Sensory Amusia – Bereavement
Band: Sensory Amusia
Title: Bereavement
Label: Lacerated Enemy Records
Release Date: 20 August 2020
Country: Australia
Format Reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
Another week and once again I find myself with another release from a band from my distant homeland Australia. Having formed back in 2010 in Perth, Australia, Sensory Amusia released their debut full-length “Disrepair” back in 2013. An EP “In Extremis” followed last year and now the band has brought out another with the four track (five if you count the first track “Intro”) “Bereavement”.
In keeping with the blunt and to the point track titles: “Death”, “Beast”, “Pain”, “Absolute” the band play an extremely in-your-face, battering type of metal (in the vein of Dying Fetus), blendling modern, slightly industrial, slightly progressive, death and hardcore elements together. Driven by relentlessly hammering percussion that may remind you of Fear Factory in places, this music is the sound of some dystopian, technological horror smashing you in the face at 100mph.
The first track proper “Death” starts as the band means to go on with full aggression. Somewhere in the industrial battery I hear a glimpse of Machine Head melodies. It’s all full-tilt with sithing guitar riffing and guttural growls completing the sound. While the delivery is relentless, there is a cool alternating groove towards the end of the track, going back and forth with the 100mph onslaught, all underpinned by the same basic beat, that shows the band definitely have more to them than just hitting you over the head repeatedly.
With “Beast” there’s a definite hint of that Meshuggah bassy squiggle (this is the note I took and I can’t think of a better description now!) and I think I hear polyrhythms… though if you ask me to explain what a polyrhythm is I might have to pass. On “Pain” I also hear some elements reminiscent of Soilent Green in some of the track’s most ferocious parts.
Dotted throughout these tracks and their hyper intense percussive, industrial battery there are other glimpses of the various influences melded into the band’s sound. On closing track “Absolute” for instance there’s a momentary atmospheric break and when the band comes back in I swear I can hear a glimpse of Converge in there.
For this kind of precise rapid-fire playing you probably need a crisp production, otherwise it’ll all become a muddy mess. Everything sounds clear and crisp, I’d like to hear how the band pulls it all off on stage. Overall there are some enjoyable riffs and the intensity never lets up. It may not always be the most memorable music, but for a mechanistic auditory bombardment for those who like some super-intense, well-played industrio-prog-death metal, it’s worth checking out. 7/10 Tom Boatman
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