Search - Amen :: Death Before Musick

5/5 All The Way

Mono-Grind | Here | 04/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album "Death Before Musick", is almost as great as their debut and i think in some ways it betters "We've Come For Your Parents". Amen have been around for about 11 years now, and they still haven't changed their attitude. Their attitude being one of hostility, with hate-filled lyrics and Casey Chaos giving his all in every song and every Live performance. Amen are a band that deserve praise and respect, and yet don't seem to really get it. Some people think they sound the same as every other "Punk/Rock/Metal" band out there..but it's not true. I can think of no band that sound like Amen, or another band who has the same kind of energy and attitude about them.



This album is alot more "Punkier" than their other albums i think, yet still maintains the heaviness that they've always had. The band line-up has changed on this album, and i heard rumours that this album at one stage, wasn't going to be made and that Amen were to break up. Fortunately they didn't, and this album was made and Casey Chaos found 4 other (Pretty much unheardof..) musicians to fill the vacancies left by the previous band members. Now the line-up is Casey Chaos (Vocals), Luke Johnson (Drums), Scott S. Sorry (Bass), Matt Montgomery (Guitars) and Rich Jones..who was used to be in a band called "The Black Halos"..on Guitars also. For any fans who thought Amen would never be the same again after the previous members had left, be prepared for the new Amen. This Amen, i won't say is 'better', but they do sound alot 'newer' in many ways. And alot more 'Punk'.



The songs on this album are definitely full of angst, and has enough adrenaline flowing in and out of every song to make each song on this CD stand out and grab your attention fully. If you know Amen, and have got their previous 2 albums, then you know pretty much what to expect. Songs such as "Liberation For...", "Hello (One Chord Lovers)", "California's Bleeding", "The Abolishment of Luxury", "Money Infection", "Westwood Fallout", "Oblivion Stereo", "Please Kill Me", "Neutron Liars", "F*ck in L.A" and the awesome 4 minute finisher "The Summer of Guns", have such an energy about them that you really just can't be disappointed with this album.



Songs like "Oblivion Stereo", "The Abolishment of Luxury", "EXTERMINATE!", "We Got The Bait", "Sorry, Not Sorry", "Bring Me The Heads" and "F*ck in L.A", all have the 'Punk'-type feel to them. Casey Chaos was influenced by 70's and 80's Punk-Rock and Metal bands like, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop and Black Flag..And even notes Black Metal as an influence. And all but the Black Metal influence shows on those particular songs. This whole album has a sort of 'Metal'/'Punk', attitude-driven energy about it.



The final song "The Summer of Guns" is one of the greatest Amen songs ever, in my opinion. It's definitely one of my favourites, and ends this excellent album perfectly. Amen tend to have a really good, and powerful, song at the end, and it works as it leaves it on a high note. "The Summer of Guns" definitely does that.



Amen are a truly great Punk/Metal band that, if you're into that sort of music especially, you really need to check out if you haven't already. They've taken their influences and developed a different sound and attitude, that really isn't like any other band out there right now, despite what some of these reviewers who give their albums a 1 star review say."

Amen's Catchy and Frustrated Third Album.

Andrew Estes | Maine | 06/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's not like Amen frontman Casey Chaos ever needed a reason to be pissed off. But I'm sure four years in the hole, without a label, unable to release a new album, sure provided the fuel for the fire that is "Death Before Musick." Released last year through eatURmusic, the Columbia imprint run by System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian, Amen's latest album marks a complete line-up change, leaving Chaos to be the only consistent force in Amen.



Chaos sounds just as passionate as ever, and even uses his experience to dig into some hooks, displayed on tracks like "Hello (One Chord Lovers)" and "California's Bleeding." The band themselves sound just as strong, although they can't hold a candle to the musicians that filled the seats before. Despite the political unrest in the past few years, most of the material sounds rather indifferent, focusing on age old pet peeves like poverty and religion. Which can be taken both as a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing, it doesn't date the album in any way, but the bad part is that Chaos seems to be spitting venom for no reason. There's nothing worse than anger that has no purpose (take Slipknot's "Iowa" for example). Regardless, "Death Before Musick" is a brisk, brutal and raw affair.



Funny enough, the new line-up of Amen was abolished less than a year later, and since the album didn't exactly reach a broader audience (depsite the muscle behind it) I can only see more troubled waters ahead for Amen. But hey, I guess that's a good thing, huh? Casey Chaos' frustration sure makes for good music, and "Death Before Musick" proves that. Amen stay consisent, despite changes, and this will no doubt appeal to fans of previous efforts."

Another solid Amen release

Almost Home | undisclosed | 12/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On this album from Casey Chaos, the man gets personal. The content seems much more close to home on this one. Influences seep through a little more as well, such as the DK influence on the vocals. All in all, it is another fully satisfying release from an incredible punk act."