Review Summary: Raw, intense and emotional, one of AFI's most brilliant passages to date.
Tonight, as like many other nights, I find myself reviewing something by or connected to one of my personal favorite bands,
AFI. It seems as if I have lingered on the newer era AFI outings and that is purely coincidental. In fact I find myself sharing a good portion of time with each of the bands albums. Interestingly though I find more and more that many fans are divided when it comes to the quality of the newer albums. I myself believe this to be quite absurd. AFI are such a unique band in terms of growth it is quite foolish to have expected them to stay with the same style for more than even a couple of albums. So that is why I have grown to love
all of AFI’s albums, some more than others, and
Black Sails in the Sunset is somewhere very close to the top of that list. In fact the album scales at the edge of perfection yet perfection would have to wait just a little longer.
Through the darkness breaks the light.
Through the light unending pain.
Defy the wretched ones till the darkness comes again.
Through our bleeding.
We are one.
”Through our bleeding, we are one”. A potent meaning is attached to the very line. For those who have followed AFI for more than a few albums many see this album as a stylistic bridge. Whereas their previous three albums were primarily straightforward hardcore-punk
Black Sails shows AFI sinking more comfortably into the dark lyrics they have now become so comfortable with. The more traditional second track
” Porphyria Cutanea Tarda instantly blinds the listener with a much rawer even slightly metal influenced atmosphere. New at the time yet irreplaceable now
Jade Puget makes his mark in the form of daunting guitar progressions that fuel the angry fire. Havoks instantly noticeable wailing vocals feel positively
charged and paired with compact gang chants the entire song screams intense. A splashy drum opening breaths life to
Malleus Maleficarum, the first song Jade Puget wrote for AFI. Now the guitar is truly nothing technical but excels around every corner with pleasant crunches and swift screeching. Adam’s drumming feeds at the backbone of the song in the form of brisk and hollow sounding fills. His consistency is really something to be admired as he never steals the spotlight as the soaring choruses remain the focus of each track.
Clove Smoke Catharsis will forever and always be one of the greatest songs AFI have ever created. Hunter makes his mark early with his prominent bass playing moodily moves the song forward. While the raw elements are certainly still there it seems as if there is something truly refined about the song. It’s interesting to see the band move into slower portions with ease which was unheard of on previous albums. Havok’s lyrics are unquestionably masterful as well –
From above comes a faint smile,
A new vantage, such a view.
Familiarity, now disowned
Just sit and stare
as I walk away
walk away
watch me
It’s actually quite hard to think that this is the same band that wrote songs like
”The Secret Ninja” or
"Fishbowl”. There prominent growth into darker territory is, as I have said elsewhere, progression
not imitation. Certainly with the incision of Jade Puget something darker happened within the band. I believe that when Puget joined the band Havok’s unique potential as a vocalist and songwriter was somehow released through the sharing of each others ideas. Now this may all be speculation but it’s clear that the dark, poetic themes, while there weren’t as prominent before the new guitarist entered the band. Certainly moody guitar sequences such as on
The Prayer Position were not found before Puget and personally I could never envision the band without him. A “crunch crunch crunch” breaks open
The Last Kiss and if the title of the song is any indication the lyrics are quite emotional. In all honesty I view AFI as one of the purest and most progressively honest “emo” bands I have ever heard –
Hung in your room, swaying, hoping only that you'll see.
All by myself, I'm alone in such poor company.
The deeper I think, the deeper I seem to sink,
I can't stop the insects that are feeding,
pull the needles from beneath my skin.
The dark lyrics are intricately woven throughout Jade’s rawer guitar output but during the mid portion of the song it’s easy to see his more technical side.
At a Glance proves to be the bass standout of the album. During the middle of the song there is a slow, gloomy twisting of Hunter’s slick single notes paired with Jade’s choppier output. Thick “whoa oh oh’s” are the departing theme of the song giving it the very
AFI feel.
God Called In Sick Today closes the album on a very somber note. Plucking guitar notes and thick, swishy drum playing encase the song. Hunter can be found picking out intricate bass lines throughout the entire song and never falls into following the other instruments. The dark gang chants are again apparent and executed without flaw. The song is dark, brooding and makes you want to sing along in despair. A perfect way to send off a stunning album.
So I bring my review to a close. Yes I love this album as I do
every AFI album and while not necessarily a “classic” I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this album to anyone. Intense, pungent and emotional
Black Sails in the Sunset is a hidden gem among punk albums and not something you should miss out on.
I can't stand my laughter as they cry,
my soul brings tears to angelic eyes
and miles away my mother cried
omnipotence, nurturing malevolence.
