Amen (American band)
Amen is an American punk/metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1994. The band was founded by frontman and singer Casey Chaos (real name Karim Chmielinski) and combines elements of punk rock, hardcore, and heavy metal. Although the band experienced little success in the United States, Amen attracted a significant following in the United Kingdom. The band saw continuous changes in membership, with Casey Chaos remaining the sole original member. History Formation and debut (1994) Amen was formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, California, after the disbanding of its frontman and singer Casey Chaos's previous band, Disorderly Conduct. The name "Amen" is a reference to the title of Disorderly Conduct's 1986 album of the same name. The band's first album, Slave, was written and performed almost entirely by Chaos himself, with Greg Barrybauer performing guitars and keyboards on a few tracks. Slave was recorded at Sandbox & Marquee West and mixed at Convent Studio in Los Angeles, California, and was limited to a run of only 2000 copies. This led to lead singer Chaos being introduced to producer Ross Robinson, and the two collaborated and soon secured a deal with Roadrunner Records. Amen and major label debut (1994–1999) After being signed to Roadrunner Records and working with producer Ross Robinson, Chaos went on to write the songs for Amen's major-label debut, the self-titled album Amen. For the album, the band expanded to include one-time Ugly Kid Joe drummer Shannon Larkin, bassist John Fahnestock, a.k.a. Tumor, and guitarists Paul Fig and Sonny Mayo. On September 21, 1999, Amen was the band's major label debut. However, the band parted ways at the end of that same year due to lack of support; this resulted in their tour schedule being shortened, including the cancellation of a whole tour of Europe. The EP Coma America was released in the United Kingdom the same year. In December 1999, Kerrang! magazine named it its Single of the Week, and called it "without a doubt the Album of the Decade." We Have Come for Your Parents and departure from Virgin (2000–2003) By 2000, Amen was signed to Virgin Records to record their third album. Retaining the same lineup as the previous album, in May 2000 the band recorded their follow-up album at Sound City in Los Angeles, California. We Have Come for Your Parents was released on October 31, 2000. The name was a reference to The Dead Boys album We Have Come for Your Children. The album became a quick success in the UK, landing them at Number 77 on the UK charts in November 2000. Two singles became hits for Amen in the UK; "Too Hard to Be Free" went to Number 72, and "The Waiting 18" reached Number 61. The song "The Price of Reality" was released as a single before the album's release. A promotional video was created for the song that featured the same iconic styling and art direction as the album cover and artwork used by Amen during this time. In