Amen is an American punk/metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1994. The band was founded by frontman and singer
Casey Chaos
Karim Chmielinski (born October 9, 1969), known professionally as Casey Chaos, is an American singer and songwriter. His music has encompassed a number of styles, including hardcore punk, death rock, and metal. He is the frontman of the metal ba ...
and combines elements of
punk rock,
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
, and
heavy metal. Amen has released four studio albums, one live album, and the songs "Coma America", "The Price of Reality", and "California's Bleeding". The band saw continuous changes in membership, with Casey Chaos remaining the sole original member.
History
Formation and debut (1994)
Amen was formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, after the disbanding of its frontman and singer Casey Chaos's previous band, Disorderly Conduct. The name "Amen" is a reference to the title of Disorderly Conduct's 1986 album of the same name.
The band's first album, ''Slave'', was written and performed almost entirely by Chaos himself, with Greg Barrybauer performing guitars and keyboards on a few tracks. ''Slave'' was recorded at Sandbox & Marquee West and mixed at Convent Studio in Los Angeles, California, and was limited to a run of only 2000 copies.
This led to lead singer Chaos being introduced to producer
Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.
...
, and the two collaborated and soon secured a deal with
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
.
''Amen'' and major label debut (1994–1999)
After being signed to Roadrunner Records and working with producer Ross Robinson, Chaos went on to write the songs for Amen's major-label debut, the self-titled album ''
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...
''. For the album, the band expanded to include one-time
Ugly Kid Joe
Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, formed in 1989. The band's name spoofs the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd's name.
To date, Ugly Kid Joe have released five full-length albums, two compilation albums a ...
drummer
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
, bassist
John Fahnestock
Lo-Pro is an American rock band formed in 2002 by Pete Murray and Neil Godfrey after the disbandment of their previous band, Ultraspank, in 2001. After attracting the attention of Aaron Lewis of Staind, the band signed to a major record lab ...
, a.k.a. Tumor, and guitarists Paul Fig and
Sonny Mayo
Sonny Mayo (born July 16, 1971) is an American guitarist.
Career
Mayo began playing in a thrash metal band called Silence in the late 1980s. Silence (John Mayes, Benjamin Gaither, Louie Denslow, Jason Robinson and Sonny), regularly sold out ...
. On September 21, 1999, ''Amen'' was the band's major label debut. However, the band parted ways at the end of that same year due to lack of support; this resulted in their tour schedule being shortened, including the cancellation of a whole tour of Europe.
The EP ''Coma America'' was released in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
the same year. In December 1999, ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' magazine named it its Single of the Week, and called it "without a doubt the Album of the Decade."
''We Have Come for Your Parents'' and departure from Virgin (2000–2003)
By 2000, Amen was signed to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
to record their third album. Retaining the same lineup as the previous album, in May 2000 the band recorded their follow-up album at
Sound City in Los Angeles, California. ''
We Have Come for Your Parents'' was released on October 31, 2000. The name was a reference to
The Dead Boys
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. ...
album ''
We Have Come for Your Children''.
The album became a quick success in the UK, landing them at Number 77 on the UK charts in November 2000. Two singles became hits for Amen in the UK; "Too Hard to Be Free" went to Number 72, and "The Waiting 18" reached Number 61.
The song "The Price of Reality" was released as a single before the album's release. A promotional video was created for the song that featured the same iconic styling and art direction as the album cover and artwork used by Amen during this time. In 2002, it was included on the ''Streetwise'' DVDs at
FYE and was named ''
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...
'' magazine's Video of the Year.
The success of the album would spawn years of touring in support of the album, including a 2002 re-release of the album in Australia for
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
, before which Paul Fig left the band and
Rich Jones joined on guitar.
By 2002, ''We Have Come for your Parents'' was voted the second best album of the year by ''
Rock Sound
''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...
'' magazine and fourth best album of the year by ''Kerrang!''. The band had also spent several months towards the end of 2001 recording their fourth album, again with producer Ross Robinson. However, Virgin Records ultimately shelved the album due to it not being "a commercial enough proposition to pursue". The band was eventually released from their contract in March 2002, but was not allowed to take the recorded material with them unless they paid $200,000 recording costs of the album, which they did not pay back due to financial struggles caused by the album's delay. In spite of fans campaigning for the release of the album, it remained unreleased. Chaos stated that the band's financial struggles during this time almost resulted in the end of the band.
During this time, Amen released ''
Join, or Die
''Join, or Die.'' is a political cartoon showing the disunity in the American colonies. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the original publication by '' The Pennsylvania Gazette'' on May 9, 1754, is the earliest known pictorial representation of ...
'', a collection of
b-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
and rare songs recorded by the band. The album was released through Chaos's new label, Refuse Music, and was initially limited to only 2000 copies, the first 1000 signed in Chaos's own blood. The album was sold by Amen during their 2003 tour in the United Kingdom. During this time, guitarist Sonny Mayo and bassist John Fahnestock left the band.
''Death Before Musick'' and ''Gun of a Preacher Man'' (2003–2007)
In 2003, Chaos worked with
Daron Malakian
Daron Malakian (born July 18, 1975) is an Armenian-American musician. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and second vocalist of metal band System of a Down, and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwrit ...
of
System of a Down
System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...
on a demo tape for his project
Scars on Broadway
Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway (previously known as just Scars on Broadway) is an American rock band founded by Daron Malakian of the metal band System of a Down. The band's self-titled debut album was released in July 2008.
In late 200 ...
. When Malakian started his own record label EatUrMusic, an imprint of
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, Amen became the first band he signed. The band added bassist
Scott Sorry
Scott Sorry (born Gerard Scott; October 30, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American singer songwriter. Prior to being a solo artist Scott played with The Wildhearts, Sorry and the Sinatras, Amen and briefly Brides of Destruction.
Bi ...
, guitarist Matt Montgomery (
Piggy D.) and drummer
Luke Johnson, who would in turn record the band's next album, their fourth release, ''
Death Before Musick'', which was released on April 13, 2004.
The lead single, "California's Bleeding", would become Amen's highest-ranking track, reaching Number 52 on the UK charts and staying there for two weeks in April 2004. A promotional video was made featuring the band slowly getting more and more bloodied, with a second version of the video showing less blood.
During this time,
Rich Jones left the band, and
Acey Slade
Emil John Schmidt IV (born December 15, 1974), known professionally as Acey Slade, is an American musician, perhaps best known as the bassist of the alternative metal band Dope and the former guitarist of the horror punk and glam metal act Mu ...
joined.
The February 1, 2003, show, recorded at Manchester Academy, was released by Amen in 2004, for their first live video, ''Caught in the Act'', on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
. On August 2, 2005, the same show was released on CD by Snapper Records under the title ''
Gun of a Preacher Man''.
In 2005, Casey Chaos released ''Pisstory: A Catalogue of Accidents, a Lifetime of Mistakes'' through his label, Refuse Music, which included a number of previously unreleased Amen songs. Also in this year, the band toured the UK, with a lineup including
Jinxx
Jeremy Miles Ferguson, (born January 7, 1981) better known by the stage name Jinxx, is an American musician best known as guitarist, violinist, cellist, pianist, songwriter, and composer of American rock band Black Veil Brides.
History
Jinxx ...
,
Joe Letz
Joe Letz is an American drummer and DJ best known as the former drummer for the electro-industrial band Combichrist. Letz has also drummed for Amen, Mortiis, horror punk band Wednesday 13, Genitorturers, Hanzel und Gretyl, Imperative Reaction ...
, John King and Nate Manor.
In 2007, Amen appeared on Season 2, Episode 14 of ''
The Henry Rollins Show
''The Henry Rollins Show'' was a weekly talk show hosted by musician Henry Rollins on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). The show featured Rollins' monologues, interviews with celebrities and uncensored musical performances. The show was cancele ...
'', where they performed their first single, "Coma America" (renamed "Coma Amerikkka" for this performance), in front of an
Iraqi flag
The flag of Iraq ( ar, علم العراق Kurdish languages: الله اكبر) includes the three equal horizontal red, white, and black stripes of the Pan-Arab colors, Arab Liberation flag, with the phrase "Allahu Akbar, God is the greatest" ...
. The lineup at this point welcomed back John Fahnestock,
Duke Decter
Duke Decter is an American entertainment producer, former 1980s American hardcore punk guitarist and current producer of the ''No Uncertain Terms'' podcast for the non-profit organization U.S. Term Limits.
Early career
Decter started his career ...
and new member Chris Alaniz, while still including John King. Soon after the performance, the band toured the UK. This became their most recent tour.
That same year, Chaos was voted Number 53 among the "All-Time Top 100 Underground Stars" in a 2007 issue of ''
Hit Parader
''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 1980s ...
''.
Return and upcoming fifth studio album (2014–present)
After being inactive for several years, Amen announced on February 26, 2014, that they would be playing the UK event
Alt-Fest on August 16, 2014. The festival was canceled, but the band reunited on October 25, 2014, at
Knotfest
Knotfest is a music festival created in 2012 by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The event has been held both as a touring festival and a destination festival in several countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Mexico, C ...
. There, they were accompanied by
Stone Sour drummer
Roy Mayorga
Roy Mayorga (born April 6, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of heavy metal bands Hellyeah and Stone Sour and is currently the drummer for the industrial metal band Ministry.
Early life
Mayorga was born in Forest Hi ...
and debuted a new song. This was one of several new songs recorded by
Ross Robinson
Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.
...
with Amen and
Slayer drummer
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He is currently playing drums with Testament, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungl ...
for an upcoming fourth Amen album release.
In an August 2014 interview with the UK's ''
Rock-A-Rolla
''Rock-A-Rolla'' was a music magazine covering experimental, avant-garde, noise and metal artists pushing the boundaries of music. Launched in late 2005, it was published bi-monthly in the UK by V-Squared Publishing Limited and distributed worl ...
'' magazine, Lombardo stated that he didn't join Amen as a full-time member: "Actually, that is not all true, I simply helped the singer of Amen with his new album. He's a good friend."
As of May 2015, Amen was currently nearing completion of their next studio album, which was due in late 2015, but was not released. The new release date is presently not known. This will be the longest ever gap between studio releases by the band, with their next album being their first in over 18 years since 2004's ''Death Before Musick''.
Band members
Current members
*
Casey Chaos
Karim Chmielinski (born October 9, 1969), known professionally as Casey Chaos, is an American singer and songwriter. His music has encompassed a number of styles, including hardcore punk, death rock, and metal. He is the frontman of the metal ba ...
− vocals (1994–2009, 2014–present)
*John Fahnestock – bass (1999–2003, 2007–2009, 2014–present)
*John King – guitars (2005–2009, 2014–present)
Former members
*
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
– drums (1998–2002)
*
Sonny Mayo
Sonny Mayo (born July 16, 1971) is an American guitarist.
Career
Mayo began playing in a thrash metal band called Silence in the late 1980s. Silence (John Mayes, Benjamin Gaither, Louie Denslow, Jason Robinson and Sonny), regularly sold out ...
– guitars (1998–2002)
*Paul Fig – guitars (1999–2001)
*
Rich Jones – guitars (2001–2004)
*
Piggy D. – guitars, bass (2003–2004)
*
Joe Letz
Joe Letz is an American drummer and DJ best known as the former drummer for the electro-industrial band Combichrist. Letz has also drummed for Amen, Mortiis, horror punk band Wednesday 13, Genitorturers, Hanzel und Gretyl, Imperative Reaction ...
– drums (2005)
*
Acey Slade
Emil John Schmidt IV (born December 15, 1974), known professionally as Acey Slade, is an American musician, perhaps best known as the bassist of the alternative metal band Dope and the former guitarist of the horror punk and glam metal act Mu ...
– guitars (2004)
*
Scott Sorry
Scott Sorry (born Gerard Scott; October 30, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American singer songwriter. Prior to being a solo artist Scott played with The Wildhearts, Sorry and the Sinatras, Amen and briefly Brides of Destruction.
Bi ...
– bass (2003–2004)
*Blake Plonsky – drums (2003)
*
Zach Hill
Zachary Charles Hill (born December 28, 1979) is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. He is best known as the drummer and co-producer of the groups Death Grips and the I.L.Y's, and as the drummer of math rock band Hella.
Art
In ...
– drums (2001)
*Josh Hill - guitars (2001)
*Luke Johnson – drums (2003–2005)
*
Jinxx
Jeremy Miles Ferguson, (born January 7, 1981) better known by the stage name Jinxx, is an American musician best known as guitarist, violinist, cellist, pianist, songwriter, and composer of American rock band Black Veil Brides.
History
Jinxx ...
– guitars (2005)
*Chris Alaniz – drums (2007)
*Nate Manor – bass (2005)
*
Duke Decter
Duke Decter is an American entertainment producer, former 1980s American hardcore punk guitarist and current producer of the ''No Uncertain Terms'' podcast for the non-profit organization U.S. Term Limits.
Early career
Decter started his career ...
– guitars (2005–2009, 2014)
Live members
*
Roy Mayorga
Roy Mayorga (born April 6, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of heavy metal bands Hellyeah and Stone Sour and is currently the drummer for the industrial metal band Ministry.
Early life
Mayorga was born in Forest Hi ...
– drums (2014–2015)
Session members
*Greg Barrybauer – guitars (1995)
*
Shannon Larkin
James Shannon Larkin (born April 24, 1967) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of Rock music, rock band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002. Prior to Godsmack, he was a member of Amen (American ba ...
- drums (1999-2008)
*
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He is currently playing drums with Testament, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungl ...
– drums (2014)
*
Roy Mayorga
Roy Mayorga (born April 6, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of heavy metal bands Hellyeah and Stone Sour and is currently the drummer for the industrial metal band Ministry.
Early life
Mayorga was born in Forest Hi ...
– drums (2008-2015)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Slave'' (1994)
* ''
Amen
Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...
'' (1999)
* ''
We Have Come for Your Parents'' (2000)
* ''
Death Before Musick'' (2004)
References
External links
*
Casey Chaos' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amen
1994 establishments in California
American alternative metal musical groups
Hardcore punk groups from California
Musical groups established in 1994
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Nu metal musical groups from California
Sony Music Publishing artists
Virgin Records artists