Another day, and another very good Australian melodic, metal/progressive band, Ammify that I leaned about. They have an excellent female singer, and Ammify will release their latest album, Lost, Not Hiding, on June, 14th of this year, on Wormholedeath Records!
This is truly cinematic metal music, like it used to be. The kind you remember from seminal bands like Evanescence. Ammy Phoenix does not sound like Amy Lee, she has her own style and unique sound, but she feels deeply and her emotional delivery of the lyrics she pens are authentic. The cinematic style of the music supports her perfectly. Ammy’s voice is definitely ready for prime time.
Ammify, is a Perth, West Australian band that features: Ammy Phoenix, on lead vocals. She writes the band’s lyrics as well. Pete Renzullo, is in charge of music production, since he plays all instruments on Lost, Not Hiding. The duo considers their music “CineMetal”, and I for one absolutely agree!
“I am so excited that Wormholedeath is taking us on as a band!” says Ammy. “I have never been more proud of any project as I am of Ammify, and I am so happy that thanks to Wormholedeath, we get to put it out for people to hear. There’s nothing quite like being able to share a piece of yourself like this and I really hope it makes people feel understood in a way they really need to be.”
“They said it was a very powerful album and they mentioned Ammy’s voice, of course,” Pete says. “They were just very impressed that the style was quite unique. One of the guys said that we’ve managed to find our own universe and that of the artists they’ve previously signed, nothing like this has come across before”.
So let’s get into it:
“Homesick”, is not the song you think it might be. Instead of relishing the comfort of home, this song asks you to launch out beyond your feelings of homesickness and strive to discover the world and all that it offers. The music opens slowly and quietly with keyboards and slow guitar. A warm, relaxing soundscape that changes with added percussion. Ammy sings, “Come on, you know there’s something missing. Come on, you know it’s not fulfilling. Come on, I just want to go home”. Later she sings, “Don’t want the drama. Stay if you wanna. Home’s my nirvana”. Yes, and many of us felt that way during the Pandemic of 2020. A great opening song that leads us further down the trail of the story of Lost, Not Hiding’s concept and meaning.
It’s a “Coward’s Way Out”, when you choose to stay home and neglect the outside world, in fear. This one opens with much more powerful blasts of electric guitar, drums and piano at the opening. It is a full on rejection of the thoughts from the first track. Ammy sings, “First of all, I just wanted to apologize. For how much I know you must be hurting right now. I am aware that it is a selfish thing to do. But I had no choice”. The excellent electric guitar solos are overwhelming new and unique. Ammy sings, “Please remember the good times with happiness. And make sure you treat yourself with the love. I’d show you, feel all the happiness then. Feel even more for me”. A fantastic lyrical song, filled with excellent music.
“The Truth Will Set You Free”, may be the best song on the album. It does not have the meaning I was hoping for, but the lyrics are an extremely strong statement for the truth, in all its forms. The music video for the song is epic, and the music, is just amazing. The song opens with beautiful acoustic guitar. Then Ammy sings, “You, you thought you got away with it. Didn’t you? Think about the consequence, didn’t you? Frayed threads of guilt unravelling. Secrets in, secrets out. Can darkness hold your pieces in?” Later she sings, “Time may not heal wounds , but it’s the truth. And it’s the truth that sets you free. So have my guilt, judge all you will. And let karma come…” The absolutely cinematic and overwhelming full soundscape that envelopes her words is devastatingly terrific! An amazing song that is emotionally transforming.
“Favourite”, opens with slow, electric guitar, before Ammy sings, “I sit down, it feels like a year has passed already. I breath in and now I can stop. Holding my breath at last when I loved her, I loved her”. Is she talking about someone else or the loss of her old self? Only Ammy can truly answer that? But it is a very painful, mourning song that absolutely draws out all her inner feelings and lays them before us. A very powerful, and personal song.
“Hey! You! (Over And Over)”, opens with excellent electric guitars early. Then slows down, with Ammy singing quietly, “Hey! You! Over and over and over again. Now to teach you a lesson…ahh. When you prey upon the meekness. You better think before you do!” A great song of warning. Filled with powerful electric guitar riffs and wonderful keyboards that fill the soundscape.
“Evaporate”, has a slow, funeral dirge like opening, on keyboards. Then Ammy sings, “I fall asleep. And life swiftly falls into place. ‘Til I open my eyes and I’m back here. I can’t be like you. I don’t even want the things you do. And I don’t need you for the things you say you are, I don’t need you”. Is she rejecting someone, or ways and life, before changes occurred? Only Ammy knows.
Regarding “The King Of Always Wanting More”, Ammy pens in the CD/LP booklet, “And if you allow yourself to fall into a pattern of ignoring what you desire, for fear of it leading you somewhere that isn’t safe, you’ll be the king of always wanting more”. The music that supports Ammy on this song is tremendous. One of the most powerful and heavy songs on the album. Excellent!
“Fluffy Little Rats”, are the, “cold logic that infest your choice for wanting more”, according to Ammy. The song opens with violin and some cool sounding orchestrations of what rats might sound like. Ammy sings, “Pressure, pressure, pressure. Money, money. Hurry little rats. If you put the hours in. The wheel can feel like you are happy to be alive”. A very cool commentary on chasing the material things that we think, make life special. Ammy’s vocals are out of this world and they blend well with this Danny Elfman – like horror soundtrack song.
“Grief”, according to Ammy is, “The loss of what you never had in the first place-an impossibly cyclical state of mind that will torture you for as long as you choose to let it”. Yes, this is another powerful statement from the band, and they back it up with musical excellence. The building bolero-like sound is very intoxicating.
On “Involuntarily Celibate”, Ammy states, “And yes, it is choice. Don’t fall into the trap of being the victim. Self-pity, mixed with narcissism will poison your self-awareness. The mantra that plagues those who find themselves perpetually ignored”. Yes, you can feel that emotion permeating throughout this song. From the opening percussion, to the closing, with Ammy singing, “Get the fuck away from me!” This song has that wonderful Middleastern rhythm, that I always love to hear in music. Ammy pulls no punches, singing, “Let me hear your terribly tragic story. Love the way you steal an embrace. I accidentally spat in your face. Woops! Come closer, and I can explain this well. Go and fuck yourself!” Wow! Yes, on this song, Ammy is making sure you understand her feelings and hate for narcissism of any kind.
“Ready, Set, Let Go”, is about, according to Ammy, “A plunge into the unknown with certainty that you will find something new”. The song opens slow, with soft, deep piano keys. Ammy sings, “Your cold, dark fantasy. With your ever-breaking heart, why can’t you begin to see how it’s ending? Oh yeah. I came here to tell myself that I was ready, set, let go. I tried to fool myself”. This one reminds me so much of Envy of None’s debut album, which is an absolutely great thing. Ammy even sounds a little like Maiah Wynne, here.
“The Canary”, opens with strings and epic orchestration. It sounds magnificent. Ammy sings, “I know they set me free, but first they clipped my wings. They let me drift away, into the endless sea. She sounds so powerful and Amy Lee-like. Another of the best, most reflective songs on the album. Ammy closes it well, “Stay with me and I will take you home”.
“Run And Hide”, is an epic closer, at over 8 minutes. It is the album’s longest song. Just like the epic, I was hoping it would be. It opens with deep piano keys, and Ammy singing, “Little speck is all that I can see, all I know is the little that I understand. In retrospect it’s all quite clear to me who you are. And you’re never gonna take me alive!” Later she sings, “Run and hide, surprise this time. I will make you change your mind. In the darkness, where justice never dies. This relentless chase, you cannot run and hide. Keep the innocent from animals who lie. I’m gonna getcha there, you can’t run or hide!” The electric guitar playing and Ammy’s voice meld so well together close to the end. It is the end of an amazing album.
Ammify’s Lost, Not Hiding, is one of those perfectly made albums that comes around, maybe once in a decade. This album has everything you could possibly want from symphonic metal to cinematic caliber metal rock. The lyrics are full of feeling and emotion, and the music is clearly innovative and original. This is the kind of music I wish more metal bands were making. Deep lyrics, with a story, concept or moral behind them. Something beyond the drudgery of daily life and the fake screaming and growling you hear on other metal albums. (Celebrate Halloween at home, with family and friends, and leave it off your albums). This band talks about life and how to make it better for everyone. We need more of that in this world. Please get this album, of music produced by two, very talented musicians and singers, Ammy Phoenix and Pete Renzullo. Remember those names. I think you are going to be hearing a lot more about them, and from more than just me. Ammify, may be hard to find, but theyare definitely, Not Hiding!
Album Track List:
01. Homesick
02. Coward’s Way Out
03. The Truth Will Set You Free
04. Favourite
05. Hey! You! (Over And Over)
06. Evaporate
07. The King Of Always Wanting More
08. Fluffy Little Rats
09. Grief
10. Involuntarily Celibate
11. Ready, Set, Let Go
12. The Canary
13. Run And Hide
Part of the Warner Music and Sony Orchard Group, Wormholedeath has offices through Europe, the US, Japan, and Australia, distributing worldwide metal music, gothic metal, symphonic metal, and thrash metal.
Band Website and Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/ammifymusic
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089631400542
https://www.facebook.com/peterenzullo
https://www.facebook.com/WormHoleDeath
https://www.facebook.com/wormholedeathusa
YouTube and Music Video Links:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLOHxf1oQBZ2r6Xun8h1s6wRjnGWu-ahud