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Jam! Showbiz 'Amen's ruthless attack on society'

Amen tell it like it is. No punches pulled.

The band's self-titled debut disc is one of the most venomous attacks on society in years, a renegade assault on society, parents, government and education. Nothing is left unscarred as the band wields it's belligerent and violent attitude against all to prove to us once and for all that American society -- or could it be society in general? -- has gone to Hell. Say your prayers metalheads.

Led by the vigorous wails of frontman Casey Chaos, the punk rock/metal fueled music raises a vengeful attack as it blasts through fourteen of the most anarchistic tracks you'll hear in 1999.

So what helped make Amen what they are. Personal demons? A hatred for society? Singer Casey Chaos tries his best to pinpoint just where this out of control music vehicle is coming from.

"I live in Hollywood. It is pretty much the complete boiling point for everything that I despise about American culture," says Chaos via cell phone while enroute to a show in New Mexico. "I grew up in all these places in America like New York and Florida and out here in California and it's pretty bad. In Florida you got rednecks and cops trying to run your life and out in Hollywood you have a real strange society where everyone tries to come out with fame and fortune. They forget their souls and aim to be the best at attaining fame and fortune. I'm not into any of that. I grew up on punk rock and hardcore and I wanted to make a record about something. Everything out there nowadays seems unreal."

A lot of the band's material doesn't sugarcoat anything. The lyrics and music really drives a stake into the wrongdoings of society. Songs like "TV Womb," "No Cure For The Pure" or opener "Coma America" speak volumes. In fact, if you look closer I'm sure you'll see the head of America on a silver platter, with Amen poking it with a rusty fork. Gotta love revenge, eh? "I think what we do is honest. I do exactly what my heart tells me to do. I think people who see us play really don't know what they are getting into and that is exciting to me. It's like the element of surprise."

"Playing live just allows us to let it all out. I bring my problems to the forefront with our songs and we deal with them then and now. The audience sees this and either they are along for the ride or they get left behind.

Most fans see where we are coming from. It ain't pretty, but when was rock n' roll supposed to be about looks?"

Many music fans who look deeper into the recording of Amen (rounded out by guitarists S. Mayo and Paul Fig, bassist John Tumor and drummer Larkin) will note that the band worked with producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Sepultura) and are on his new label: I Am Recordings. In fact, they are the first signees to his label. What gives Casey? "It's kind of an honor for us I think. He is such a great producer. Plus I have known Ross for a while now and we just decided to see if we could work things out. I have worked with a lot of producers in the past and he is the best 'cause he cares more about performance than perfection."

And what inspires the music of Amen? "I dunno...a lot of different things. I grew up on punk and hardcore. Those bands inspire me, but also just good music that gets me moving and into what is going on. It has to have character. Something has to stick out. I've been inspired to be like such greats as Black Flag. They inspired me to be into punk rock and get involved with the music scene. Other great bands like MC5 and The Stooges also got me going. It's a good mix of bands to follow and they've made me really appreciative of what they brought to the music scene. Anything that is pure makes me take notice."

The disc has been getting rave reviews all around, from overseas and back home, much to the surprise of Chaos. "I am surprised at the reviews we are getting with the disc, especially overseas in Europe. Wow. And back home too. I thought for sure local papers around here would be shitting all over us, but it's not happening. They have been giving us unbelievable press. We are getting great press and it's great. It's great because we are so not 'what's happening' right now. We're not Adidas rock or we don't have a loop somewhere in White Zombie-land. It's great to know that we're doing our own thing."

He finishes, "With all the things that have been happening over the past two months, it's been rather overwhelming to say the least. Hopefully there is a lot more to come. I'm ready for it - I think."

by Adrian Bromley