S.O.S……S.O.S……WARNING……S.O.S……
Conceived in LA by Casey Chaos five years ago, AMEN was
a vision of harsh sonic reality, with piercing self introspection
and disturbing social insight. Finding musicians capable of
understanding and delivering this concept took patience and
dedication.
“AMEN is the punkest, heaviest thing out of America since
the Stooges and the MC5.” – Rat Scabies
Enter Paul Fig. Through live shows and several studio
recordings Paul realized that AMEN embodied musical
integrity. The ideal lineup began to form. S.Larkin joined
AMEN on drums, connecting immediately with their visceral,
high energy vibe. “Larkin came in about a month before we
were scheduled to begin recording. He and I jammed, and
immediately I started writing a batch of new songs. Probably
half the record was written during that first week with him,”
said Casey. Larkin, who now sports an “AMEN” tattoo on his
knuckles, introduced Casey to guitarist Sonny Mayo.
Intrigued by the music’s unbending attitude, Sonny left
SNOT to join AMEN. Later, bassist, Tumor, followed -
completing the cel.
“One of the most abrasive, in your face, full-on assaults that
I’ve ever witnessed. Casey is a human bomb.” - Paul Raven
With producer Ross Robinson ready to sign the band to his
new, Roadrunner-distributed custom imprint, I Am Records,
AMEN was ready to launch their counterattack on the
patterns of rot eating away from within at American culture.
“AMEN goes beyond anything I’ve ever done. AMEN taps
into that sick, sexual, destructive bleeding with seething
disease feeling. I get to feel it without having to suffer it.”
- Ross Robinson
AMEN’s 14-song, self-titled debut is a wake-up call for the
damned, the oblivious, the disenfranchised, and the
disenchanted. Produced by Robinson, it’s a frenzied, almost
unbearably intense journey into the darkest shadows that
lurk at the corners of the American dream. From “Whores Of
Hollywood” to “TV Womb” to “When A Man Dies A Woman,”
the album is the musical equivalent of an open, raw,
bleeding wound – an appropriate metaphor, since Casey
literally shed blood during some of his more “emotional”
moments in the vocal booth.
“A perfect combination of intellect, anger and raw emotion” -
Rozz Williams
“I will usually push myself as far as I can go, and in this
case, I went even farther,” says the singer calmly. “It got
really, really extreme. We went through so much destruction
while making that record, you can hear things breaking at
the end of some of the tracks.
“It’s not a party music album. I think a lot of alienated people
are gonna relate to it, but my guess is a lot of people who
just want to jump around and have a good time will think this
is noisy shit,” says Casey.
It’s noisy shit that’s already been embraced by the likes of
Iggy Pop (who agreed to mix the album but had to bow out
for scheduling reasons), renowned musician/mixer Paul
Raven, and porn king Greg Dark. AMEN’s live shows have
been described as landmines in the façade of Hollywood,
triggering anything from a riot at the Roxbury to violence at
the Dragonfly. And no less an authority than former Sex
Pistol Steve Jones confesses, “AMEN’s more pissed off
than we ever were.”
Casey and his cohorts are just a little angry at the way the
world works. Aren’t you?
AMEN: Punk/rock in its purest form, wrapped in social
angst, feeding claustrophobic paranoia that transcends into
an outlet of extremes. Violence. Pain. Obsession.
Now...for your listening revival ... we give you ... AMEN ...
this is ... an I AM recording ... END TRANSMISSION
