Amplifier are an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band originating from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. The band has released six albums and four EPs since its inception in 1999. Their music has been described as "

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, Oceansize and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

taking copious amounts of mind-altering substances and venturing on a trip through time and space (to another dimension), and back again." Their music is characterised by guitarist Sel Balamir's

effect pedals An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in el ...

, Matt Brobin's complex drumming, extended heavy sections, atmospheric compositions and philosophical lyrics. Their self-titled debut album, ''

Amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost the v ...

'', was released in 2004 by

Music for Nations Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment. Launched in 1 ...

. Their second album, '' Insider'' was released in Europe in 2006 on the SPV label. Their third album, '' The Octopus'', was released to fans in December 2010 ahead of a full release in January 2011. Their fourth album, ''Echo Street'' was released in 2013, and the fifth album, ''Mystoria'', was released in September 2014. They are often cited as one of the most underrated bands of the UK's rock scene, although they retain a strong cult following around Europe.

History

Early career and ''Amplifier'' (1998–2005)

After forming around 1998 Amplifier toured the UK and recorded a few demos and sent promo CDs to labels and the press. After being signed in May 2002 by British label Music for Nations, Amplifier were asked to support Deftones at Manchester Apollo. After the two singles "The Consultancy" (b/w "Glory Electricity") and "Neon" (b/w "Boomtime" and "Throwaway"), the band’s self-titled debut album, ''

'', was released on 6 June 2004 by

– which is a subsidiary of the larger label distributor

Zomba Records The Zomba Group of Companies (sometimes referred to as Zomba Music Group or just Zomba Group) was a music group and division owned by and operated under Sony Music Entertainment. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was place ...

– and was very well received by English media and critics. As well as the standard 10-track jewel case, the album was released as a 13-track digipak. The extra tracks were the two segues ("Drawing No 1" and "Drawing No 2") and new track "Half-Life". The label ran out of funds and was bought-out by Sony, which was not interested in working with smaller bands. After buying the rights for the album back the band went label-hunting. In 2005, they signed a deal with SPV (Germany). The debut was re-released in May 2005 with a second disc containing the three B-sides and "Half-Life" and videos for the singles "The Consultancy" and "Neon". Throughout 2005, the band toured across both the UK and Europe. The EP "

The Astronaut Dismantles HAL The Astronaut Dismantles HAL is an EP by Amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power ...

", which contains 6 songs as well as a hidden track, was released on 17 October 2005. In 2006, the band played numerous festival dates including opening the main-stage at Download Festival, UK.

''Insider ''(2006–2008)

Their second album, titled '' Insider'' includes 12 tracks, three of which were posted to the band's MySpace before the album's release. The band also recorded extra tracks to be used as future B-sides. The album was released on 29 September 2006 in Germany and Austria and 2 October in the rest of Europe on SPV in a digipak with 12-page booklet. "Procedures" was chosen as a radio single to promote the album and has been played by Zane Lowe on Radio One. No singles from the album will be released to the public. A video for "Procedures" was filmed during the band's Munich show, on the European tour. After their own UK and European tour, Amplifier were main support for

Opeth Opeth is a Swedish progressive metal/rock band from Stockholm, formed in 1990 by lead vocalist David Isberg. The group has been through several personnel changes, including the replacement of every original member; notably Isberg in 1992. Mikael ...

's European Tour. During their European tour in early 2007 they were supported by the Swiss

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band Cloudride. Before taking time to write and record their third album Amplifier were main support to Porcupine Tree on their UK tour in April 2007.

''The Octopus'' (2009–2012)

In March 2008, Amplifier confirmed that they were recording their third and fourth albums simultaneously. In January 2010, Amplifier confirmed that this had changed and that they planned to release the combined works as a double album, named '' The Octopus''. The album was released online a year later in 2011, quickly followed by a full release on 21 February 2011. It was met with generally positive acclaim in the press. After his former band Oceansize had broken up, guitarist Steve Durose joined Amplifier for their 2011 tour. In mid-2012 the band announced the departure of Neil Mahony who was replaced by Alexander "Magnum" Redhead for the band's support tour with Anathema the same year.

''Echo Street'' and ''Sunriders'' EP (2013–2014)

Their fourth album ''

Echo Street In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

'' was released in March 2013. The band stated that they recorded the album in sixty days. It is also their first effort under their new record label, Kscope and the first one to chart, peaking at number 90 on the German Albums Chart. The band began touring in mainland Europe and the UK in spring, after headlining the Pearl Festival in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern In ...

. On 20 November 2013, the '' Sunriders'' EP was released online.

''Mystoria'' and ''Residue'' EP (2014–2015)

The band moved to the

Superball Music Superball Music is a German independent record label, launched on 1 October 2007. Superball Myspace page states that Superball have attracted significant attention for bringing out Oceansize's third album '' Frames'', which was a commercial s ...

label early in 2014 and began work on their fifth album, '' Mystoria'', recording at Monnow Valley Studio in the May of that year. The album was released on 8 September 2014 in the UK and mainland Europe, and on 30 September in the USA. It is their first record to break into the Top 100 in the UK, peaking at 97, and at number 91 on the German Albums Chart. The band resumed touring by adding dates around Europe in October and the UK in November. The band released the Residue EP, which was limited to 500 copies and was sold on the tour.

''Trippin' With Dr. Faustus'' and Rockosmos (2016–present)

After the release of ''Mystoria'', the band decided to start their own independent label, Rockosmos. Besides releasing their own music on it, they signed local acts such as AWOOGA, Dead Blonde Stars or Thumpermonkey among others. In June 2017, the band's 6th studio record, ''Trippin' With Dr. Faustus'' was released in several formats. Starting December 2017, an EP of outtakes, called ''Record'' was available as a digital download. In 2018, Amplifier re-released their critically acclaimed, self-titled debut LP on the Rockosmos label as CD and 2LP, followed in April 2019 by ''The Octopus'' on 4LP. This is the first vinyl release for the latter, limited to 500 copies.

Live performances

Amplifier's live stage performance is dominated by Sel Balamir's use of many effects and loops controlled by a large board of pedals and controls, a similar (if smaller) arrangement also used by Alex Redhead for bass guitar. The combinations of effects lead to a sound much greater than the number of performers would normally be able to produce, and unusual sounds and soundscapes that would otherwise require additional musicians with different instruments, but without diminishing the 'live' feel. Amplifier have a devoted following as a live band, particularly in mainland Europe, and amongst members of the Manchester music community. Amplifier released a DVD/CD package entitled ''Live in Berlin'' in 2009, comprising the following tracks "Continuum", "Fall of the Empire", "Panzer", "Motorhead", "The Wave", "Interglacial Spell", "Interstellar", "Golden Ratio" and "Neon".

Members

;Current members *Sel Balamir –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(1999–present) *Matt Brobin –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(1999–present) *Steve Durose –

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(2011–present) *Tam Ali –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and

(2018–present) ;Former members *Neil Mahony - bass and backing vocals (1999–2012) *Alexander "Magnum" Redhead – bass and backing vocals (2012–2018)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* 2004: ''

'' (reissued in 2005) * 2006: '' Insider'' * 2011: '' The Octopus'' (including the 70-page booklet 'limited edition') * 2013: ''

'' ( GER #90) * 2014: '' Mystoria'' (GER #91, UK #97) * 2017: ''Trippin' with Dr. Faustus''

Live albums

*2009: '' Hymn Of The Aten - Eternity Show'' *2013: '' Live In Barcelona'' *2015: '' Live At The Exchange'' *2018: '' Live At Luxor''

EPs

* 1999: Untitled demo * 2005: ''

'' * 2009: '' Eternity'' * 2011: ''

Fractal In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as illu ...

'' * 2013: '' Sunriders'' * 2014: ''

Residue Residue may refer to: Chemistry and biology * An amino acid, within a peptide chain * Crop residue, materials left after agricultural processes * Pesticide residue, refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are applied ...

'' (reissued digitally in 2017) * 2015: '' Residue Part 2'' * 2017: ''

Record A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

Singles

* 2003: "The Consultancy" * 2004: "

Neon Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypton ...

" * 2005: "Everyday Combat" (radio promo only) * 2006: "Procedures" (radio promo only)

References

External links

Official siteOfficial MySpace2011 interview with Sel Balamir and Neil Mahony on Prog Sphere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amplifier English rock music groups Musical groups from Manchester Musical groups established in 1999 Superball Music artists Music for Nations artists 1999 establishments in England