The Amity Affliction

The Amity Affliction are Queensland's most enduring metalcore outfit, built on Joel Birch's unflinching lyrics about mental health, grief, and addiction, and a devoted fanbase that has followed them from Gympie to global stages. With a discography stretching from 2008's Severed Ties through landmark records like Youngbloods, Chasing Ghosts, and Let The Ocean Take Me, they've long been the benchmark for heavy music in Australia — a status BLUNT recognised as far back as their first-ever BLUNT cover story.

The band entered a new chapter in early 2025 when bassist and co-vocalist Ahren Stringer — a founding member and creative cornerstone — departed the group following a turbulent period that included a mid-tour break to address addiction and growing tensions within the band. In his place, clean vocalist Jonny Reeves joined the fold, debuting on the single All That I Remember before being formally introduced on the band's ninth studio album, House Of Cards, released April 24 via Pure Noise Records.

House Of Cards is among the most personal records Birch has written — confronting childhood abuse, his mother's death, religion, and grief with a directness that strips away any metaphor. Singles House Of Cards, Bleed, and Heaven Sent each cut deep, and Reeves' clean vocal presence gives the record a sharper dynamic without softening its impact. The album arrived off the back of a 21-date regional Australian tour with In Hearts Wake and Redhook, with international touring across North America, Europe, and the UK to follow. The band also made their triple j Like A Version debut in 2025, covering Turnstile's HOLIDAY, and have a slot on Parkway Drive's 20th anniversary European run and the Hellbound Heavy Metal Cruise 2027 locked in. Amity aren't coasting — they're digging deeper.