The Amity Affliction is arguably a household name in the world of metalcore. From their lyrical content & vocal style to music videos to album artwork, there is no denying the impact The Amity Affliction has had on the music scene. 10 years ago, the band released the follow up album to Chasing Ghosts: Let the Ocean Take Me. The album is, in my opinion, one of the best albums the band has released. With tracks like "Pittsburgh", "Don't Lean on Me", "Death's Hand", & "Give it All", the emotional hold this album had on many fans, including myself, is unmatched. Accompanied by Currents, Dying Wish, & Mugshot, The Amity Affliction traveled across the United States and parts of Canada to celebrate the album. I was lucky enough to catch their performance at Vibes Underground in San Antonio, TX and it was just as amazing as you could imagine.
Mugshot started the night off with a bang. Even though the band is from California, they were greeted with a huge amount of Texas love. The band exploded into a fury of two-stepping, filthy vocals, and proceeded to have the crowd go absolutely insane. As the band continued to play the most intricate and well executed combination of hardcore and metal, the entire venue continued to match that energy. From nonstop circle pits to old-school mosh pits, every person was losing it for Mugshot.
Next to the stage was Dying Wish. I've had the luxury of catching Dying Wish several times through out the DFW area, so it was nice getting to catch them down in San Antonio. Coming from Portland, OR, the band is sure to be used to the rain that unfortunately had them miss their set at SO What?! the day prior. All this meant is that Dying Wish had some extra energy to bring to their set and they sure as shit did. Vocalist Emma Boster effortlessly switched between some of the most angelic singing and demonic screaming San Antonio has ever heard. With enough riffs and breakdowns to knock down the Alamo, the entire crowd continued to mosh, crowd surf, and two-step the night away.
Currents came to the stage after Mugshot & Dying Wish got the crowd ready. The night started with some hardcore vibes and Currents was a perfect choice to transition to a more metalcore sound for the evening. While Currents is from Connecticut, it sure seems like they feel at home in Texas. I've luckily seen Currents countless times as openers, direct support, and headliners, & each time, they have done nothing but improve and really hone their craft and sound. Their ability to write songs that make you want to mosh until your soul leaves your body while also writing songs that leave you on the verge of tears is unparalleled. As always, it always a pleasure to see bassist Christian Pulgarin run, jump, and spin on stage. How he does it in this type of heat is just as mind blowing as Currents' musicianship.
After much headbanging, moshing, and waiting, it finally came time for The Amity Affliction (TAA) to take the stage. Speaking as a long time fanboy of the band, I can safely say the influence that The Amity Affliction has had on the metalcore genre is unmatched. I've seen TAA dozens of times since I discovered them back in 2011 (13 years ago ... damn, I am old). There are countless songs of theirs that still bring me to the verge of tears as if I'm listening to the song for the first time and many of those are on Let the Ocean Take Me. Getting the chance to see the band play yet again, and photographing them, was nothing short of a dream come true.
As the band took the stage, they were greeted by a deafening roar of applause from the crowd. As soon as those first notes of "Pittsburgh" came through the speakers, the crowd lost all bit of sanity they had left. Every single person in the venue was on their feet and screaming the lyrics right back to vocalist Joel Birch. Hell, the photographers and venue staff were also singing along. Thank goodness it was hot and humid in the venue so I could lie and say it was sweat and not tears streaming down my face as I belted the lyrics to "The Weigh Down". Each moment just better then the previous and it is close to impossible to decide on a single moment to be the best one. I'm sure the tourists down at the Alamo and the Riverwalk could hear fans scream "Hey Death, get fucked" as TAA played "Death's Hand".
While the tour is coming to a close and The Amity Affliction has some touring scheduled for Europe and Australia, I am sure that fans will get a chance to see them again come 2025.
