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Interview With The Amity Affliction’s Ryan Burt: “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else”

4th August 2016

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Back amongst the rain and mud that was the 2016 Download Festival, Rock Sins was lucky enough to be able to catch up with Ryan Burt, drummer for Australian metalcore favourites The Amity Affliction. On the agenda was various festival activities, the bands’ new album and various other things, so read on for exactly what Ryan had to say…

This is Jamie from Rock Sins and I’m here with Ryan from The Amity Affliction, how are you sir?
Ryan: I’m good, very very good, we seem to have just about dodged the rain, but I think it’s coming back *laughs*

I thought Australian’s were supposed to bring the good weather with them! Hopefully it’ll be OK for your set a little later today.
Ryan: Knowing our luck it’ll be absolutely pissing it down! *laughs*

This is the second time you’ll have played Donington, first time was three years ago, and you guys have moved up in the world a little bit since then, have you been looking forward to it?
Ryan: Oh man I’m so stoked. We missed out on Rock AM Ring earlier this week…
RS: We heard about that, was that due to some absolutely crazy weather?
Ryan: On our day it was just the three headliners and the next day the entire festival was cancelled. We got to play Rock Im Park, but this is the big one, bigger stage than last time, we’re really excited.

You were only in the UK a couple of weeks ago to play the Slam Dunk triple header of festivals, was that an enjoyable weekend for the band?
Ryan: It was fun but it was a totally different vibe to it, I think the audience is quite different to here. But this is the big one that everybody knows, if you say in Australia you’re playing Download Festival everyone knows exactly what it is.

Your new single, I Bring The Weather With Me has just recently been released and the new album (This Could Be Heartbreak) is coming in August,.It’s something you’ve been working on for some time now, are you all happy with the end result?
Ryan: Very happy. It’s the old cliche everyone always says the new one is the best thing we’ve ever done but I really do think this is the best. The single has been out for a few weeks now I think and that’s been really well received, so we’re happy.

Because Let The Ocean Take Me was so well received by so many people here and at home in Australia and in America and all over the world, did you guys feel the pressure of trying to deliver the follow up to that?
Ryan: There is pressure, we’ve had that in Australia for awhile really. I’m not sure what I think about it to be honest, I think just to write songs that we want to listen to.

Have you done anything differently this time around for the recording process; do you write in the studio together or do you all come in armed with ideas?
Ryan: We write separately. Dan and I write the songs, we know our parts and we bring them together in the end. We’ll then move onto pre-production in the studio. We’ve had the same producer for the last three records so we have a very good relationship with him. We didn’t really do anything different but it’s been a little bit more relaxed this time, we did it in Melbourne and it was all very relaxed, so it was good.

It looks like once the album out you’re going to have a very busy schedule, you’ve just announced that you’re coming back to the UK at the end of the year for your biggest tour here so far..
Ryan: Man, once the new album drops it never ends *grins*, not for the next two years anyway.
RS: Hopefully you class that as a good thing…
Ryan: Oh it’s a great thing. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

That tour will mean you’ve spent quite a lot of time here between Download, Slam Dunk, the upcoming tour and last years’ Never Say Die which I understand was another success for you.
Ryan: It’s becoming our second home pretty much, between here and America. But I like it here more, no offence Americans *laughs*. But it’s good, we’ll be going back to the States, that was announced recently and then we’ll be straight back here after that.

When do you return you’ll be in good company with Northlane…
Ryan: Yeah man, it’s the invasion *laughs*, we’re quite good at that. It’ll be fun, we like the Northlane guys. Stray From The Path I think are on too, I’m not sure I’m not too good with all the different line ups *laughs loudly*. But it’ll be a good time for sure.

One last question, which is a bit of a Rock Sins tradition. Are you a Simpsons fan?
Ryan: I am!
RS: Who is your favourite Simpsons character?
Ryan: Man, that is tough. You know the other day I was looking at this poster and it had every character on it who’d ever been on The Simpsons. I’m gonna say Duffman. Especially the one where he isn’t Duffman anymore, I love it *laughs*.

The Amity Affliction’s new album, This Could Be Heartbreak, is released on the 12th of August through Roadrunner Records. Details of their upcoming UK tour can be found below: