HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Let The Ocean Take Me – The Amity Affliction
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of what could be said to be a genre defining album, Aussie metalcore heavyweights THE AMITY AFFLICTION have released a reimagined version of their 2014 hit record Let The Ocean Take Me.
Released in June 2014, the original album features hits like Pittsburgh and Don’t Lean On Me, two tracks which are still being heavily used on set lists to this day. Pittsburgh has become a career defining track for THE AMITY AFFLICTION – with its iconic intro and heartfelt words, every lyric is consistently passionately screamed back at the band by audiences across the globe. The whole album shaped them into what they are today, and received critical acclaim at the time by going Platinum in Australia in 2015.
But why was the album so successful? Other than the rolling riffs and heavy hitting breakdowns, a lot of fans found the lyrics really hit home. Singer Joel Birch has said the album looks at his struggle with addiction and his mental health, battles which many people face on a daily basis. A lot of alternative music fans may use these introspective albums as a coping mechanism in their own lives. THE AMITY AFFLICTION have always been known to tackle these tough subjects head on in a lot of their tracks, and in doing so have supplied thousands of people with this emotional outlet. Other than just the sick musical nature of the songs on Let The Ocean Take Me, the powerful look into the human mind could also attribute to its impact on the metalcore scene.
The album’s success can also be attributed to the time at which it was released. Modern metalcore really developed and peaked in the 2000s and early 2010s, as the emo scene really grabbed the attention of rebellious youths. THE AMITY AFFLICTION helped to define this classic metalcore sound, so there is a lot of nostalgia connected to this release. This has inevitably lead to it sticking on the playlists of many metalheads through the years, further establishing it as a classic in the genre.
Many would ask, if this album is one of their most successful to date, why would they re record it? When announcing the new version the band explained, “…musically, we felt we could give it a new dynamic, but also – and equally as important – we are finally an independent band and able to work with independent labels that want to put the music first and can offer us fair and reasonable deals, not the predatory deals that were ubiquitous when we were younger.” The band have found this new sense of freedom and are finally able to produce the music they want to. They also mentioned that due to dodgy contracts, they were losing out on a lot of royalties on this release. THE AMITY AFFLICTION plan to breed new life into this mighty album, on their terms and receiving the rewards they deserve.
The first single to be released from this Redux version was My Father’s Son. Whilst the new track still holds onto the core roots of the original, there’s an added sense of richness in the sound. You can hear the growth of the band in the past 10 years, producing a mighty sound that has an added sense of impact and sleekness. The addition of some smooth electronic elements and well developed vocals from Joel Birch really emphasise the quality of the track, making it a really enjoyable listen. As the band release more song iterations, it will be fun for fans to look at the differences and try to imagine how the band may have approached them. There may have been concerns from both band and fans alike that you shouldn’t change a good thing, but from the sounds of this first single, we’re in for a treat.
As well as this exciting re-release, the band performed Let The Ocean Take Me in full on their most recent North American tour. As a staple album in any metalcore fan’s catalogue, this album and tour is sure to have gone down a treat. Who knows, in another 10 years they may come back and play the whole re record in full too.
Although the original album cemented THE AMITY AFFLICTION in the metal scene, they have continued to produce high quality music which has only furthered the community’s regard for them. This look back on their past success is sure to go down well as a new lease of energy is injected into a genre and decade defining album. Bringing back the nostalgia of the early 2010s, this re-record of an album with heavy hitting lyrics shows that whilst time passes, there will always be struggles for everyone. Hopefully fans of the band are able to find comfort in the outlet that is Let The Ocean Take Me.
Let The Ocean Take Me was originally released on June 6th, 2014 via UNFD.
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