ALBUM REVIEW: Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them – The Amity Affliction

Since the release of Misery in 2018, many have anticipated what new material THE AMITY AFFLICTION would release next, and hoped it would show more similarities to their previous heavier work. Well, it seems the Australian quartet have not disappointed, as they release Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them. From the first track, Coffin, an avid fan will be able to sense the nostalgia of what everyone has come to know and love this band for, their true and honest metalcore sound.

Coffin opens the album with an unexpected bang, using a softly played riff and toned down unclean vocals to set the tone, this track takes listeners by a truly welcomed surprise. The build up in this song is great, and the intermittent deep riffs from the bass and guitars sound amazing incorporated with the blast beats from new drummer Joe Longobardi. This is what THE AMITY AFFLICTION fans have been waiting for. It’s a shame that this track is so short as it has the potential to be a big hit with listeners, but it proves that the band have come back fighting.

Singles All My Friends Are Dead and Soak Me In Bleach encompass that true THE AMITY AFFLICION sound. Unclean vocalist Joel Birch gives us a bold intro into All My Friends Are Dead, surrounded with heavy guitar, bass and drum beats which are just asking for a mosh pit to open up. Of course, it wouldn’t be right if clean vocalist Ahren Stringer didn’t drop into some great melodies, but fans of the heavier side of this band won’t be disappointed when the breakdown takes centre stage. This album definitely resembles their earlier work in terms of heaviness, yet you can see that they have evolved in the way that they have pieced these tracks together, they work pretty well with each other, and take the listener on a journey through the album start to finish.

Soak Me In Bleach feels like a well executed version of what the band was going for with Misery in 2018, adding electronic and pop sounding elements whilst still maintaining the classic metalcore sound. For this reason, it could be seen as one of the stand out songs from this album. There is still the softer side to the band as Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them includes some softer songs such as Aloneliness and Just Like Me, which are both well executed and memorable. It’s nice to have some variation throughout the album so that the listeners are not fazed by a consistent barrage of heavier-leaning songs. This shows that the band is flexible. And yet, there is still room for improvement here as songs such as All I Do Is Sink which screams for a really impactful breakdown that many fans would have loved. It feels as if Joel Birch prepared his recognisable growl for a meaty breakdown, and then was lost into the background of the track.

The band then end the album with a bang in the form of Catatonia, a hard hitting true metalcore track that captures your attention. New drummer Joe Longobardi has really submerged himself into the band, supplying some amazing prominent rhythms which give the tracks that needed impact and depth. The guitar riffs from Dan Brown and bass from Ahren Stringer are both distinguished, and make for an album that the band should be proud of. Overall, Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them has really shown that THE AMITY AFFLICTION are determined to give the fans what they want, whilst also staying true to the vision they have for where they are going in the future.

Rating: 8/10

Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them is out now via Pure Noise Records. 

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