Amelia

Lifted from their self titled EP; let this track be your perfect introduction to Amelia. Hard hitting riffs and thunderous beats are the order of the day and provide the real excitement to the track. Sure many people will highlight the female vocal (it does add a unique sound) yet it’s the music that really get the blood racing. - Alt Dialogue - Niall Flack

Today, MetalNerd is featuring Eugene, OR duo Amelia. The all-female outfit offer a blend of melodic rock and post-hardcore that takes me back to the early 2000s but with more aggression. Frontwoman Jenn Elizabeth trades between singing and screaming vocals that are complemented by overdriven guitars and the hard-hitting drumming of the band’s other half, Tessa Breitbach.

The Amelia EP is a collection of five well-written tracks that serve as a fantastic introduction to the band. The songs are energetic and in-your-face, without sacrificing melody or losing the interest of the listener. Tessa states:

“Our music has drive, a certain energy that cultivates a raw and honest sound – one that is uniquely our own.

The EP is about individuality – never giving up on what you love – your true passion – despite any perceived obstacles. Simply, just being true to yourself.”
The band recently released a music video for their song “The Truth Is”, which you can see below. That track appears on the self-titled EP, which is available now at Ameliamerch.com, on iTunes, and Amazon. A full-stream of the EP is also available at the band’s YouTube channel. - Metalnerd - Josh Gutierrez

Amelia are a female hardcore duo made up of Jenn Elizabeth on Vocals and Tessa Breitbach on drums based out of Oregon. The duo released their latest self titled EP in the Summer of last year, releasing a video for The Truth Is this month, which you can see here.

When these songs comes together, the power they make could power a small town for a few days, with huge drum runs and grinding riffs this duo bring so much energy and attitude to these tracks as soon as the EP starts. For What It’s Worth and Let Them Fight For It, show what this band can do with a drum kit and it’s never boring, this band live must be chaos.

Jenn Elizabeth’s vocals are powerful, she has a great raw voice that storms through these tracks, and she owns it on every song, that combination of singing screaming and to an extent spoken word, on tracks such as Before The End work perfectly together, Elizabeth’s vocals working with those melodies just work incredibly well together throughout their EP. These two work incredibly well together and it shows on each song. The Truth Is makes for a great hook and makes you want to keep coming back for more, this is a great EP.

A powerful record that brings it from the moment it begins, this record is energetic and raw and if you need a band to listen to, in Amelia you have found it. Produced with Josh Schroeder who has produced some awesome records with some great bands, (The Color Morale, In Heart’s Wake) and Amelia is certainly joins them. Let Them Fight For It and For What’s It Worth are highlights but there’ is not a weak track here.

9/10. - Thinking Lyrically - Victoria Caswell

Fueled by passionate musicianship, Jenn Elizabeth’s (vocals/guitar) and Tessa Breitbach’s (drums) collaboration forged the rock/hardcore band, Amelia. With their energetic sound just breaking the horizon, the band based out of Oregon, stands to become an inspirational staple to the current music scene.

In March 2015, the band ventured to Michigan to record their first EP “Ameila” with producer Josh Schroeder. After a well-received release of their self-titled album, the band is ramping up the momentum with their premiere tour kicking off October 1st in Chicago, IL.

Hauntingly stark lyrics paired with an aggressive musical style are the driving forces behind the west coast band. “Our music has drive,” Tessa states, “a certain energy that cultivates a raw and honest sound – one that is uniquely our own.”

Amelia’s focus is on creating more than just an aggressively unparalleled sound, but a distinct voice. Jenn articulates the theme illustrated throughout the album, “The EP is about individuality – never giving up on what you love – your true passion – despite any perceived obstacles. Simply, just being true to yourself. - UnRated Magazine - Adam Zubowicz

Hardcore rock n' rollers, literally, Amelia has combined these two genres of hardcore, mixed in with rock n' roll, to create a style of their very own. Thus, their Self-Titled EP was created, plus the addition of a single and a video for "The Truth Is", off the EP was released, the single and video alone, enclose what can be found upon this release. Other songs noted includes "Before The End", and "Let Them Fight For It", which bring out an expressive amount of passion, aggression, and pride, in hard hitting music. The instruments and vocal chords work well with one another, each clashing together if you will, as the lyrics, trail along, bringing it altogether. This band and debut EP is just a solid mix match of material, that really takes you in as a listener, giving you an unforgivable listening experience. - Natalie Perez

What’s new in the world of Amelia?
We’re filling up our calendar for regional shows and a few tours! Excited to get on the road and play new places, meet new people.

– How was it recording your EP The Truth Is? Must have been fun to do?
It was awesome recording the EP! We traveled to Bay City, Michigan to record with legendary producer Josh Schroeder (King 810, The Color Morale, In Hearts Wake etc.). Josh was able to capture the raw sound we wanted, having recorded our equipment without the use of digital effects. We just wanted to portray the sound people will experience live. We’re stoked with how it came out!

– Who’s idea was it for the artwork concept on the EP?
Tessa came up with the idea for the pocket watch. It symbolizes time being in our hands, and lyrically the whole EP emphasizes the fact that this is our time to make our dreams come to life.

– How do you build a song up from nothing to become something?
Our songs are all about feel. Every song starts from a riff or two that I felt portrayed my emotions at the time. From there the songs just building piece by piece, sometimes a whole song writes itself in a day or two. I don’t always feel in control of when the writing happens, because I don’t force it. Tess is the same on her drums. Once I’ve got a structure down on guitar, she starts working on her interpretation of the riffs. We both write from feeling. Then last I’ll start thinking up vocal melodies and lyrics, all of which I feel the sound of the song dictates the direction the vocals go in. It’s a fun process.

– Do you have any tours coming up in the near future?
We do! We have a few shows here in the Pacific Northwest in March. April and May we’re planning on playing through California and the Southwest. So we’re excited to get out there!

– Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?
Touring is awesome. It’s a ton of driving, but that’s part of why it’s fun. It’s a constant road trip. We get to see new places or revisit places we’ve had a great time in. But I’d say, the people we meet is the best part. Genuine musicians and people who dig our music, everyone had a cool story. We’re thankful to have the opportunity to get out there and share our story too.

– What’s your take on the sex appeal in the music industry? Is it as important for men and women?
Sex appeal is always going to be something that is a part of the music industry. Talent is sexy, ambition is sexy. So anytime there’s talent and ambition, it’s going to be sexy. haha. Doesn’t matter if it’s men or women. It is unique that we’re women playing heavier music, but I hope one day it doesn’t stand out as much as it does now.

– What would we be surprised to find in your music collection at home?
I listen to a lot of RnB, and even some country.. so I bet that’s a little bit of a surprise. Tess is a huge Green Day, Foo Fighters and Nirvana fan.

– Where do you see music in general going in 100 years from now?
Technology is becoming a bigger part of songwriting. So maybe there will be a more digitized sound, but I hope acoustics stay a huge part of songwriting. Maybe song structuring will progress a bit more. I’m a big prog metal fan and they’re always pushing the limits. More of that would be rad. - Jason Saulnier