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by DAN SOUTHALL
THE Amity Affliction has had a pretty tough time of late. First bassist/vocalist/founder Ahren Stringer was fired, and around the same time frontman Joel Birch lost his mother.
Birch has been pretty open about his lack of relationship with his mother in the build up to this album and how he feels it has affected his life. Her passing, as well as finally putting to bed some long term band drama, is what House of Cards is built around, and the anger is writ large.
The album wobbles a little with musical intro “Vida Nueva” making no sense to anything the band has attempted previously, immediately raising an eyebrow to what may be in store, as the quality of TAA’s output has dipped more than once. All worries are set aside almost immediately as “Kickboxer” open-hand slaps your ear back to reality.
The most immediate noticeable change is Birch’s vocal approach, doubling down on his hardcore bark for an almost deathcore style. Coupled with the keyboards, this track could almost be mistaken for something from Make Them Suffer.
New bassist/clean vocalist Jonathan Reeves first comes to light on the title track, and he comes through like a refreshing breeze. His vocals are less nasally or as forced as Stringer’s have been for a long time, and make all the difference on this album, sometimes even adding hardcore-like roars in the background.
House of Cards continues with this new found heavier aesthetic and when it’s combined with the new cleans and some stone heavy drumming, this is as good as the band have ever sounded.
The only dips come with odd sample choices like those found on “Bleed”, or the heavy use of synth that doesn’t always hit the mark. That is, until the closing and best track. ‘Eternal War’ is the heaviest thing here with the keys adding to the musical drama while closing out The Amity Affliction’s new found musical energy.
Some of the best art is forged in hard times. TAA proved this early in their career with some classic moments and find themselves doing it here again in some of their most trying circumstances yet.Despite some dips in musical quality and strange sample choices here and there, with House of Cards they have managed to assemble another one for fans old and new to argue over.
