Interviews - Casey Chaos

In the only interview he's giving before his band's return - after the cancellation of their UK tour and in the week oft-delayed new single - the aptly titled 'The Waiting 18' - is finally released, volatile frontman Casey Chaos explains why Amen needed to take some time off before they get started on their eagerly awaited third album. ..

"I had a lot of trouble trying to put together eclectic bands for the bill, not just metal and rap rock. It's a lot of work and it became pretty much futile because it didn't really ever pan out with our agent. And I'm just burned out. I always said that if I ever felt that this became a job, if it ever came to the point where I had to fake it, or go onstage and not believe what I was doing, I would just stop. So that's what I'm doing, just stopping. We're going to take some time off, not break up or anything like that. We're going in the studio in September to record the new album. Flying over here, people don't understand that it costs a lot of money."

"You get bands who are going to offer you a lot of money to take them on tour, and maybe you're not that big a fan of the band. You think everything's ready to tour, and then some label buys a band onto the tour for a quarter of a million dollars. And we're not going to pay to play. But we're not a nu-metal band, we're a punk rock band. I wanted to expose different styles of music. Last time we were here, we got [ Raging] Speedhorn and Charger, two bands I really like. As a whole rap rock is pretty well taken care of, and I think there are other types of music that need exposing."

"We played our first show together, at Arcade in Las Vegas. When they recorded their first album we recorded our first album at the same time. I was in hospital so I had to keep coming in on their time doing my vocal tracks. So we became really good friends. We'll always be grateful, they've always supported us."

"I don't like to talk about the future too much. But we're going to be doing something with this next recording that's never been done before. Musically, the whole concept of it, I don't want to say about because if it doesn't happen we'll look like fuckin' jackoffs. But it's definitely going to be something that tests humanity."

"It's going to be ten times more extreme. It's not about being predictable. For Amen it's not about being a happy place. It's always about challenging the listener."

What can you tell us about 'The Waiting 18' single?

"I wrote it for Iggy Pop, and when it didn't end up coming together Ross [Robinson, producer] was like 'You've got to use this and put vocals on it.'"

Have you been keeping it all together on the Ozzfest tour?

"Kind of. Not mentally. We're not just a band who goes up with your tape machine, choreography, stage props, costume and big light show. It's just total annihilation of yourself. And to do that every night is really, really damaging. I've got my own personal problems but it's hard just to be able to keep that stamina up and keep the inspiration there after so much self-destruction. I just feel a little broken. But I am grateful for it, it's cool to get the opportunity to do this. And we'll do it again hopefully."

Is it going to be a relief to get back to LA and start recording?

"I'm looking forward to just sitting in my room for any longer than a couple of hours. We went from recording straight out on the road and it's been non-stop. We're going to have a month and a half off, meeting at my house, writing with Larkin. [Shannon Larkin, Amen Drummer] I don't want to give too much away. There are so many fucking thieves out there who'll steal you ideas."

What's happening with the side projects?

"Larkin's had this thing since he was a kid, this band MF Pitbulls. They just played one show in Los Angeles. He sings, which is amazing! The only other is the project that I have, that's supposed to happen with Phil [Anselmo] from Pantera and this guy called Killjoy. Joey wants to play the drums on it. At this point it's just a bunch of riffs on tape, and a bunch of talk about trying to schedule it together. But then there is another project that will probably happen with Josh [Homme] from Queens of the Stone Age. We're friends and fans of each other's bands. But first and foremost is Amen."

You've been in bands since you were very young. Are you still as into it as you used to be?

What's happening with the side projects?

You've been in bands since you were very young. Are you still as into it as you used to be?

"Today? No. But maybe tomorrow. Right now, I'm burned out. You can get too much of a good thing. People don't really understand with my health issues, being on the road for me is not like being on the road for somebody else. We were in Canada in the snow five hours from any sort of civilisation. The bus pulled over and I thought I was dying. But I'm not going to go and sit in a fucking doctor's office giving blood and checking the levels of my medication. If I can I'll go because I want to be alive, but I'm not just going to sit in a fucking house. But I'm grateful for what we've got, I'm glad for the way it's gone. It's everything I've ever truly liked. It's so amazing to be able to play to people who are alive, and not just a bunch of sheep."