OCCASUS

"Occasus" is the debut full-length studio album by Australian industrial death metal act The Amenta. The album was released through Listenable Records in July 2004. The 2007 re-release includes 4 bonus tracks. One of the tracks is a new composition while the 3 others are the entire tracklist from the self-released "Mictlan (2002)" EP.

The music on the album is industrial tinged death metal. The vocals are quite brutal yet intelligible. The tempo is mostly fast- to blasting but there are some mid-paced sections too. The inclusion of cold futuristic keyboards give the music a sci-fi sound that at times turn epic. Most tracks on the album are of this nature but the title track is an ambient industrial styled track. The tight and precise musicianship is a great asset to the album and it´s obvious that The Amenta are skilled musicians.

"Occasus" features a powerful and clear sound production, which suits the music well. Upon conclusion "Occasus" is a good quality debut album by The Amenta, and while there is still room for improvement in the songwriting department (the tracks could have been a bit more memorable) I still feel that a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.