Features
Can We Get An Amen?
The punk-metal quintet is joining Killing Joke for 19 shows, which wrap November 15.
It’s been three years since they last toured the States. Despite being from there, the band has really found more musical recognition across the sea, where industry rags have hailed them as one of the top metal groups. So much so, in fact, they recently sold out their entire British tour and were the only unsigned band to play the main stage at last year’s Reading Festival.
And they’ve got high hopes for the rest of the season. The band expects “more touring all throughout Europe and dates all over the world as the album gets released,” according to a post by guitarist Rich Jones on their Web site.
That album mentioned is Amen’s first new work in a couple years. Tentatively titled Death Before Musick, it will be released next spring on EatUrMusic – a label launched by System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian.
Actually, Malakian is responsible for not only signing Amen and giving them a label home, but he’s being credited with helping build their Stateside presence.
“The band has had some really tough luck,” Malakian told VH1. “That’s the only reason Amen hasn’t gotten as big as they should be. There was this whole misconception that they were a nu-metal band, which they’re not. They’re very rock ‘n’ roll.
“Then they had problems with their label falling apart, so they never got the chance to tour properly, and they haven’t had a single out.”
Thanks in part to Malakian, Amen’s bad luck looks like it’s run out.