It seemingly took The Amity Affliction years to get their music together, releasing a demo in 2003 and a self-titled EP in 2004, but from the moment they released their High Hopes EP in 2007, the touring rampage began. In no time, The Amity Affliction was a household name amongst the hardcore community of Australia. Their mixture of metallic riffage, rock swagger and sing/scream vocal attacks made its mark on all who got in their way.
But it’s not just their music that people have taken notice of – Amity (as they are affectionately known) have an attitude and aura about their music and actions that has helped propel them even faster to the forefront of the scene. Fans come to their shows expecting flat out fun and excitement – the members always committing to making the party after the show as intense as the performance itself. The sing-along chants don’t end when the band gets off stage, and fans don’t leave after they play. With members involved in putting on punk rock clubs, music magazines, graffiti magazines, graphic design companies and online blogs that are well known throughout the country, Amity and it’s members are well ingrained into the culture and ethic of Australian hardcore culture.
‘Severed Ties’ was recorded in July and August of 2008, a grueling cross-country marathon of a record, recorded in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane to get the best results. With guest vocals from JJ Peters (Deez Nuts, I Killed the Prom Queen), Michael Crafter (I Killed the Prom Queen, Carpathian, Confession), Matthew Wright (The Getaway Plan) and Helmet (The Daylight Curse), and production with Adelaide’s Darren Thompson, the 11 track full length was released in October 2008.
Severed Ties debuted at #26 on the Australian Charts and solidified The Amity Affliction as one of the most popular "heavy" bands in Australia. Triple J's national radio show "Short Fast Loud" had Severed Ties as #2 on their best albums of 2008, and popular punk site "KillYourStereo.com" listed it as #1.
In mid 2010 the band released their sophmore record 'Youngbloods'. The album debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts and has since gained significant recognition with the album constantly being voted #1 for 2010 by the public and recognized magazines alike, beating out Parkway Drive's 'Deep Blue' on many occasions. The album saw Amity's popularity sky rocket as the band has since done a sold-out national tour, tour the UK,US and Europe as well as playing the Soundwave Festival. The band is set to go on their largest tour to date with the Destroy Music Tour during May.
In October, The Amity Affliction set out on a new Australian tour with support from Asking Alexandria and Skyway! the "Fuck the Reaper" tour sold out in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. starting 2012 off with a bang, The Amity Affliction toured the 2012 Big Day Out, with fellow label mates and good friends The Getaway Plan, before touring America alongside Asking Alexandria, Trivium and may others on the "Still Reckless Tour"
On 8 February 2012 it was announced that The Amity Affliction had been signed to Roadrunner Records for their next album and future. On 7 May 2012, the band headed over to Orlando, Florida to start recording their third album with producer Michael Baskette. On 7 June 2012 it was announced the band's 3rd album would be titled Chasing Ghosts and was set to be released on 7 September 2012 in Australia, 17 September for the UK, and 18 September for the US.
It was revealed in a news article and magazine cover posted on 13/14 August that guitarist Imran Siddiqi would no longer be a part of the band. Furthermore, Siddiqi then did not appear in the video clip for the single "Chasing Ghosts" released on 15 August. A fill in guitarist played their album tour and U.S tour in late 2012.
After the release of Chasing Ghosts, the band had an Australian nationwide tour in September–October promoting their new album with supporting acts The Ghost Inside, Architects and Buried In Verona. Amity appeared on Soundwave in 2013 in February–March and also Warped Tour Australia at the end of the year.
It was announced by Joel Birch on 24 March 2013 that Dan Brown was the new guitarist, although he did not appear on the "Open Letter" music video.
In 2013 The Amity Affliction was part of Warped Tour in the United States with Chad Hasty (Glass Cloud) on drums and percussion due to Ryan Burt severely damaging his cornea during a set in Portland, Oregon. Later in the tour vocalist Joel Birch was also hospitalized due to unspecified illness, forcing the band to cancel their set in Pittsburgh. The band's next show in Cleveland was played due to the help of Sam Carter (Architects), Jason Aalon Butler (Letlive.) and Chris Roetter (Like Moths To Flames) sharing the stage as replacement vocals for Joel. All shows after this were played with Joel back on vocals after his recovery.
Late in 2013 the band went on to play the "Brothers In Arms" tour across Europe and Australia with support acts Landscapes and In Hearts Wake for the European portion and Chelsea Grin, Stick To Your Guns and In Hearts Wake for the Australian segment. In late 2013, the band released a demo of the song "Cave In". The single was speculated to be featured on the upcoming album. However, this was proved false when the band announced the track list for their upcoming fourth studio album. The first single from the bands forthcoming album titled "Pittsburgh" was released on 14 April. The second single "Don't Lean On Me" was released on 15 May. The album itself, titled Let the Ocean Take Me, was released on 6 June in Australia, 9 June in the UK, and 10 June in the U.S. it debuted at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA albums chart, becoming the band's second consecutive No. 1.
On 11 October, lead guitarist Troy Brady announced that he had decided to leave the band, making Ahren Stringer the only original member left in the band.
On 18 May 2015, The Amity Affliction released a trailer for their upcoming documentary film titled Seems Like Forever on YouTube. The video description contains links to pre-order the film, released on 10 July 2015 as a stand-alone DVD or a deluxe two-disc edition CD version of Let the Ocean Take Me, including two unreleased tracks, "Skeletons" (featured in the trailer) and "Farewell".
On 18 May 2016, The Amity Affliction posted a video to their Facebook page announcing their fifth studio album, This Could Be Heartbreak. It was also announced that the album would be released on 12 August and the band also released the music video for the first single, "I Bring the Weather with Me". The song also features clean vocals from Joel Birch. . On 10 July the band released their second single for the album, the title track "This Could Be Heartbreak" along with a music video. On 9 August, the band released a lyric video for the song "All Fucked Up" on YouTube. The band was also featured on the Fearless compilation Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7, covering The Weeknd's hit song "Can't Feel My Face". A music video for the cover was released on 22 June 2017. The Amity Affliction officially announced that Ryan Burt departed from the band due to mental health concerns on February 5, 2018.
On 20 June 2018, The Amity Affliction released the first single, "Ivy (Doomsday)", from their upcoming sixth studio album, Misery. The band announced that the album will be released on 24 August through Roadrunner Records. The band released an official video along with the release of "Ivy (Doomsday)". The band released the song "Feels Like I'm Dying" as a second part to the "Ivy (Doomsday)" video. The official track listing was eventually revealed on the band's website. It is their 4th album in a row to hit #1 on the Aria Albums Chart.
Two years later the band returned with Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them, their first studio LP with new drummer Joe Longobardi.
Discography:
Early Demos (2004) (EP)
The Amity Affliction (2005) (EP)
High Hopes (2007) (EP)
Severed Ties (2008)
Youngbloods (2010)
Glory Days (2010) (Compilation Album)
Chasing Ghosts (2012)
Let The Ocean Take Me (2014)
This Could Be Heartbreak (2016)
Misery (2018)
Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them (2020)
Somewhere Beyond The Blue (2021) (EP)
Not Without My Ghosts (2023)
Members:
Joel Birch - Unclean Vocals (2004-present)
Ahren Stringer - Clean Vocals/Bass (2003-present)
Dan Brown - Rhythm, later lead guitar (2013-present)
Joe Longobardi - Drums (2018-present)
Troy Brady - Lead Guitar (2003-2009, 2011-2014)
Clint Owen Ellis - Lead Guitar (2009-2011)
Trad Nathan - Keyboards (2006-2011)
Ryan Burt - Drums (2008-2018)
Troels Thomasen - Drums (2005-2008)
Nightmare
The Amity Affliction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One that eats away your soul?
Does it leave you feeling empty,
Does it leave you feeling cold?
So you're living in a nightmare
Well I'm living in one too
But I'm trying to prevent the storm
From bearing down on you
There are rats on every corner
There are serpents in the street
You know hell is coming for you
Now there's demons at your feet
When it all comes crashing down
And you don't know where to go
Yeah you think the world is ending?
That's a feeling that I know
Don't be so quick to shut me out
I know it's hard to face the day
But we can make it out together
Feel your nightmare slip away
Are you living in a nightmare,
One that eats away your soul?
Does it leave you feeling empty,
Does it leave you feeling cold?
So you're living in a nightmare
Well I'm living in one too
But I'm trying to prevent the storm
From bearing down on you
I swear the storms are building faster
Swear the walls are caving in
But every time we start to falter
I know we can look within
When it all comes crashing down
And you don't know where to go
Yeah you think the world is ending?
But I swear you're not alone
Don't be so quick to shut me out
I know it's hard to face the day
But we can make it out together
Feel your nightmares slip away
Are you living in a nightmare,
One that eats away your soul?
Does it leave you feeling empty,
Does it leave you feeling cold?
So you're living in a nightmare
Well I'm living in one too
But I'm trying to prevent the storm
From bearing down on you
You know love still fills your lungs
We breathe the same air
Love still fills your lungs
You know love still fills your lungs
We breathe the same air
And you are far too fucking young
To let the weight of the world destroy you
So one more night, breathe for me
I know the deep blue's stretched between us
But you are never too far from me
Are you living in a nightmare,
Does it leave you feeling empty,
Does it leave you feeling cold?
So you're living in a nightmare
Well I'm living in one too
But I'm trying to prevent the storm
From bearing down on you
Are you living in a nightmare?
Are you living in a nightmare?
The lyrics of "Nightmare" by The Amity Affliction speak about the struggle of living in a constant state of fear and anxiety, feeling like there are dangers lurking around every corner. The singer tries to connect with someone who may be going through a similar nightmare and prevent them from feeling alone, while also acknowledging that they themselves are also fighting a similar battle. The imagery of rats, serpents and demons evokes a sense of impending doom and builds up to the idea that the world is ending. However, the singer provides a glimmer of hope in the chorus, reminding us that we are not alone and the storm can be prevented from bearing down on us if we face it together.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you living in a nightmare,
Do you feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of pain and suffering?
One that eats away your soul?
Does it consume your very being and leave you feeling empty inside?
Does it leave you feeling empty,
Do the nightmares leave you feeling hollow?
Does it leave you feeling cold?
Does it make you feel isolated and alone?
So you're living in a nightmare
You too are trapped in your own personal hell
Well I'm living in one too
The same is true for me as well
But I'm trying to prevent the storm
I'll do my best to keep the darkness at bay
From bearing down on you
So that you don't have to face it alone
There are rats on every corner
Trouble lurks around every turn
There are serpents in the street
Danger is everywhere, waiting to strike
You know hell is coming for you
The worst is yet to come, and you can feel it
Now there's demons at your feet
Evil is right in front of you, threatening to drag you down
When it all comes crashing down
When everything falls apart
And you don't know where to go
When you feel lost and alone
Yeah you think the world is ending?
Do you feel like everything is falling apart?
That's a feeling that I know
I understand what you're going through
Don't be so quick to shut me out
Don't push me away without giving me a chance
I know it's hard to face the day
I know how difficult things can be
But we can make it out together
We can help each other through this
Feel your nightmare slip away
You can overcome the nightmares and the pain
I swear the storms are building faster
The troubles are growing stronger every day
Swear the walls are caving in
You feel like everything is closing in on you
But every time we start to falter
Even when we feel like giving up
I know we can look within
We can find the strength to keep going
But I swear you're not alone
You have someone who cares and will be there for you
You know love still fills your lungs
There is still love and hope in your heart
We breathe the same air
We are all in this together
And you are far too fucking young
You have so much life ahead of you
To let the weight of the world destroy you
Don't let the problems of the world overwhelm you
So one more night, breathe for me
Take a deep breath and keep holding on
I know the deep blue's stretched between us
Even though we may be far apart
But you are never too far from me
You are always in my heart and thoughts
Are you living in a nightmare?
Is life a constant struggle for you?
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: . DURHAM, . LEA, TONY BROWN, . MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind