The Amity Affliction, August Burns Red, und HEAVENSGATE

Following the death of a close friend in a car accident, high-schoolers Ahren Stringer and Troy Brady formed The Amity Affliction named in tribute of their friend. The band started out by playing school concerts and lunch breaks before releasing two self-titled EPs, one in 2004, with new screaming vocalist Joel Birch, and another in 2005, the latter of which was followed by an Australian East Coast tour.

2007 brought a change of personnel with Troels Thomasson coming in on drums, who would be replaced by Ryan Burt a year later, Chris Burt on guitar and Trad Nathan playing the keyboard. Shortly after The Amity Affliction released a new five-track EP named “High Hopes”, which introduced the band to a wider audience and paved the way for their debut studio album “Severed Ties” (2008). The album reached No. 26 on the Australian Albums Chart and was followed by a tour across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

After a headline tour across Australia in 2009, Christopher Burt left the band with Clint Ellis of The Getaway Plan taking tenure. The Amity Affliction’s second album “Youngbloods” was released on June 18, 2010 through Boomtown and Shock Records. “Youngbloods” outperformed its predecessor, reaching No. 6 in the Australian Album Chart. Towards the tail-end of 2010 The Amity Affliction released a compilation album entitled “Glory Days” of b-sides and old demoes, signed the the label The Artery Foundation, and announced a UK tour with Asking Alexandria.

After another headline Australian tour with Asking Alexandria and various local bands in each city, the band signed to Roadrunner Records for the foreseeable future, and headed to Florida, U.S. to work on their third full-length album. Produced by Michael Baskette, “Chasing Ghosts” (2012) was released on August 15, 2012. The album art featured an image of a boy who has committed suicide and received much criticism from social media and fans, despite the album’s theme towards seeking help and support.

Prior to joining the Warped Tour 2013, the band announced Dan Brown had joined the band on guitar, and who played on the European Tour alongside Chelsea Grin and Stick To Your Guns. In anticipation of their fourth studio album, The Amity Affliction released a demo titled “Cave In” which proved to be a red herring and didn’t appear on the album. “Let the Ocean Take Me” was released on June 6, 2014, to positive reviews and marked the departure of lead guitarist Troy Brady, leaving Ahren Stringer the only original member of the band.

Formed of members Jon Hershey on lead vocals, JB Brubaker on lead guitar, Brent Rambler on rhythm guitar, Matt Greiner on drums and piano, and Jordan Tuscan on bass guitar, the band began practicing during high school in bassist Matt Greiner’s basement. After a number of local shows in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S., area the band released their first EP named “Looks Fragile After All” on the label CI Records in 2004.

Soon after, lead singer Hershey quit and vocal responsibilities fell to Josh McManness and the band signed to the Christian label Solid State Records in 2005. On November 8, 2005 the band released their debut album “Thrill Seeker” along with a video for the single “Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins”. The album’s release marked the departure of vocalist McManness and bassist Jordan Tuscan, who were replaced with Jake Luhrs and Dustin Davidson respectively.

Luhrs’ debut album with the band “Messengers” released in June 2007 became August Burns Red’s breakthrough album charting at No. 81 on the Billboard 200, and allowed the band an extensive tour schedule across North America and Europe. During which the band played alongside the likes of A Skylit Drive, Sky Eats Airplane and Greeley Estates. August Burns Red also appeared on the 2009 “Punk Goes Pop 2” compilation album covering Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time”.

The band’s sound is referred to commonly as metalcore, although due to the precise and powerful breakdowns, blissfully melodic guitar riffs have often been identified as melodic metalcore.

In 2009 the band released “Lost Messenger: The Outtakes” a multitude of material not thought appropriate for the “Messengers” album, as well as their third full-length LP “Constellations” which was available to stream via their MySpace before its release on July 14, 2009. The album charted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and led to a U.S. tour alongside Blessthefall and Enter Shikari and Australian tour with Parkway Drive and A Day to Remember.

August Burns Red’s fourth album “Leveller” continued and expanded on the commercial success of the band charting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, only bettered by their fifth album “Rescue & Restore” which debuted at No. 9.