The Amity Affliction

About The Amity Affliction

The Amity Affliction came together in Gympie, Queensland in 2003, named after a close friend of the band who went missing. That kind of heavy personal backstory would set the tone for basically everything they've done since. The core lineup eventually solidified around vocalist Joel Birch and bassist/clean vocalist Ahren Stringer, and they spent their early years grinding through the Australian metalcore scene when it was still something of a niche thing.

Their first proper album, Severed Ties, dropped in 2008 and got them noticed locally, but it was 2010's Youngbloods that actually broke through. The album hit number 6 on the Australian charts, which is genuinely impressive for a metalcore band anywhere, let alone Australia. Songs like "Youngbloods" and "I Hate Hartley" showed they could balance Birch's harsh vocals with Stringer's melodic hooks without falling into the predictable verse-chorus metalcore template that was everywhere at the time.

They kept that momentum going with Chasing Ghosts in 2012, which went to number 1 in Australia. That's when people outside Australia started paying attention. The album dealt heavily with depression, suicide, and mental health struggles, topics Birch has been openly vocal about throughout his career. Let The Ocean Take Me followed in 2014 and did the same chart thing, making them one of the few heavy bands that could reliably debut at the top in their home country.

This Could Be Heartbreak in 2016 and Misery in 2018 continued their streak, though by this point some longtime fans were debating whether the formula was getting a bit too polished. The band had shifted more toward anthemic choruses and away from some of the rawer edges of their earlier work. Not necessarily worse, just different, and you know how that conversation goes with metalcore fans.

In 2020, guitarist and founding member Troy Brady left the band, which felt like a significant shift given he'd been there since the beginning. They pushed forward as a four-piece and released Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them in 2020, which leaned even further into the emotional, almost post-hardcore side of their sound.

They've spent the last few years touring consistently and putting out Not Without My Ghosts in 2023, proving they're not going anywhere. Birch has been candid about his ongoing mental health struggles and periods of suicidal ideation, making the band's continued existence feel less like a given and more like an active choice. They remain huge in Australia and have a dedicated following internationally, even if they've never quite broken into the mainstream consciousness the way some of their peers have. They're still doing the thing, still writing songs about feeling terrible, still filling rooms with people who relate.

Their shows are physically intense pit environments where people come to purge. Crowds are engaged but not ironic about it. Joel Birch's vocals hit with genuine conviction, and the band plays with the kind of tightness that justifies all those years of touring. Expect sweaty, cathartic energy rather than showmanship.

Known for Severed Ties, Misery, Chasing Ghosts, All Fucked Up, Pittsburgh

See The Amity Affliction Live