AFI's "Sing the Sorrow" turns 20

Did I ever care for AFI? Nope, not the slightest. Eventhough their two albums prior to "Sing the Sorrow" are kept in high regard among the scene, it never clicked with me. They played solid, melodic HC/Punk but to me it was nothing to write home about. On top, I couldn't get into their Horror-/Goth-themed attitude. They were a big influence to bands like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE or THE USED and probably co-spawned the whole Goth-tinged Pop-Punk-bullshit AKA "Screamo" that came out in the 2000s. So, honestly... in their long run AFI definitely did more bad than good...

...if it wasn't for this one record here! Inspired by then-succesful Post-Hardcore-acts like THURSDAY and THRICE or the Emo-shooting stars from TAKING BACK SUNDAY and JIMMY EAT WORLD, they added a lot of similar aspects to their sound and totally reinvented themselves. Emphasis is placed on the word "add". They didn't copy those mentioned bands, rather they embed some of their elements and never buried their old style completely. You get the fast Punk-beats as well as the "oohs" and "aahs" and the whole melodic, anthemic site of them, though it wasn't nowhere near as rough and neckbreaking than on the predecessor "The Art of Drowning".

They incorporated a lot of those "modern" elements, like sensitive, reduced Emo-harmonies and melodies, some high pitched screaming and the good old Post-Hardcore-drama of the early 2000s. In fact, it was a wild blend of genres, from more gutsy, melodic Hardcore to reduced Indie/Emo, from sweet Mainstream-Pop-Punk to scream-y Post-Hardcore, from catchy to more playful, from short-and-to-the-point to slightly epic. And somehow it worked out perfectly. They felt fresh and wrote a record full of great moments, a record that flows smoothly, a record where it's impossible to pick two or three trademark songs. Yeah, the pace is that tight! Before I forget it: What was impressive was the fact, that they didn't split up all those stylistics from track to track, at times they stuffed every piece of their "new face" into a 3-minute-track!

However, "Sing the Sorrow" was a one-off, at least in my own perception. Three years later they released "Decemberunderground", a more clean and streamlined version of its predecessor. The record had its moments, but it was the beginning of the end for the rest of their discography. Without intending to shit on them or their fans, but everything they put out after "Decemberunderground" was a waste of time...

Though I'm fully aware that the "Black Sails in the Sunset"/"The Art of Drowning"-base is as strong or quite possibly even stronger than the "Sing the Sorrow"-base, their 20003-outing is their defining moment to me. Some might call it a "sellout", but to me it still comes off as "sincere". It was there in the right time at the right place, and the quality shines bright throughout.