Amen (band)

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Amen
Casey Chaos.png
Casey Chaos at Big Day Out 2002
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Alternative metal,[1] hardcore punk, nu metal
Years active 1994–present
Labels Drag U La, Roadrunner, Virgin, Refuse, EatUrMusic, Columbia
Associated acts Scum
Scars on Broadway
Christian Death
The Damned (Damned Damned Damned)
Godsmack
Snot
Website www.officialcaseychaos.com
Members Casey Chaos
Duke Decter
John Fahnestock
Past members Paul Fig
Shannon Larkin
Sonny Mayo
Rich Jones
Josh Hill
Zach Hill
Blake Plonsky
Luke Johnson
Joe Letz
John King
Jinxx

Amen is a hardcore punk-influenced band[1] formed in 1994.

The band has an almost constantly rotating lineup, with founder Casey Chaos remaining as the only constant member throughout. Chaos writes all the music and lyrics, and performs all vocals and instruments (bar drums, since the album Amen) for studio recordings.

They are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and have previously been voted "Overall Best Band in the World" and "Best Live Band in the World" by readers of Metal Hammer magazine. Amen is known for their live shows and singles "Coma America", "Price of Reality" and "California's Bleeding". Casey Chaos also received a Grammy for co-writing the best Hard Rock song of the year.

Contents

History [edit]

Casey Chaos started his first band, Disorderly Conduct, as a teen. They released a vinyl Amen and the Atrocity demo, played several gigs and became fairly well known around the hardcore punks of the Eastern United States. Disorderly Conduct split up when Casey moved away from Florida at around the age of 17 or 18. Chaos had previously filled in live on bass guitar with deathrock legends Christian Death at some of the band's reunion tour shows in 1993, playing in place of original bassist James McGearty. The following year in the basement of his Los Angeles home, playing all instruments himself, Chaos released an EP under the name "Amen".

During 1995, Chaos released a full length album under the Amen name, called Slave, on Drag U La Records. The release was initially limited to 2000 copies.

Members join Chaos [edit]

Around 1994, Chaos met Paul Fig through the L.A. music scene, and they formed a partnership. In the following months and years, the band expanded including former members of the band Snot; drummer Shannon Larkin, guitarist Sonny Mayo and bassist John Fahnestock. Amen were signed to Ross Robinsons' "I AM Records" an imprint though the heavy metal label Roadrunner Records.

Following the release of their eponymous album in September 1999, the band were set to tour Europe in December. This did not happen; Chaos and the band blamed a last-minute withdrawal of funding shortly prior to departure for the failure. Following this incident, Amen and Roadrunner Records went their separate ways.

We Have Come For Your Parents [edit]

In 2000 Amen embarked on writing a new album,entitled We Have Come For Your Parents, which subsequently became the bands most successful album. The album released three singles; "The Price Of Reality", which had a controversial video to go with it,'Too Hard to Be Free' and The Waiting 18'. The music is, as always, based on 'metal based punk', while the lyrics concentrated on sociopolitical issues such as being treated badly by a/your employer ("In Your Suit"), the cold-bloodedness of popularity ("CK Killer") and religion ("Mayday"). We Have Come For Your Parents was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser.

Death Before Musick [edit]

Chaos was helped out by friend Daron Malakian, whom he had met while both Amen and Malakian's band System of a Down were touring Australia as part of the Big Day Out music festival. Amen were the first band signed to Malakian's EatUrMusic label, and became the label's only release, Death Before Musick.

SCUM [edit]

In 2004 Casey Chaos formed the punk/black metal supergroup "SCUM" featuring Faust from the band Emperor, Samoth from the band Zyklon and Happy Tom from the band Turbonegro. They released their debut album, Gospels for the Sick, in 2005 to critical acclaim. It was nominated in Norway for an Alarm Award, the equivalent to the American Grammy.

New album [edit]

At the last few shows the band played during 2005 they performed a couple of new songs. A new band lineup was recently[when?] revealed at the Angry Brigade website and plans for a tour of Europe seem to be in the works. New songs were also previewed in the 2007 shows, such as "Blood on the subway" and "Diplomatic heart attack"

2007 UK tour [edit]

The 2007 UK tour ran from October–November 2007, at venues all over the UK. The highlight of the tour was a gig at Camden Underworld, in London, for Paul Raven from Killing Joke, who died on 20 October 2007. He was one of the first to express interest in Amen. Tour support came from $peedranch, who Casey has recently[when?] recorded a new album with, under the name Grindhaller XXX.

Former member activity [edit]

Discography [edit]

Albums [edit]

Compilations and boxsets [edit]

Live [edit]

Singles [edit]

DVDs [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b "All Music Guide entry". 

External links [edit]

Amen
Studio albums
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