The Amity Affliction’s new record Let The Ocean Take Me is probably the most anticipated metalcore release of the year, and for good reason too. These guys are awesome. Below we’ve got an interview thatThe Huffington Post conducted withAhren Stringer where he let spill that the guys are working on a DVD about the band! He also talked about the new album and talked about the great metal scene we have in Australia!
Then we found a behind-the-scenes video ofAmity’s first single Pittsburgh which gives great insight into how they made such a great video.
Check it out!
MR:Let The Ocean Take Meis The Amity Affliction’s fourth album. What are some of the biggest events that the band has been through since the beginning?
AS: Well we’ve been a band for 11 years now so quite a lot! We’ve lost members, gained members, kicked members out, toured the world, released four albums and three EP’s, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and we’ve almost died. We’ve been working on making a DVD about this for ages so stay tuned for a much more detailed answer haha.
MR: How do you feel Australian metalcore differs from the US’s?
AS: To me it seems a lot more honest, not to say that the metal scene in the US is bad, but I see so many bands in the ‘scene’ who are in it for all the wrong reasons. There are Australian bands like that also, but they don’t go anywhere, I feel like for some reason a lot of kids, particularly in the US, follow these garbage hype bands that have zero substance. It kind of bums me out, but all we can do about it is show them something meaningful and honest through our own music and hopefully they choose the right one. But yeah, I’m thankful there isn’t many of those kinds of bands in Australia, I hope it stays that way.
MR: The single “Pittsburgh” seems pretty powerful. What inspired its theme?
AS: Joel had a pretty serious seizure as a result of alcohol withdrawals. When I say pretty I mean very. He could’ve easily died if no one was around. That happened in Pittsburgh last year on Warped Tour.
MR: How did you approach this album differently than the others?
AS: No different except we now have Dan Brown writing with us as well which was the perfect fit. Dan and I are really like-minded musically and agree on almost everything so it was a total breeze to write this record with him. We both love '80s hits which shines through on a fair few tracks and we love breakdowns which sounds like an odd mix but I think it works beautifully.
MR: What advice do you have for new artists?
AS: Clich but work hard and don’t expect anything handed to you. It’s not an easy game to play so don’t let a few bumps in the road get you down. Write music and never stop writing music. And don’t start a band for the wrong reasons, it’s a pretty brutal industry, there’s very little money in it for artists unless you get Metallica big.
See the rest of the interview at The Huffington Post
