The Amity Affliction on Alternative Press!

Check out the video HERE.

We've brought back our Two-Minute Warning series for The AP Tour! In our first couple episodes, we gave you a glimpse at what Miss May I and The Ghost Inside are doing while you try to stay as metal as possible out in the crowd. In our third installment, we are giving you a backstage glimpse at The Amity Affliction. Check out the video above and let us know what you think!
If you ever wondered what The Amity Affliction, The Ghost Inside, Like Moths To Flames and Glass Cloud are doing backstage in those last couple minutes before you see them appear before you, stay tuned to APTV and catch a new video every Friday!


Originally posted at: http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/two_minute_warning_the_amity_affliction

Soundcheck 411 Reviews The Amity Affliction and the AP Tour

Its election night in Hollywood, and the young crowd came out to let their anger out because they aren’t able to vote. Okay, that’s not the case, but this concert did have a lot of underage unregistered voters in attendance for some odd reason. The night rolled on with no announcement of President Obama winning the election, and that’s because each band was too busy melting faces with some hardcore metal music.

First up was the Australian Hardcore band, The Amity Affliction. The “TAA” chants fade as the band hit the stage and open up with the titled track off their latest album, “Chasing Ghost.” Collectively, as a band, they played well. There’s no riff or double kick that didn’t leave a head un-banged, or a body not moving. As soon as the band played “I Hate Hartley,” the crowd went nuts, and soon opened up a hardcore mosh pit that would set the mood for the rest of the night. Joel Birch and Ahren Stringer both compliment each others vocal abilities that would appeal to both men and woman. The hard growl-like screams from Joel gave that brutality the guys crave, and the more subtle singing from Ahren is what the girls like to let them sing along to the songs. The short set came to an end a few songs later as the band played their final song, “Open Letter.”

The AP tour didn’t have much of a variety when it came to different sub generas of metal, but that’s not a problem. Yes, it may all sound the same at some point, but if you listen carefully, you can spot then little things that make them different. Either way, metalcore and hardcore bands are some of the hardest working bands in the touring world, and that’s something we can all respect and this night was a fine example of that.

Review by Alex Lucero
Originally posted at: http://soundcheck411.com/ap-tour/

Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction Lands on the Cover of Alt Press!

Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction Interviewed by RichardThinks.org!

  The Amity Affliction, who hail from Australia, are enjoying success in the United States since the beginning of 2012 with touring with the likes of Asking Alexandria, signing to Roadrunner Records, to a spot on this year’s Alternative Press tour, to finally releasing their third studio album “Chasing Ghosts“. RichardThinks.Org caught up with Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction before their set at the Recher Theatre in Towson, MD and discussed their successful year thus far, to dream tours and more! “Chasing Ghosts” is out now through Roadrunner Records, and you can catch The Amity Affliction on The AP Tour!

Purchase “Chasing Ghosts“
Amazon | Itunes

Interview

Originally posted at:  http://richardthinks.org/2012/10/22/interview-joel-birch-of-the-amity-affliction/

 

MSN Metal Reviews The Amity Affliction's Chasing Ghosts

“The Amity Affliction, Chasing Ghosts (Roadrunner): I’m quick to slag a lot of youth-oriented metalcore and post-hardcore, and for good reason – it is truly terrible music – but I know quality when I hear it. Australia’s The Amity Affliction don’t bring anything new to post-hardcore whatsoever, but they work that formula better than most bands out there today. Not only do they play with genuine power rather than the limp sounds we usually hear from kiddie bands, but they’re grown up enough to know formula doesn’t mean squat if the songwriting isn’t there. “Chasing Ghosts”, “Greens Avenue”, and “Bondi St. Blues” combine harsh vocals with soaring pop choruses so well that they deserve comparisons to the late, great Alexisonfire. For those who are into this music, or any catchy hard rock for that matter, this is as smart and accessible a predictable post-hardcore record as you’ll ever hear. This band deserves to be huge.”

Artist Direct gives The Amity Affliction's "Chasing Ghosts" 5 out of 5 stars!

The Amity Affliction "Chasing Ghosts" Album Review — 5 out of 5 stars

It's hard to stand out in heavy music these days.

The genre's reached a point of oversaturation. Even the subgenres—regardless whether it's deathcore or mainstream hard rock—have become overpopulated to the point of suffocation. However, there's always one band that strikes out on its own and does something downright revolutionary. For 2012, the originality crown goes to The Amity Affliction.

Their second offering, Chasing Ghosts, siphons technical heavy metal, gritty hardcore, skittering electronics, and pop melody into music that's decidedly real, raw, and refreshing. Commencing with the inimitably catchy yet brilliantly bludgeoning title track, the group skates a fine line between beauty and brutality that only Deftones and Killswitch Engage have managed to equal. The interplay of frontman Joel Birch, the screamer, and bassist Ahren Stringer, the crooner, is nothing short of hypnotic. At the same time, guitarists Troy Brady and Imran Siddiqi murderously riff 'n' roll along to Ryan Burt's punchy drumming. Orchestral synths creep below the surface of "Life Underground", adding a horror movie tension to the music, while "Greens Avenue" delivers a succinct crushing groove before another pristine hook from Stringer.

Watery piano begins "I Heart H.C." before another descent into madness, and the decisive duality of "Flowerbomb" proves remarkable. "Bondi St. Blues" exhales one final crushing breath to leave you battered in the best way possible and hungry for more.

With blood on the floor and the competition in the dust, The Amity Affliction stand at the top. Chasing Ghosts is a flawless classic and the start of something big…

—Rick Florino
10.02.12

Originally posted at: http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/the-amity-affliction-chasing-ghosts-album-review-5-out-of-5-stars/10254240

"Chasing Ghosts" and "House of Gold & Bones" are the most anticipated albums of the fall!

Artist Direct named The Amity Affliction's "Chasing Ghosts" and Stone Sour's "House of Gold & Bones Part 1" among the most anticipated albums of the fall! 
Here's what they had to say:

Stone Sour - House of Gold & Bones Part 1

I’ve heard that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Therefore, people who live in houses made of Gold and Bones (or any houses for that matter) should listen to Stone Sour! How would you like to have a house made of Gold and Bones? I bet it would be the flashiest and creepiest house on the block. All these ramblings aside, expect big things from a band that knows how to intertwine melody and intensity with the best of them. This is already a contender for album of the year as far as we're concerned as it's the first-half of the group's double-disc concept epic. [October 22, 2012]

The Amity Affliction - Chasing Ghosts

The Amity Affliction remain one of the most exciting bands to infiltrate heavy music in over a decade. They fuse soaring, searing melodies to absolutely crushing grooves. We have a feeling we're going to be Chasing Ghosts forever as soon as this one drops. [October 2, 2012]

Check out the full article here: Feature: The Most Anticipated Albums of the Fall

 

Mind Equals Blown gives The Amity Affliction's "Chasing Ghosts" an 8.0: "Their best release to date."

Australian post-hardcore act The Amity Affliction’s last two releases, Youngbloods and Severed Ties, were albums that scratched the surface of greatness but never quite reached it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love on both releases, but at times, the band would ridiculously devolve into genericore. With Chasing Ghosts – the band’s third release – however, The Amity Affliction have eliminated a lot of their past problems. There are some minor missteps (such as needlessly applying auto-tuned harmonies to Ahren Stringer’s already fantastic voice), but Chasing Ghosts is definitely the band’s biggest achievement so far, especially in the lyrics department.
Chasing Ghosts seems to serve as the band’s answer to the increase in teen suicides as of late, and each track seems to at least touch on the subject of death. Prevalent throughout the album is also the message of living your life to the fullest because, well, it’s the only life you’re ever going to get. In addition to being a sentiment that I agree with on a personal level, Chasing Ghosts adds just the right amount of emotion to make it the band’s most personal work to date. I found myself getting more and more attached to the album with each subsequent listen.
“Chasing Ghosts,” which serves as both the album opener and the title track, is a clear indicator of a tighter band altogether. Joel Birch’s screams have improved so much since the early days of Severed Ties; it’s almost hard to believe it’s the same vocalist. Stringer’s clean vocals are just as good as ever (even with the rather annoying auto-tune), which is made abundantly clear in the first 30 seconds of “Life Underground,” one of the album’s strongest tracks. Birch and Stringer mix together well here, and the musicianship is tight and well-executed.
“Open Letter,” which contains some of the best lyrics on the entire album (“I’m not searching the sky, for a reason to live/’Cause I found beauty right here, and the passion to give”), is another big highlight. Stringer’s vocals are also exceptionally good here, especially in the track’s catchy and emotional chorus. ”Greens Avenue” has a solid groove to it, and includes a headbanger of a breakdown. The track also contains a healthy amount of changes, and guitarists Troy Brady and Imran Siddiqi really show off their chops here. “I Heart H.C.” is another one of the album’s strongest tracks, complete with anti-God and anti-suicide lyrics. “So when you leave this earth, when your heart stops you’ll see/There’s no choir of angels, there’s no gods to meet.”
Chasing Ghosts is, without a doubt, the band’s best release to date. Do they have more in them? Absolutely, and with this album, it’s clear they’re on the path to crafting their masterpiece. But Amity fans should have no problem connecting with this album, and for the band to evolve their sound so much in such a relatively small amount of time is incredible. Chasing Ghosts is nothing groundbreaking, at least musically, but the album’s stunning emotional center will keep it high on my playlist for the foreseeable future.

Originally posted at: http://mindequalsblown.net/2012/09/21/the-amity-affliction-chasing-ghosts-review/