Biography
Inspired by his older brother Michael Amott's band Carcass, Christopher began studying the guitar at 14, playing in local bands, and eventually attending music college at age 18. With aggressive, fast vibrato, speedy alternate-picking, and fluid lead lines, Christopher's memorable playing style was crafted after such players as John Sykes, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, John Norum, and Michael Schenker.
While attending music school in 1996, Michael asked Christopher to record solos for his new melodic death metal project Arch Enemy. The Black Earth album was released in Japan in 1996, and was an instant hit, receiving regular airplay on Japanese MTV. The band were invited to play Japan in 1997, and it was there that Christopher secured a deal for his Armageddon side project. The project began as a melodic death metal band, similar in style to Arch Enemy, but with a more conceptual feel to the lyrics. Armageddon released their first album Crossing the Rubicon on W.A.R. records in 1997. The album featured Peter Wildoer and Martin Bengtsson, who would also go on to record Stigmata with Arch Enemy in 1998. The Stigmata album was again a success in Japan, and was the first Arch Enemy album to be released in the USA, on Century Media records.
With Arch Enemy gaining ground worldwide, Christopher would go on to release Burning Bridges and Burning Japan Live 1999, both in 1999, then take a well deserved break until the latter part of 2000, when Armageddon released their second album Embrace the Mystery on Toy's Factory records in Japan. This time featuring a "melodic" singer, and more of an overall power metal feel, the album was a drastic shift from the straight ahead melodic death metal of Crossing the Rubicon, and marked Christopher's desire to branch out of the "extreme metal" genre.
In 2001, Arch Enemy were joined by new singer Angela Gossow, and the band reached new heights in worldwide popularity with the release of Wages of Sin. After completing an exstensive world tour with Arch Enemy, Christopher returned to his Armageddon project, and released Three in 2002 on Toy's Factory records in Japan. This time featuring Christopher on lead vocals, the album was almost purley a power metal effort, focusing on the melodic singing and guitar work of Christopher.
Arch Enemy released Anthems of Rebellion in 2003, and again embarked on a world tour. In 2005, the band entered the studio to record Doomsday Machine, but immediately after the recording, Christopher left Arch Enemy. Christopher later stated that he "wasn't feeling creative musically" in Arch Enemy, and that he "just wasn't into (the band) anymore."
Christopher spent the next two years teaching music in Sweden, as well as attending a university. It is currently unknown if he will return to his Armageddon project, but he says that he still "plays guitar constantly, several hours a day", but also says that "If I do some kind of record it won't be metal" But of course he has changed his mind with that (making the new arch album). [1]
In March 2007 Christopher announced his return to Arch Enemy as a permanent member. He re-joined the band near the end of the songwriting process for the next album, which has been completed.
In 2010, Christopher released his first solo album entitled Follow Your Heart, exclusively as a digital album. He is currently writing Arch Enemy's next album, Khaos Legions
Equipment
Christopher Amott is endorsed by Caparison Guitars, Japan. His custom 'Dellinger-CA' guitar (production now discontinued, currently custom made) has two Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups in the neck and middle position, and a Caparison bridge humbucker.
Space Song
Christopher Amott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Earth was flat
Seas pouring off the edge
Ooh drifting into space
A brief caress
On the moon's face
But you know that it's not so
And they hold the Earth
In their liquid embrace
As the moon stares
On in hate
It was said that the
Sun roamed around us
Treading heavy in
It's mighty path
Ooh, the human axis
Central to our universal math
Well you know that it's not so
The stars hold their own fate
And the sun is a master
Shows mercy beyond
-Solo-
In Christopher Amott's song "Space Song", he alludes to the popular misconception that the Earth was once believed to be flat and that the seas poured off the edge. He then contrasts this with the truth that the oceans are vast and hold the Earth in their "liquid embrace". Amott also mentions the belief that the sun revolved around the Earth, with humans being central to the universe's mathematical equation. However, he once again highlights that this is not the reality as the stars hold their own destiny and the sun is merely a master that shows mercy.
Through these lyrics, Amott speaks to the idea that humans have a tendency to believe in and pass on misconceptions instead of seeking out and accepting the truth. He highlights the importance of acknowledging the vastness and complexity of the universe, and the humbling nature of realizing that humans are merely a small part of it all.
Overall, "Space Song" encourages listeners to look beyond the veil of what they've been told and to instead seek out and embrace the truth.
Line by Line Meaning
They told you that
The people of the past believe in a falsehood
The Earth was flat
They believe that the shape of the Earth was not spherical
Seas pouring off the edge
They think that the ocean falls off the edge of the Earth's disc shape
Ooh drifting into space
The oceans don't drain off the edge because they are held by gravity and vast enough to embrace the planet
A brief caress
A humanity's moment to step on the moon
On the moon's face
A place outside Earth where humanity has set foot
But you know that it's not so
The current generation knows better that what their ancestors believe is not true
The oceans are vast
The Earth's largest bodies of water are huge and boundless
And they hold the Earth
The Earth's gravity attract the oceans and never let them drift away
In their liquid embrace
The oceans wrap around the Earth like a hug
As the moon stares
The moon watches over the Earth at night
On in hate
The moon doesn't actually hate the Earth because it is just a celestial body with no emotions or motivations
It was said that the
People in the past believed in another falsehood
Sun roamed around us
The sun was thought to orbit Earth
Treading heavy in
The sun's movements were believed to have a great weight and impact on Earth
It's mighty path
The trajectory of the sun was thought to be powerful and capable of shaping the universe
Ooh, the human axis
Humanity considered itself the center of everything
Central to our universal math
People believed that everything revolved around them
Well you know that it's not so
Modern people understand that the sun is not in motion around Earth, and humanity is not the center of everything
The stars hold their own fate
The stars and other celestial bodies follow their own path and are not reliant on Earth for their movements
And the sun is a master
The sun has a great influence on Earth and the solar system but not as much as the people in the past believed
Shows mercy beyond
Despite its size and power, the sun can be forgiving and gentle
Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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