Belgium’s Amenra has always thrived at the edge of shadows, drawing power from grief, wrath, and the unrelenting weight of existence. Their upcoming dual EPs, De Toorn and With Fang and Claw, are set to descend on March 28, 2025, via Relapse Records. These releases stand as both a reckoning with the past and a ritual for what lies ahead—marking the band’s journey through thirty years of creation and destruction.
Vocalist Colin H. Van Eeckhout frames De Toorn as the culmination of a thread first unraveled in 2019’s De Doorn. “We came as close to our cultural heritage as we possibly could and offered the world a glance of where we truly hail from,” he reflects. The EP’s visual language reaches back into the band’s origins, with artist Aline Gorsen channeling the desolation and raw beauty that defined Mass I. The result is an offering steeped in lament and fire, a continuation of a ritual not yet complete.
With Fang and Claw, by contrast, claws its way back to the unfiltered intensity of Amenra’s formative years. Guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove describes it as embracing “the primal force that defined our beginnings,” weaving the savage essence of Mass I–III with the wisdom earned from decades in the flames. “These works intertwine,” he explains. “De Toorn channels the lament and fury of De Doorn, while With Fang and Claw bares the teeth of resilience. Together, they form a crucial passage—a reflection of where we began and where we are going.”
This duality is not a mere transition. It is a moment of reckoning, a step further into the fire. “Through rage and sorrow, we rise, bearing both the scars of the past and the fangs of resilience,” Van Eeckhout declares.
The first glimpse into De Toorn comes with “Heden,” a ritualistic, slow-burning track that uncoils over nearly 15 minutes. It is the sound of a wound being re-opened, an invocation of loss that refuses to be forgotten. Lennart Bossu, guitarist, reveals that “Heden” was the axis upon which the EP’s creation turned. The accompanying music video, steeped in darkness and solemnity, feels less like a performance and more like a ceremonial act, binding the listener to Amenra’s unrelenting emotional core.
Both EPs were forged in a single session at the studio in the Belgian Ardennes, the same place where Mass VI was conceived. Producer Seth Manchester (Machines With Magnets) once again oversaw the process, ensuring that the weight and texture of Amenra’s rituals remain intact. The familiar setting lends these works an intimate connection to the band’s history, but the music itself burns with new intent, pulling their past into sharper focus.
Amenra will bring their ceremonies to life across Europe, starting in Stuttgart on April 21, 2025, and concluding at London’s Desertfest on May 17. The tour traverses cities like Warsaw, Paris, and Milan, with sold-out dates already marking the demand for this latest chapter in the band’s saga.
Catch AMENRA live at:
21/4 Im Wizeman Stuttgart (DE)
22/4 Carlswerk Victoria – Köln (DE)
23/4 Uebel & Gefährlich Hamburg (DE)
24/4 Astra Berlin (DE)
25/4 Oczki Warsaw (PL)
26/4 Kwadrat – Krakow (PL)
27/4 Beatpol Dresden (DE)
28/4 Palac Akropolis Prague (CZ)
30/4 Arena – Vienna (AT)
1/5 A38 Budapest (HR)
2/5 Boogaloo club Zagreb (Croatia)
3/5 Backstage Halle Munich (DE) SOLD OUT
4/5 TPO Bologna (IT)
5/5 Monk Club Rome (IT)
6/5 Legend Club Milano (IT)
7/5 Les Docks Lausanne (CH)
8/5 CCO Lyon (FR)
9/5 Espace Julien Marseille (FR)
11/5 Apolo Barcelona (ES)
12/5 Cabane Toulouse (FR)
13/5 Atabal – Biarritz (FR)
14/5 Antipode Rennes (FR)
15/5 Elysée Montmartre Paris (FR)
17/5 Desertfest @ Roundhouse London (UK)
