both sonically and visually) and visions the band creates.

The album also includes singing in French and Flemish. As demonstrated on previous albums, Colin is a very capable singer when he is singing clean, and it's a part of Amenra's sound that I've come to really love. "Plus Près de Toi" features some incredible verses sung in French.

Another thing to note about this album, are the odd time signatures. The general feel of the album is quite loose - I highly doubt a metronome was used during this recording, and if it was, then that's pretty odd. The drummer trails along the beat ever so slightly, just enough to give it that "wind" before a crescendo. The timing is almost always off by just a fraction. And it does not matter at all. The guitars, as we've come to expect, provides us with a wall of massive noise and suffering. As a contrast, they also provide some of the most gentle and delicate melodies I've heard in recent times. Pitch black and pure white.

The lyrical content, as always, is extremely well written, poetic and bleak.

"Come rain, wash us all away
Here come the first wave,
Nothing will remain
Forever more
No more"

This is not easy to digest. One does not simply listen to Amenra and continue with their normal lives as if nothing happened. Because there is no ignoring this. And like all Mass albums, this is meant to be listened to as an album, not individual tracks. Anything else does not do it justice. This is more of a ritual than an album.

This is by far one of the best albums Amenra has ever made. I hope they can channel Mass VII out of them when the time presents it to them. I would be enthralled and honored to hear it.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10