You can do two things with your dirty laundry: either you put it in the washing machine, or you can air it to the world. The latter is exactly what seems to have happened with the only remaining original member Ahren Stringer of the Australian band The Amity Affliction. He and vocalist Birsch got caught up in some kind of dispute, which rather promptly resulted in the former being removed from the band. Whether that’s exactly how it went down, I can’t say, but it’s certainly being aired loud and wide in the specialized press.
As for me, I couldn’t care less and just throw House Of Cards, the ninth record from this melodic post-hardcore outfit, into the player. The album was delivered to us by Pure Noise Records. But where do they go from here? Who’s going to handle not just the bass lines, but also those signature clean vocals? Enter none other than American Jonathan Reeves (Kingdom Of Giants).
House Of Cards follows releases like Not Without My Ghosts (2023), Everyone Loves You … Ones You Leave Them (2020), and — at least in my opinion — the most compelling album, Let The Ocean Take Me (2014). For the recording of this latest effort, the band relied on the expertise of their guitarist Dan Brown, who took care of the production duties.
As expected, we already got a taste of some new material beforehand. I’m referring to the video for Bleed. The title track House Of Cards and another song, Heaven Sent, had already made their rounds too. The former is a fairly typical, not particularly standout The Amity Affliction track. As for the latter, I’d almost go as far as to say that — if we had access to the pre-production recordings — Mr. Stringer might still have laid down vocals on it. The clean vocals in the chorus, as they’re presented now, sound very much like his work to me. But I could be wrong.
Naturally, it’s best to start at the beginning of the record, with Vida Nueva. As the album unfolds, vocalist Birsch offers a glimpse into his personal life, including the difficult relationship he and his sibling had with their mother. Next up is Kickboxer, a track that oddly kicks off with a request for a kiss… because why not? The song then immediately stomps you into the ground with its sheer aggression. Closing track Eternal War is another one that hits hard enough to rattle your bones, something the band hasn’t really shown in a while, if you ask me. On House Of Cards, the sister is sung about in clean vocals by Mr. Reeves. His vocal lines seem slightly technically polished, but they fit well in both tone and timbre with the rest of the music.
Bleed — as we already knew from the video — is dressed up with some electronics, while the ferocious screamer Birsch roars his lungs out over pounding kicks. In its opening moments Beso De La Muerte (“kiss of death”) is a sinister little instrumental. Swan Dive, much like Speaking In Tongues and Afterlife, briefly brings back the old The Amity Affliction in full force.
Even album number nine, House Of Cards — complete with what looks like a downright ugly, possibly AI-generated cover — remains a quintessential The Amity Affliction record. Here and there, though, we’re treated to a level of aggression beyond what we’re used to. The question is: who is Mr. Birsch more furious at? His mother, or Mr. Stringer?
Score:
75/100
Label:
Pure Noise Records, 2026
Tracklisting:
- Vida Nueva
- Kickboxer
- House Of Cards
- Heaven Sent
- Bleed
- Break These Chains
- Beso De La Muerte
- Swan Diva
- Speaking In Tongues
- Afterlife
- Reap What You Sow
- Eternal War
Line-up:
- Joel Birsch – Zang
- Jonathan Reeves – Bas, zang
- Dan Brown – Gitaar
- Joe Longobardi – Drums
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