Album Review: The Amity Affliction - 'Seems Like Forever (DVD)'

28 July 2015 | 5:04 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

A satisfying tale of success.

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The Amity Affliction are one of Australia’s biggest bands, and they’ve earned that position with honest words and open arms, not clever marketing and paid TV slots. You’d be hard-pressed to go to any show in this scene and not spot a reminder of them there – in the form of a t-shirt, a hint of their influence in another band’s song or hanging outside the venue, beers in hand, accessible and ready to sign your first pressing of ‘Youngbloods’.

Their documentary, ‘Seems Like Forever’, is an accurate representation of that. It tracks the band’s career from album to album, magnifying their success with humility and reminding viewers that Amity didn’t just shoot to success with no hard work behind them. From beginnings that flash back to younger, greener members to its portrayal of the moments the band began to grow, exploring the group’s past serves as a reinforcement of how a humble goal became an achievement with over a thousand standard drinks and a little elbow grease.

The DVD hears from the voices of UNIFIED, Roadrunner, Architects, Deez Nuts and more, as well as the band themselves. But, it’s not only important to those who have been a witness to Amity’s success from the inside – it’s also a snapshot of the Australian music scene, covering familiar venues, the bands that they’ve toured with and the leap from selling out Manning Bar to the Riverstage.

However, ‘Seems Like Forever’ doesn’t just dive into Amity’s lighter times. It also documents the stress of recording ‘Youngbloods’, Ryan Burt’s lacerated eyeball and the Pittsburgh stop at Warped Tour that Joel Birch nearly died at. The camaraderie of the band’s members, but also their friends, becomes apparent, particularly through the account of Architects’ Sam Carter (who wouldn’t be too pleased with a particular scene involving a chicken, a fish and some fireworks. Vegans: skip that one).

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In good form, this documentary concludes with a message to fans, the kids who Amity make music for and the kids who made them who they are in the first place. The band has pulled their fans through ups and downs, from the emptiness of break-ups to struggles with depression and suicide, and it’s that connection that makes them successful regardless of how many number one’s they get. Their faith in themselves and in their fans in that respect is represented in this well-crafted documentary so authentically made that anyone watching it would feel proud of them; we do.

Despite how many venues they’ve sold out, how many times they’ve hit the charts, how many t-shirts they’ve sold, The Amity Affliction are making music for their fans with humility and decent motives. Even though ‘Seems Like Forever’ documents a band who have become successful beyond anyone’s imagination, it remains solely about a group of honest musicians that have invested every ounce of energy they have into getting through their struggles and earning their achievements. Somehow, that makes their victories even sweeter.

1. Intro

2. Early days

3. Joel Gets Kicked Out

4. Servered Ties

5. Young Bloods

6. Chasing Ghosts

7. Warped Tour

8. Recording LTOTM

9. LTOTM Tour

10. For the Fans