AFI
The Missing Man


5.0
classic

Review

by Dillon T. USER (10 Reviews)
December 7th, 2018 | 514 replies


Release Date: 2018 | Tracklist

Review Summary: The Missing Man is an outstanding effort that proves AFI still have so much left to give.

AFI have never shied away from crafting new sounds and that sentiment remains true following the release of their newest EP, The Missing Man. Wasting no time at all, "Trash Bat" kicks everything off with an energetic drum fill and a brisk pace that never truly relents. An erratic instrumentation gives this fleeting song a gleefully unstable sensation and the chorus is as addictive as it is exciting. "Get Dark" joins the opener as the only other track on this release that could be considered upbeat. With a devilishly catchy chorus and a vigorous guitar solo, it's easy to see why this track was chosen as the lead single.

Moving away from the livelier sounds on display here, "Back Into The Sun" brings everything down to a somber and introspective mood. The nostalgic atmosphere it creates would not be out of place within the discography of bands like the Pixies or Smashing Pumpkins. The lyrics are suitably melancholic but not overbearingly so. The same could also be said of the title track, "The Missing Man", which is unlike anything that AFI have ever produced before. Davey Havok's poignant vocal delivery shines upon what is already a remarkable achievement for AFI.

Every member of the band gets their moment in the moonlight on this EP. From Adam Carson's excellent drum work on tracks like "Trash Bat" and "Break Angels", to Hunter Burgan's reverberating bass lines on "Get Dark", and to Jade Puget's haunting guitar work on the title track as well as the aforementioned "Break Angels". A song that sits nebulously between the bright and the bleak found elsewhere on this release. It is a song that also contains a soaring chorus which stands as a highlight among an already luminous collection of music.

Everything is held together by Jade Puget's production which is simultaneously raw and playful. There's a lot of intriguing experimentation to be found within Jade's songwriting as well. Fans of AFI's older material however, will be elated to hear plenty of call and response and gang vocals throughout these tracks, which will undoubtedly translate well to a live setting. This is AFI in top form. The Missing Man has the capacity to be both joyous and contemplative. To inspire warm exhilaration and cold detachment. Most importantly, it shows that AFI still have so much left to give after all of these years.



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user ratings (161)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
kmagnum1x
December 7th 2018


459 Comments


a 5? this aint it chief

Dewinged
Staff Reviewer
December 7th 2018


32218 Comments


I like that cover.

LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"a 5? this aint it chief"



You're right man. I should have made up some flaws to lower the meaningless number attached to my subjective review.



Sowing
Moderator
December 7th 2018


44633 Comments


Disagreeing with a score doesn't warrant a neg and there's nothing wrong with this review. I don't think it's a 5 but he's allowed to.

butcherboy
December 7th 2018


9464 Comments


"AFI have never shied away from crafting new sounds"

last i checked (been a few records, granted), they went from ripping hardcore punk badly, to ripping goth post-punk semi-decently..

Sowing
Moderator
December 7th 2018


44633 Comments


Everything is a rip of something and AFI are hardly the worst offenders

butcherboy
December 7th 2018


9464 Comments


suppose.. band are a bit poo, but pos for the review anyway.. "moment in the moonlight" is a neat turn of phrase..

Ebola
December 7th 2018


4589 Comments


Damn, Trash Bat slaps

Ebola
December 7th 2018


4589 Comments


Break Angels is a good song but good LORD that vocal production sounds like ass

LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"last i checked (been a few records, granted), they went from ripping hardcore punk badly, to ripping goth post-punk semi-decently.."



I was referring to the notion that each new AFI album has sounded different from what came before it. Save for perhaps the first two records. The extent to which their sound has changed varies but Decemberunderground is distinct from Crash Love which is distinct from The Blood Album, etc. etc.

Storm In A Teacup
December 7th 2018


46547 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

AFI are on a roll they haven't been on since the nineties and early 2000s. The last few albums are outstanding and this EP further develops the creative will of AFI to write new songs and new riffs and new productions always feeling fresh. I love this new album.

butcherboy
December 7th 2018


9464 Comments


don't know.. i may check this.. last time i tried them was giving up halfway through crash love, but both that album and december just sounded like worse versions of sing the sorrow..

LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"but pos for the review anyway.. "moment in the moonlight" is a neat turn of phrase."



Thanks, I appreciate it!

kmagnum1x
December 7th 2018


459 Comments


Disagreeing with a score doesn't warrant a neg and there's nothing wrong with this review. I don't think it's a 5 but he's allowed to.

the review is not good that warrants a neg thanks for policing me daddy

kmagnum1x
December 7th 2018


459 Comments


it's just a fanboy hot take in paragraph form using a thesaurus



LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"it's just a fanboy hot take in paragraph form using a thesaurus"



Thank you for the enlightening feedback. This will truly help me become a better writer.

kmagnum1x
December 7th 2018


459 Comments


and there's nothing wrong with being a fanboy but at least when Sowing does his Brand New release cum tornado it's well written

LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I've gotten some excellent feedback on sputnik over the years. On my very first review, someone told me that I should avoid writing in the first person. I found that I agreed with this critique. On another review, someone said it sounded like a glorified "track by track" and I took that to heart. I definitely feel as though my writing has improved thanks to this valuable feedback.



Now I've learned... never use a thesaurus and always adjust my taste to fall in line with kmagnum1x? Riveting stuff. Truly, I am blessed.

kmagnum1x
December 7th 2018


459 Comments


your attempt at being sassy is almost as ham fisted as your review

LightChaotic
December 7th 2018


401 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

"your attempt at being sassy is almost as ham fisted as your review"



Ah, so my review is awkward and clumsy, huh? I'll try to keep that in mind. Could you provide some examples of what you're talking about so that I might improve in the future?





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