AFI (A Fire Inside) - Sing the Sorrow

Back in 1998 the Swedish Marxist hardcore kings Refused effectively predicted the future of punk/hardcore music with their last effort, aptly named The Shape Of Punk to Come. Well received by both fans and critics alike it came to be a sort of milestone and standard of hardcore music, melding the aggression and angst characterized by punk rock but also displaying that punk was not about minimilization. The album proved that the future of punk music would be rebellion from a sonic level, that punk could encorporate tricks from different genres and in general showcase a wealth of talent in playing and songwriting.

Its been 6 years since Refused disbanded, leaving a void in the genre thats been uncapably filled by legions of pop punk bands and pretenders who not only embarrassed but bastardized the name hardcore in the process. The Korn's, the Limp Bizkits, et al. . . and those bands that did showcase talent were moving backward into retro sounds.

Sing the Sorrow came out today, 3 years in the waiting. This album is killer, it has traces of any rock genre you can imagine in it. There are moments reminscent of absolute solitude, stadium rock Van Halen style guitar solos, upbeat poppy tracks to dance too, industrial breakdowns, somber brooding chorus's, everything mainstream rock has seemed to lack lately. Talent, mainly.

Davey Havok is a lyrical genius on par with Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, haunting these tracks like a modern day Baudelaire. He says in poetic ways what hordes of others try to with an eloquence unheard of in a band that has its roots in punk rock.

I feel like I should be getting paid for this, what am I marketing? AFI is one of those bands you have to discover for yourself.

Check out the tracks:
Silver and Cold
Death of Seasons
The Great Dissapointment

 

There are a few on here that shade it in my opinion, and of course there is always "God Called In Sick Today."

 

The sellout backlash is inevitable, if there is anything I've learned from observing "punk rock kids" is that they are simply the elitist versions of the teeny boppers they so vilify. Thats why this album rocks so hard, its not punk rock at all and thus its really good.

I'm sure the album will drop out of top 20 for a while before the single hits Mtv and M2 after which it will shoot back up.

AFI has changed their sound and reinvented themselves more times than Madonna, major label or no. This step is only logical in that progression of acheiving great exciting music.

 

Bumped, bumping.

First of all, thats hardcore blasphemy. Refused were great by every standard.

Second, I have never been a real punk rock (by the modern definition) scenster so I didn't care that they went from being straight east bay punk band into a dark punk/metal gothy hybrid. In my opinion, when Davey decided to go all Glen Danzig was when it all came together. As the lyrics became melancholy and poetic the music became dark and metallic in tandem yet they kept all the chanting melodic choruses.

Third, Hot Topic is like goth Gap and should be avoided at all costs.