The Amity Affliction, Silent Planet, Varials, and Orthodox

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.