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Following the death of a close friend in a car accident, high-schoolers Ahren Stringer and Troy Brady formed The Amity Affliction named in tribute of their friend. The band started out by playing school concerts and lunch breaks before releasing two self-titled EPs, one in 2004, with new screaming vocalist Joel Birch, and another in 2005, the latter of which was followed by an Australian East Coast tour.
2007 brought a change of personnel with Troels Thomasson coming in on drums, who would be replaced by Ryan Burt a year later, Chris Burt on guitar and Trad Nathan playing the keyboard. Shortly after The Amity Affliction released a new five-track EP named “High Hopes”, which introduced the band to a wider audience and paved the way for their debut studio album “Severed Ties” (2008). The album reached No. 26 on the Australian Albums Chart and was followed by a tour across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
After a headline tour across Australia in 2009, Christopher Burt left the band with Clint Ellis of The Getaway Plan taking tenure. The Amity Affliction’s second album “Youngbloods” was released on June 18, 2010 through Boomtown and Shock Records. “Youngbloods” outperformed its predecessor, reaching No. 6 in the Australian Album Chart. Towards the tail-end of 2010 The Amity Affliction released a compilation album entitled “Glory Days” of b-sides and old demoes, signed the the label The Artery Foundation, and announced a UK tour with Asking Alexandria.
After another headline Australian tour with Asking Alexandria and various local bands in each city, the band signed to Roadrunner Records for the foreseeable future, and headed to Florida, U.S. to work on their third full-length album. Produced by Michael Baskette, “Chasing Ghosts” (2012) was released on August 15, 2012. The album art featured an image of a boy who has committed suicide and received much criticism from social media and fans, despite the album’s theme towards seeking help and support.
Prior to joining the Warped Tour 2013, the band announced Dan Brown had joined the band on guitar, and who played on the European Tour alongside Chelsea Grin and Stick To Your Guns. In anticipation of their fourth studio album, The Amity Affliction released a demo titled “Cave In” which proved to be a red herring and didn’t appear on the album. “Let the Ocean Take Me” was released on June 6, 2014, to positive reviews and marked the departure of lead guitarist Troy Brady, leaving Ahren Stringer the only original member of the band.
The band’s early origins can be traced back to an Arizona high school in 2002 when guitarist and drummer friends Mike Frisby and Matt Traynor started practice sessions in the school’s music rooms. Guitarists Eric Lambert and Miles Bergsma and Craig Mabbitt on lead vocals soon joined them.
After playing gigs in their hometown the group generated some local press buzz with the clear religious leanings in their lyrics. The band was subsequently picked up by Science Records, who put them on tour with similar bands such as Alesana and Norma Jean. blessthefall went on to release their debut studio album “His Last Walk” in 2007.
The album was well received by alt-rock magazines and reviewers and saw sales of over 65,000 on its initial release, which was deemed as very successful for such a niche market. The band embarked on their first European tour, which saw lead singer Mabbitt leave the band for personal family problems. Current vocalist Beau Bokan, whose signature “scream” style has become a trademark of the band, replaced him in 2008.
In 2009, blessthefall signed with Fearless Records to release their second album “Witness.” A track titled “To Hell On Back” which featured on the album was used in the trailer for the video game “Splinter Cell: Conviction”
During the writing process of their third album “Awakening” in 2011, the band announced that founding member Mike Frisby was leaving and had been replaced by former “Legacy” guitarist, Elliot Gruenberg.
Following on from “Awakening” blessthefall confirmed that their latest album “Hollow Bodies” would be released in 2013. Hollow Bodies was a commercial success for the band, charting at number 15 on the US Billboard Charts. Blessthefall have successfully toured around the US and globally, as well as bringing their renowned live shows to alt-rock circuit shows such as the Vans Warped Tour.
Post-hardcore music isn’t a genre that I am usually into, I find it a little heavy, but from the moment I heard The Amity Affliction back in 2008, I was converted into a fan of their music. Although the band haven’t been around that long, they have seen several changes of members over the years, seeing guitarists, vocalists, and percussionists come and go. This, however, has not weakened their sound, but every new member who comes along brings a fresh and exciting twist to their music.
“We are young, we are young, we are young” rang out through the auditorium acapella before the guys began smashing it on their instruments. They played through a variety of their older hits from the back catalogue of albums, and then played their new single, which everyone went crazy for. It was awesome when everyone was singing along, and they were encouraging us all to jump around and really get into it.
Their dedication to the music and their performance is incredible, and their enthusiasm for every track radiates around the room. It was a pretty long show, and they didn’t stop dancing around once, and their vocals didn’t waver at all. 10 out of 10, for every single song.
yazhow
It is fair to say that British audiences have always found a way to listen to American punk rock bands despite them never having achieved commerciality on our shores. Blessthefall are very much one of these bands as their UK fanbase could only be described as cult due to the sheer dedication and commitment the fans demonstrate when the group announce a tour.
On their latest visit promoting the new LP 'Hollow Bodies', the band seems more well tuned than ever and step onto stage with the same level of rock unpreparedness. Although their demeanour may lead you to believe this is a jam session of sorts, the show itself is well paced and thought out as the group quickly perform some of the new material along with older cuts. The more well known tracks receive the largest reaction and the audience sing back 'What's Left of Me' in force. They wrap up an energetic show with the title track of the new album and leave the UK audience contented with both the material and the performers.
sean-ward
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