AMEN - Death BeforeMusick

Thu 3rd Jun, 2004 in Music Reviews

Step aside bands like Blink 182 and Sum 41 because here comes AMEN. Casey Chaos – vocals; Rich Jones and Matt Montgomery – guitar; Scott S. Sorry – bass; and Luke Johnson – drums, are all the guys who make AMEN.

The traditional form of punk rock is solidifying its way back into our CD players and is being perpetuated dominantly through releases such as AMEN’s new album, Death Before Musick.

A style made infamous by the Sex Pistols, British punk rock has been rejuvenated in recent times by AMEN who have incorporated with this a tinge of metal, making it uniquely a sound of their own.

When System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian met AMEN’s frontman Casey Chaos, at Australia’s 2002 Big Day Out festival, the two instantly connected through their mutual love of punk rock, black metal and Iggy Pop. Shortly after Malakian declared, “I see Casey as a visionary, someone who really goes up there and gives 100% of his physical being and self.”

After forming in 1994 and having two previous albums under their belt, AMEN experienced a string of misfortunes and missed opportunities that forced Chaos into a period of frustration and betrayal, which he documented and developed into the songs that piece, Death Before Musick.

The rather inspiring album can be best described as a heavily distorted, raw, punk, metal record containing a rebellious political stance, which all come as no surprise seeming all songs were written, recorded and produced by Chaos himself.

The lyrical content of the songs on, Death Before Musick, are very emotionally and politically motivated and because of this the songs contain intensified meanings that can really hit home hard in the real world. According to Chaos, “In my opinion it’s the most impactful record we’ve made. There’s metal moments, there’s punk moments….. a lot of attitude, honesty and passion.”

From the initial track Liberation For…, you are sent on a journey full of angst and adversity highlighting the numerous ups and downs that Chaos has experienced in his own life as well as how he sees the rest of the world in theirs. Standout songs include the powerful plea of Please Kill Me, the disappointment of a materialized world with Money Infection, along with the hard-core hook of California’s Bleeding, which was one track that I found hard to get out of my head, with no intention of really wanting to.

The only downside to this album in part would be the quality of the recording. While it is not a huge factor, at times the vocals of Chaos are drowned out in the music. To a certain extent it creates a raw effect which any good punk album should be encouraged to have, but it does get a bit much and a little frustrating when you can not make out what Chaos is saying. Though like I have already said this should not be considered as a deterrent but more an acknowledgement.

Death Before Musick is definitely a promise that we can expect a lot from AMEN in the future, so long as they stay together as a band. Casey Chaos has hit all the right chords lyrically and has supported this with punk/metal sounds that will ring in your head for days. The UK has already embraced AMEN’s abrasive punk/metal genius and overall I found the album to be very satisfying and definitely one I recommend you checkout for yourselves.

Amen