The band released their debut album Occasus in 2004. The lineup on the recording was Cessium 137 (vocals; real name Mark Bevan), Ethion (guitars; real name Erik Miehs), Endrin (bass; real name Dale Harrison), Diazanon (drums; real name Dave Haley (also of Psycroptic)) and Chlordane (keyboards and programming; real name Timothy Pope). Joe Haley from Psycroptic toured with the band as a second guitarist during this era. Cessium left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Jarrod Krafczyk. Robin Stone also became the band's drummer at some point in this period, likely due to Haley's other committments.
In 2008, the new lineup of the band (Krafczyk, Miehs, Harrison, Stone and Pope) released the album n0n, now using their real names. n0n also featured guest appearances from Nergal of Behemoth, Alice Daquet of Sir Alice and Jason Mendonca of Akercocke, among others.
Krafczyk and Harrison left the band in 2009. The current lineup of the band, as of 2011, is:
Cain Cressall (formerly of Pathogen - vocals (2009-present)
Erik Miehs - guitar (2001-present)
Dan Quinlan - bass guitar (2009-present
Robin Stone - drums (2008-present)
Timothy Pope - keyboards and programming (2001-present)
In 2011, this lineup of the band digitally released V01d, considered by the band to be an EP (although it contains 16 tracks), available only from their website at no cost. V01d contains some new tracks, including the band's trademark ambient/industrial interlude pieces, but is largely made up of re-recorded versions of Occasus and n0n tracks, with the band's current lineup. There are also some experimental remixes of earlier work, a cover of Armoured Angel's "Enigmatize" and some live video clips.
Tim Aldridge (The Berzerker) has joined the band in 2011 as a touring guitarist.
Dirt
The Amenta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will be shades of grey
All spotlight sunrise
Or bruised sunset
When the clock stops
And everything is stale and still
And the rust finally shows
On everything we've gathered
All of your plans
All of your promises
All those revolutions
Your resolve
All of your power
And all your pride
Will all be nothing
Nothing but dirt
In the end what remains?
Not the body
Nor forgotten hours
Drowned in drink
Our lives flicker
The soul is just
A collusion of senses
It's just our deeds
That see morning
Book ended by black
We are water dripping
From leaking, rusted taps
The sound of clocks
Twitching through dust
We are
Flickering embers
In dusty ashtrays
We are the dirt
We are just dregs
We are water dripping
From rusted taps
We are dirt
This is all we paint
Blank canvas, blank canvas
Humanity is aches
Creaking joints
Hunched shoulders
Traces of blood on bed sheets
Persistent benign tumours
This is all we paint
All of your power
And all your pride
Will all be nothing
Nothing but dirt
In the end what remains?
Not the body
Nor forgotten hours
Drowned in drink
Our lives flicker
The soul is just
A collusion of senses
It's just our deeds
That see morning
Book ended by black
We are water dripping
From leaking, rusted taps
The sound of clocks
Twitching through dust
We are
Flickering embers
In dusty ashtrays
We are the dirt
We are just dregs
We are water dripping
From rusted taps
We are dirt
The Amenta's song Dirt is a reflection on the transience of human life and the insignificance of our accomplishments and possessions in the face of mortality. The opening lines of the song suggest that each new day is just a variation on the same monotonous theme, with everything fading into shades of grey. Even the most dramatic moments of the day - sunrise and sunset - are reduced to either a blaze of light or a bruise of darkness. When the clock stops, marking the end of human existence, all of our achievements and possessions will be revealed as merely rusty tokens of our mortality, nothing more than dirt.
The lyrics go on to explore the nature of the human soul and its relationship to the body. The body is depicted as a vessel that will eventually decay and be forgotten, but the soul is seen as a collection of senses and experiences that persist beyond death. However, the song suggests that even this idea is illusory because it is our actions and deeds that truly define us, and these too are ultimately swallowed up by the relentless march of time. In the end, we are no more than flickering embers, dregs, and dirt.
Line by Line Meaning
Every morning after
The day after each event, life will continue without fanfare.
Will be shades of grey
Life will be dull and monotonous.
All spotlight sunrise
The sunrise will bring no grand revelations or excitement.
Or bruised sunset
Even the beauty of sunsets will be tinged with sadness and pain.
When the clock stops
At the end of life, when time has run out.
And everything is stale and still
Everything will feel stagnant and unchanging.
And the rust finally shows
All things, even those we hold onto, will eventually decay and crumble.
On everything we've gathered
Our possessions and achievements will all, eventually, become nothing.
All of your plans
The designs that we create for our lives, all that we set out to do.
All of your promises
The oaths we make to ourselves and others.
All those revolutions
The changes we want to create in the world and in ourselves.
Your resolve
Our determination to see things through to the end.
All of your power
Our control over others and ourselves.
And all your pride
Our sense of self-worth and accomplishments.
Will all be nothing
Ultimately, they will come to nothing.
Nothing but dirt
All that will remain of us is dust and decay.
In the end what remains?
When everything else fades away, what will be left behind?
Not the body
Our physical shell will not survive.
Nor forgotten hours
Even the memories of our life will fade.
Drowned in drink
All our good and bad times will be washed away.
Our lives flicker
Our existence is brief and temporary.
The soul is just
Our essence, our being, is nothing more than a collection of emotions.
A collusion of senses
Our thoughts and feelings come together to form who we are.
It's just our deeds
Only the actions we take will be remembered.
That see morning
Our impact on the world will continue long after we are gone.
Book ended by black
Our lives begin and end in darkness.
We are water dripping
Our existence is small and insignificant.
From leaking, rusted taps
Our lives, like a leaky faucet, slowly drip away.
The sound of clocks
The passing of time is a constant reminder of our fleeting lives.
Twitching through dust
The movement of time becomes harder to see as dust and decay take over.
We are flickering embers
Our existence is brief and temporary, like the flicker of a flame.
In dusty ashtrays
Our remnants will be put away and forgotten, like ashes in an ashtray.
We are the dirt
We will all succumb to decay and disintegration.
We are just dregs
We are the remnants of what once was.
This is all we paint
Our lives are only what we make of them.
Blank canvas, blank canvas
Our lives are full of possibilities, but we must create them ourselves.
Humanity is aches
We will all experience pain and suffering.
Creaking joints
Even our physical bodies will eventually break down and fail us.
Hunched shoulders
The weight of life will eventually bend us down.
Traces of blood on bed sheets
Even the most intimate moments of our lives are fleeting and impermanent.
Persistent benign tumours
Our bodies will always have flaws and imperfections.
Contributed by Blake L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brandon L
Twice. God bless alcoho.l.