AFI – ‘Silver Bleeds The Black Sun’ (RFC Records)

AFI – ‘Silver Bleeds The Black Sun’ (RFC Records)

Those in the know have been enjoying Davey and the lads leaning further and further into their 80s Goth tinged influences for some time now. No redundant modern catch-all Post Punk labelling here. AFI will always be the real deal. Stark guitars married with lush synths, balancing the brighter moments with the crucial doom and gloom. You’d think Steve Lilleywhite and Flood were behind the desk.

Following upon 2012’s tremendous Bodies was never going to be a simple exercise. Which in itself was also a love letter to 80s counter culture and dark aesthetics. But Silver Bleeds the Black Sun is right up there, shoulder to shoulder.

Opening with the galloping Bunnymen-esque “the Bird of Prey”, urgent, dreamy and anthemic all at once. “Behind the Clock” is a much different animal all together, heavier and pummeling, but with a groove so infectious it’s devastating when it ends. “Holy Visions” is a dancier number, exquisite guitars, the sound landing somewhere between A Flock of Seagulls and Ministry.

Although some of the styles and influences on the record can be quite apparent, this does not make what AFI are doing redundant or generic. It still has a twist uniquely their own and a distinct signature as well as the fingerprints of all the impactful artists when creating the sound to the record without being too obvious or unoriginal.

Credit as always, needs to be given to guitarist Jade Puget. A game changer for the band’s output since joining and always helping raise the game record after record. “Ash Speck in a Green Eye” offers up sublime guitar lines and a fast paced rhythm akin to overlooked 80s outfit the Sound. Leading on to the rapid “Voidward, I Bend Back”, the dark textured guitar is married to a rattling bass that takes command of your very being.

It’s a record that gets better and better with every listen. Being rounded out with the dark and brooding “A World Unmade”. With the slow and pensively (almost) spoken word vocals, reminiscent of The The’s Matt Johnson. Final track “Nooneunderground” is a screeching Deathrock anthem, at times giving the odd Punk Rock nod to their past. Just when you thought it was safe to pack away the Halloween decorations.

Another stellar record from a band that simply refuses to be pigeonholed. Thirty years into their career, they are constantly adapting and adding new facets to how they are perceived. 

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Author: Dan Kasm

AFI – ‘Bodies’ (Rise Records)

AFI – ‘Bodies’ (Rise Records)
Checking out what feels like the my first listen of an AFI album in over fifteen years, it seems this Warped Tour caterpillar has come out of the cocoon a full on goth death’s head moth with layers of lush 80s pop to boot. Finally completing the inevitable metamorphosis they began at the turn of this century.
AFI always seem to have a bit of a mixed legacy, somewhat down to their Hardcore roots and their association with Dexter Holland’s Nitro label. The band has come a long way since then and doesn’t get the credit which is due to them a lot of the time. The group has a strong stakehold in the dark 80s revival of the early noughties, making waves long before Emo raised it’s fringed head. Perhaps a classic problem for this bands place in the world: Too young and fresh for the original Misfits fiends and too much like the old guard for the younger Emotionally Melodic Hardcore ones.
Album number 11 kicks off with Banshees tinged number ‘twisted tongues’ with everything from the urgent drum beats to the stirring guitar lines, setting up the listener for this tour de force of goth emblazoned post punk. If there were any trepidation in the groups genuineness, track two completely kicks the doors down. Sounding like a forgotten relic from the Modern English back catalogue coupled with the irresistible singalong vocal delivery of frontman Davey Havok.

The band manages to dip it’s toe into more mainstream waters whilst maintaining their integrity, particularly with some cleaner production and electronic beats. Imagine the Killers during their more respectable runs had a creative epiphany when listening to a shit load of Bauhaus.
The main takeaway from this record is that the band has clearly shown growth without losing identity. The album is accessible without compromise and the band has shown different angles of their sound without falling into pitfalls or being pigeonholed. The strength of songs such as ‘no eyes’ and ‘looking tragic’, the brooding of tracks ‘back from the flesh’ and ‘tied to a tree’ show the potential to reach a whole new audience who may have put AFI in a box a long time ago without considering the groups ability to adapt within their skill set.
I for one have been pleasantly surprised by Bodies and cannot wait to coerce my friends into rolling the dice on this not so hidden gem. Give it a listen and surprise yourself. You’ve got nothing to lose.
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Author: Dan Kasm