AT THE OPIUM DEN, HOLLYWOOD / MONDAY, FEB. 28, 2000

By Caren Spitler

The Opium Den is unquestionably one of Hollywood's coolest venues even though it's not on the Sunset Strip. On Monday February 27th the small venue was packed tight with people who seemed to have crawled form the woodworks to hear Amen play. When this band plays people come out to hear them, including what might look like a who's who of the music industry's talent.

How best to sum up the Amen experience in a word? "Wild," would best describe this rock journey inside the entity that is Amen. Their self-titled release on Roadrunner Records helps to cut the surface of this deep band, but only scratches the surface of their unsettling intensity. You can listen to the album and hear musically, philosophically and politically where they are coming from, but it won't prepare you for what Amen will unleash on stage.

Sonny, Paul, Tumor, Larkin, and the nearly psychotic Casey Chaos, came out to the opium Den and showed all just where they stand. They took the audience on a trip to remember. I couldn't even tell you exactly how long their set was, because I found myself completely taken over by the music and their passion. Casey Chaos, in addition to being the front man is the mastermind behind the Amen machine. All I have to say about him is… you know they say genius is closest to insanity! Chaos proving the point is barely confinable on a stage of any size and was just plain out of control on this poor excuse for a stage (it's pretty much an over grown drum riser). This is a man who can frighten you if you are fortunate enough to be too close to the stage. Casey's performance is untamed and unleashed aggression. He performs like he's releasing the demon from his soul. At one point I caught a look in his eyes that looked like a complete deranged madman. Whatever the demons are he maybe working out through his music, the outcome is a guaranteed awesome performance.

Amen plays pure, uncut and very hard rock, the way it used to be before rap melodies and low slung, down-tuned guitars began to dominate the genre now dubbed "New Metal." These boys play hard, and don't compromise the notion that all is fare in love and war… and seeing what they can do to a stage, it's looking a lot closer to war. I swear to God, each of them performs like it is the last show of their lives! Total abandon, total chaos, and total emotion. At times I found myself wondering why and how drummer Larkin even sticks around seeing the beating dealt out to his drum kit by singer Casey.

I don't know if Amen is for everyone. You may not appreciate their sound at first (since they are not rap-core clones), you may not accept their ideology, but there is no way anyone can deny the quality of this band's musicianship, or the raw intense brutality with which they deliver a performance. Watch out, because there will be more to come from this band as they begin the battle to rescue us all from "Coma America"

Visit the Amen site http://www.whoresofhollywood.com