‘Fire is not that with whose flame the candle laughs, Look to the moths and where they gather’ (Taken from the writings of 14^th century Persian poet, Hafez)

Ameretat are a duo drawn from the Iranian diaspora, with both bandmembers still having family living in Iran.  This album though is rooted in a much broader interpretation of what it is to be of the Iranic people, a shared cultural and linguistic heritage that spans throughout west and south Asia.  It draws on the folklore of the region through verse and writings in Avestan, Kurdish, Luri, and Persian to explore living in the shadow of the theocratic tyranny that governs modern-day Iran.  Ameretat itself is the Avestan word for indestructible and the deity representing immortality, or perhaps more accurately, the eternal cycle of life and death in Persian mythology.

The fierce sonic accompaniment is one rooted in the driving rhythms of metallic crust and harshly duelling anarcho-punk inspired vocals.  This onslaught is then braided through with Iranic folk instrumentation so deftly that it conjures a deeply evocative atmosphere, which is not only intensely mesmerising but also feels utterly intrinsic.

The sweeping propulsion – which is primed by the haunting Ghazal-e-ātish (Ode To The Fire) – dictates that the album evolves as almost two seamless movements.  From the swirling rhythms of Posht-e-pardeh (Behind The Veil) to the sombre escalation of Koshtan-e ye Sag-e-āb (The Killing Of A Sacred Water Dog), and from the venomous climax to Mohnate Digarān (The Hardship Of Others) to the euphoric violence of Deyr-e-kharāb (Broken Monastery / Ruined World), before the choral finale of Jamal Jamaloo, Ameretat’s grip is absolutely unrelenting.