Biography
International sludge and post-metal collective Absent in Body unites musicians drawn from Neurosis, Sepultura, and Amenra. Their menacing, oppressive aesthetic merges sluggish doom-heavy pacing, dense layers of grimy guitar distortion, guttural shouted vocals, mechanized sonic textures, ethereal instrumental passages, and an echoing mix that evokes a massive underground chamber.
The project originated in 2017 after Neurosis guitarist Scott Kelly and Amenra guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove abandoned plans for a split release in favor of a joint effort. They enlisted Vandekerckhove’s Amenra colleague Colin H. van Eeckhout to handle vocals and bass alongside ex-Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, adopting the name Absent in Body from the scriptural passage 2 Corinthians 5:8. The quartet tracked a solitary twenty-minute composition issued by Hypertension Records on the EP The Abyss Stares Back, Vol. 5. Encouraged by the outcome, the musicians resolved to pursue a full-length recording. Over subsequent years Vandekerckhove assembled the album’s foundational elements by capturing extensive electronic-industrial atmospheres during Amenra tours, later weaving those passages into the studio takes. The group reassembled at irregular intervals to commit additional parts to tape. Their completed work, Plague God, appeared in 2022 via Relapse Records, the current label home of Amenra and former home of Neurosis.
The project originated in 2017 after Neurosis guitarist Scott Kelly and Amenra guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove abandoned plans for a split release in favor of a joint effort. They enlisted Vandekerckhove’s Amenra colleague Colin H. van Eeckhout to handle vocals and bass alongside ex-Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera, adopting the name Absent in Body from the scriptural passage 2 Corinthians 5:8. The quartet tracked a solitary twenty-minute composition issued by Hypertension Records on the EP The Abyss Stares Back, Vol. 5. Encouraged by the outcome, the musicians resolved to pursue a full-length recording. Over subsequent years Vandekerckhove assembled the album’s foundational elements by capturing extensive electronic-industrial atmospheres during Amenra tours, later weaving those passages into the studio takes. The group reassembled at irregular intervals to commit additional parts to tape. Their completed work, Plague God, appeared in 2022 via Relapse Records, the current label home of Amenra and former home of Neurosis.
Albums
Singles