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GREY DAZE
Amends
Loma Vista Recordings

Since the passing of Chester Bennington, I felt there was a huge void missing in the rock 'n roll world. Things were not the same without his throat punching screams to continue to blow the minds of the millions of worldwide hardcore fans (including myself). That void was filled instantly when I heard Amends, a special part of his past with his originally formed Arizona based band GREY DAZE.

Amends is every Bennington fan’s dream since his devastating passing in 2017. This album is exactly what we have all been missing of the great Chester and waiting for since the moment GREY DAZE announced the continuance of the anticipated upcoming album they were all fiercely working on.

I told myself I wasn’t going to turn this review into a sappy story of how Chester changed my life in so many ways growing up, and I’m still not going to get into all that, but I will say I, along with so many others, truly have him to thank for the helping hand in changing the way people cope with depression, anxiety, and other mental issues. He gave us courage and hope through his lyrics and oh-so powerful voice, and even brought me along with so many others into the rock and metal world. Honestly, I appreciate music more because of him. I pay attention to every detail in every song because of him. I came out in the past of my struggles with depression when I was a KID… because of him. So yes, you can say, I am one of the rejects born in the 90s who grew up as a typical punk kid revolving their world around music and all things Chester/LINKIN PARK and I will forever without a doubt have them tattooed in my heart (and on my forearm LOL).

Amends portrays the struggles of life and simply just state of mind around the late singer and I feel that makes it even more raw, intense, and powerful to listen to. It definitely makes you feel a certain type of way and makes you see more clearly the struggles he constantly went through in each and every word throughout the album. “A lot of the stuff he was talking about twenty years ago in these lyrics is really relevant to what happened and our current times,” exclaims Sean. “One of the things that’s abundantly clear when you listen to this record is his emotional intensity on every single word. There’s sadness, pain, aggression, and anger. Every bit of emotion he’s trying to portray is believable. The fact we got to re-track our parts around his vocals was an amazing experience. It was really cool to play with my best friend again.”

Amends takes you back to the original roots of Chester’s success, consisting of 11 heart wrenching songs that truly knots up your stomach every time you press play but at the time makes you feel that little piece of happiness just to hear Chester’s voice again. Each song flowed perfectly into the next one and kept you hanging on more. Mace Beyers, Sean Dowdell, and Cristin Davis did amazing job with developing Amends along with all the special guest who played their part into making it flawless and soul grabbing. It’s obvious how difficult it was without Chester but they didn’t lose hope in making it a success and sure as hell pulled it off in an unpredicted timely-manner for each and every fan, all around the globe. I truly believe Chester would absolutely be proud of Amends. Each song has its own meaning to me, and they are all intensely emotional to even begin to describe, but I will say my top favorites are "B12", "Just Like Heroin", and "She Shines". You’ll see for yourself when you take the time to listen to this album. Prepare for a roller coaster ride of emotions, as you will definitely experience that listening to Amends.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

Check out the Krystie's exclusive interview with Mace Beyers HERE.