Ameretat exists at the confluence of the old and the new, a reflection of the duality between East and West, where politics resist simplification, and the only absolute truth is the necessity of empathy and collective humanity.
Ameretat began as a two-piece recording project in Barcelona, Spain. Formed by S and K – children of the Iranian diaspora with family on both sides of an autocratic divide – the band channels inherited memory into sound. The music draws directly from the folk traditions of the Lor people of Western Iran, from whom one member traces their heritage. Songs pull from musical and literary influences across the Iranic world, blending modern and traditional folk instrumentation with elements of crust and hardcore punk, and multitonal feedback reminiscent of the region’s ancient drone traditions. Lyrically, Ameretat explores war, power, love, despair, kindness, and our shared humanity, incorporating verses and excerpts in Persian, Avestan, Lori, Kurdish, and English.
“The songs included on Ameretat combine instruments and compositional elements from Iranian music with the venomous animus of hardcore and the panache of noise rock (think of the earlier and uglier iterations of that genre – more No Trend than Helmet). The tunes are as urgent as a wave of anxiety roiling your gut and as harsh as bare knuckles pressed into crushed glass. It’s a thrilling, bracing record.” – Dusted Magazine
