Louder Than Life Artist Feature: The Amity Affliction

Written by Robin Ervolina
There’s no greater joy, as a music lover, than to click “play” on a song from a band you know nothing about, only to have them sync with your soul indelibly. It’s called “discovering” and that’s what happened the second I listened to The Amity Affliction. This melodic metal outfit presents a musical pandemonium reminiscent of Dance Gavin Dance, with perfectly enunciated dirty vocals (Joel Birch) and soaring, appealing, siren-esque clean vocals (Ahren Stringer). The lyrics are honest, never trite, and the depth of the message is supported in earnest with solid musicianship. There is an expression about beauty in chaos, and it’s exemplified in the mood and method of The Amity Affliction.
The Amity Affliction was born in Australia in 2003 while founding member Stringer and former lead guitarist/backing vocalist Troy Brady were just wee high schoolers. The name is an homage to a friend who died tragically at the age of 17. “Amity” honors the friendship, and “Affliction” points to the turmoil of living in the aftermath of the unthinkable. When a band starts out that personal, you can bet they stay that way, and in the decades to follow, The Amity Affliction has continued to write and sing songs that deal with their real-life struggles. They are as relatable as they are talented.
We all have that sound we gravitate to, but I’m asking you to put your preconceived notions aside; as music lovers it shouldn’t be about what is, or isn’t, metal but rather what is or isn’t good. The Amity Affliction is good. It’s incredibly fucking good, and you should make a point to catch them live at Louder Than Life because any act that delivers their message with this much passion will leave you, I’m certain, breathless.
To hold you over I leave you with this ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKupTHkz4d4
This ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCXyN09DT9o
And this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NOqg9pK4R8
Catch up with The Amity Affliction here, here, and here.

And most importantly, catch their haunting, soul-piercing, life-changing (okay, that may be a little bit much ... or IS it?) performance LIVE at Louder Than Life.