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AFI
Roaring out of the East Bay area AFI (A Fire Inside) released their debut in '95, "Answer That And Stay Fashionable" on Wingnut Records (re-released on Nitro in '97). An extensive tour followed before AFI signed with Nitro Records in '96. The hardcore Punk "Very Proud Of Ya" soon dropped.
Despite the touring, recording and fan devotion, it was a track from AFI's '99 EP "All Hallows" that really helped move the group along. "Totalimmortal" was covered by Offspring (AFI had toured with Offspring, among others) for the soundtrack of the Jim Carey vehicle "Me, Myself & Irene." With all due respect to Offspring, they do a good job, but the original is more intense and driving.
Formed in the early '90s, around the vocalist Davey Havok and drummer Adam Carson, AFI started out as high school skaters making "noise in the garage" but managed, as so rarely happens, to coalescence into something worth listening to. As with any group that wants to succeed, weak links, bad attitudes and those suffering "philosophical differences" must depart. But unlike most groups, AFI handled a large part of this process after they started recording, experiencing personnel changes prior to their third album. Bassist Hunter entered the picture on "Shut Your Eyes And Open Your Mouth" in '97. Guitarist Jude Puget arrived for the '99 release, "Black Sails At Sunset." Puget also became the group's primary music writer while Havok handled the lyrics. "Art of Drowning" landed in '00 and further enhanced the group's reputation. As a successful indie band, AFI eventually attracted major label attention, namely Dreamworks Records, who released "Sing The Sorrow" in '03. End result? The group's reach extended beyond Metal rags and they actually got written up in Rolling Stone! Mainstream - mass media.
AFI returned in '06 with their 7th full-length effort, "Decemberundgeround."
A.F.I.'s blend of Goth and Punk rolls through "Decemberundergound," a potent record that, unfortunately, gets off to a slow start. The chant-like "Prelude 12/21" and the screaming "Kill Caustic" don't ignite. But things pick up noticeably with "Miss Murder," an almost cheery Punk-pop song with suicidal references. "Summer Shudder" features Havok's growling vocals and Puget's spitting guitar (sometimes they switch the spitting and growling). The '80s Wave-Rock influenced "Love Like Winter" and the intimate "37mm" sound like Depche Mode doing something interesting (if such a thing is possible). "The Missing Frame" provides some majestic moments while Hunter's bass steps out on "The Killing Lights." "Kiss And Control" sounds like a Chili Peppers ballad before going Metal while album closer "She Said Endlessly" is a slow track done in the heavy A.F.I. mode.
AFI's Dreamworks debut, "Sing The Sorrow" with speed Rocker "Bleed Black" and "Dancing Through Sunday" is excellent but the group has done better. "Black Sails At Sunset" amply demonstrates AFI's hardcore skills. "Porphyria Cutanea Tarda," "Exsanguination," "Malleus Maleficarm" and "Narrative Of Soul Against Soul" are reckless blends of high energy vocals and pulsating guitar. "The Art Of Drowning" and the EP "All Hallows" with "Totalimmortal" and the scalding "Boy Who Destroyed The World" are also recommended.
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