The Amity Affliction: A Compendium of Redux Memories, Nurturing Next-Gens & Support Act's AMTD

We are creeping closer to the Australian metalcore party of the year when The Amity Affliction hits the road along with Ice Nine Kills, We Came As Romans and Hevensgate - kicking off this weekend.

Not only are Amity riding on the wave of success once again following the release of their Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux), but they've also teamed up with Support Act and produced a limited edition shirt in time for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day - more on that soon.

In anticipation of the onslaught ahead, we grabbed guitarist Dan Brown to guide us through the motions of the redux - which fans have appropriately dubbed [Amity's Version]. We also introduce you to the alluring voice heard throughout the record, the significance of supporting future generations and the importance of organisations like Support Act...

The Backstory of Let The Ocean Take Me [Amity's Version]

On September 27th, LTOTM (Redux) was released and fans were met with a much heavier and raw-sounding release reflecting TAA's current lineup and recent releases.

For many of us, this band - and in particular the OG album - served as a gateway into the heavy scene with many claiming it to be the record that opened the floodgates for their appreciation of metalcore. Its captivating tracks and mental health awareness were pivotal in a time when anxiety and depression were still considered taboo subject matter; however, Amity took their struggles in their stride and produced anthems that helped us feel seen, understood and provided a cathartic way to find temporary relief from the unrelenting stranglehold of mental health and the struggles of the world around us.

When the redux was announced, it arrived with an insightful statement from frontman Joel Birch, who shed light on one of the main reasons why the outfit had given the album a heavier makeover, revealing:

"Our deal with our previous record label had them taking the vast majority of all revenue from what has been our most successful album until recently... When you spend over two decades in an industry you get to see how predatory it can be, and the main victims of this predation are young bands that are wined and dined into deals that all but guarantee the band will only make money for the label and not for themselves.

Much like what Taylor Swift has done for the mainstream industry, Amity are leading the charge by encouraging new and emerging bands not to sign their life away the second a record deal is presented; and reminding established acts they can take control of their masters if previous deals neglected to look after the band's interests.

"Let this be the canary in the coal mine for younger bands, in this day and age you can find ethical and equitable deals, you don’t need to believe the bullshit larger labels will feed you, and you can maintain control over your masters and own your own songs."

Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux) landed at #1 on the ARIA Charts with fans yet again supporting the release. We asked Dan Brown what it meant to the band that fans were so receptive to the album and welcomed it with open arms, to which he shared:

"It’s honestly so mind blowing that the album once again reached that spot 10 years after the original was released. It’s really a credit to our fans for continuing to support us over the past decade. We wanted to give something back… 10 years seemed like a pretty good time to do that and perfect timing to release it before the tour based on the decade of success we’ve enjoyed since the initial release."

Nurturing the Next Generation

It's no secret that TAA has been supportive of both the Australian and international heavy music scene throughout their reign. From orchestrating the massively successful Heaven And Hell Festival in 2019, to countless tours across the county, there's always been an emphasis on which upcoming bands would get picked to share the journey with them.

The upcoming tour will see Ice Nine Kills playing on their biggest stages yet since making their first trek to Australia in 2018. Not only can we expect a bloodbath during their performance, but we guarantee they'll walk away with a stack of new fans from their inclusion alone. We Came As Romans are staples in the metalcore scene who have overcome adversity following the tragic unexpected passing of vocalist Kyle Pavone. The band made a promise to keep his legacy alive and have since released some of their best material to date - including tribute singles such as 'Carry The Weight' and 'From The First Note' and heavy hitter 'Darkbloom'.

Rounding out the tour roster is Melbourne-based HEAVENSGATE; who despite only being active for a little over two years, have already left a lasting impression on the local circuit with their ferocious display of menacing Aussie metalcore. The debut EP And All I Loved, I Loved Alone won us over and scored a whopping 9/10 from our reviewer who also stated they "could soon become a key player in this country’s next generation."

Well, that time is now and Amity are giving the band the chance to take to Arena-sized stages across the country. You'd be silly for missing them, so make sure to get in early and help nurture future household names from our own backyard.

"It’s so important for the good of the scene to always take up and coming bands out on tour, just as we were taken out on tours by bigger bands early in our career. It’s still happening for us to this date actually. If there is no sense of community within our heavy music scene it would surely fade out, and we don’t want to ever see that happen." - Dan Brown on supporting new bands.

Introducing: The Redux's Additional Vocalist, Alison Jane.

Speaking of supporting the next generation, there's a new female vocal performance throughout signature sections of LTOTM (Redux). Up until recently, that voice remained unknown, but thanks to a late night scrolling session on TikTok I actually discovered her name was Alison Jane - so I reached out to chat about her inclusion on the record - and to discuss the album that made her a TAA fan...

Hey Alison, thanks for chatting. Everyone's dying to know how did this opportunity come about?

"At the start of the year a friend of mine, Randy Slaugh (Amity’s incredibly talented composer), mentioned he had a cool project coming up and asked if I’d be interested in recording some vocals. That project turned out to be Let The Ocean Take Me [Amity's Version] haha. I had a bunch of ideas, so I ended up recording harmony vocals for pretty much all of the songs - I know they kept my vocals for 'Pittsburgh' and 'Give It All', but I have no clue what else they kept."

Obviously, you were a fan before the offer came in; which album won you over and do you have a fav song?

"My Dad showed me Chasing Ghosts when I was 9 years old, so I would have to say that. In terms of my favourite song - well, that’s like picking a favourite child haha. If I could pick a few, it’d be 'HMAS Lookback', 'Pittsburgh', 'I Bring The Weather With Me', 'Give It All', 'Don’t Lean On Me' and 'This Could Be Heartbreak'."

https://www.tiktok.com/@the_alisonjane/video/7423592571793902869

How long have you been singing/performing and apart from social media, where can we follow your musical endeavours?

"I’ve been singing and playing guitar since I was a kid, but I got a bit more serious about vocals and production in 2019 when I met my mentor Ricky Armellino (guitarist in Ice Nine Kills). I recently released my first single 'Fade Away' under the band name All That’s Left - I’m pretty much a one-woman band, so I wrote it all, recorded all the cleans, screams, guitars, etc.

There are more singles and an EP coming but in the meantime, 'Fade Away' is out on all streaming platforms."

"Alison has been coming to Amity shows since she was very young. We would look out into the crowd and wonder who the little kid was on her parent's shoulders. Turns out this whole time she has been on her own musical journey. We had a producer put together a choir of vocalists to record some parts on the album and her vocals were the strongest in the group. So we decided it would be cool to feature her instead of repeat what used to be a choir section for our song 'Pittsburgh'. The rest is now history!" - Dan Brown on Alison Jane.

The Importance of Support Act & Amity's Ausmusic T-Shirt Day Collab

Every year Ausmusic T-Shirt Day (AMTD) brings fellow Aussies together by repping our fav acts and donating to Support Act, an organisation that has helped countless musicians across the country by providing crisis relief, mental health and wellbeing support to music industry workers. Last year alone they raised over $904,000 - which is an incredible achievement.

Reflecting on where the band was upon the release of the original LTOTM, a lot has changed, particularly in regards to finding professional help while on the road and the day-to-day pressures of being a musician within a genre that's still considered "niche" and often overlooked by the mainstream masses.

Dan spoke about advice Support Act passed on that helped him and the band navigate the industry better than The Amity Affliction era of circa 2014, revealing:

"Talk and seek help when you need to. I think we have always been inclined to keep things to ourselves and just deal and self-medicate, even when it has been really dangerous to do so. Support Act make it easy to be able to speak with professionals who are trained to deal with the inevitable mental health concerns that touring and long times away from family and friends brings on.

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This year for AMTD, the lads teamed up with Sofles - a local Brisbane-based graffiti artist with a plethora of incredible work under his belt - to produce a Limited Edition Premium Tee where 100% of net proceeds go to Support Act - get yours here!

"We had worked with Sofles before and have always been huge fans of his work. So when this opportunity came up we didn’t even really need to look at the design, we knew we’d love it and we did!" Dan Brown on TAA's collab with Sofles.

If there's one thing The Amity Affliction has taught us, it's that we're 'Never Alone' in this journey through life and the heavier the song, the harder it hits - especially in the pit. With plenty of ways to get involved and show your appreciation for the band, the album/tour and AMTD collaboration, now is the time to give it all...

Words by Paul 'Browny' Brown @brownypaul

The Amity Affliction performs Let The Ocean Take Me in full across Australia with Ice Nine Kills, We Came As Romans and Heavensgate.

Final Tickets Here