AFI - The Art Of Drowning
So imagine if time didn't exist and everything was happening all at once. Imagine Edgar A. Poe meeting up with Danzig from The Misfits and deciding to form a band with Tim Burton. It would sound a lot like The Art Of Drowning. AFI's previous work Black Sails In The Sunset demonstrated a much deeper, more poetic, darker, and methodical approach to hardcore punk. Bringing in Gothic elements and a slower paced moody sound to their already established no-holds-barred hardcore, the album was a high point in their career. This album takes it even further, fully embracing the horror elements and much slower pace explored in Black Sails.
Almost every element of this album is AFI at their best. The lyrics are poetic, dark, and haunting. Edgar Poe would have been proud. Full of macabre imagery and elements out of classic horror novels, it's sure to paint a vivid picture inside your mind. Stories of loss, lament, vampires, cold winters, are delivery by Davey Havok so elegantly. He has a true talent for conveying the lyrics through his vocals. Not to mention he excels at swinging from bellowing moans to low growls to high notes, this is a range hinted at but never fully realized in previous albums.
Jade Puget's guitar work is the perfect compliment to Davey's voice. They even come off just as vividly and will stick in your mind long after the songs have finished. From mellow stretched out guitar whines to fast pulsing pure punk rifts the diversity is to be commended on this album. Finishing off this gloomy picture of sound are driven bass lines courtesy of Hunter and widely varied drum beats from Adam. The song structure has also been improved over previous works. Nothing is really straight forward about how any of the songs develop. You never know what to expect next and it's really a never ending wonder.
This is an album that will get into your head and stay there. Deep, dark, poetic lyrics will paint a picture in your mind while the intense instrumentals will help bring that image to life. It really is a diverse album, not only within the confines of the genre but in general. Ranging from brief, rough, hardcore hits that strike fast and leave your brain wondering what happened, to haunting, mellow, ballads that will have you stirring with emotion. It's a culmination of everything AFI has been working to up until this point. It could use an extra layer of polish and at times is a bit rough but that ends up being part of it's charm. Diverse, vivid, eerie, and memorable, AFI have reached the top of the pyramid with this album, it's a must listen for AFI fans, for punk fans, for horror fans, and for music fans in general.
Almost every element of this album is AFI at their best. The lyrics are poetic, dark, and haunting. Edgar Poe would have been proud. Full of macabre imagery and elements out of classic horror novels, it's sure to paint a vivid picture inside your mind. Stories of loss, lament, vampires, cold winters, are delivery by Davey Havok so elegantly. He has a true talent for conveying the lyrics through his vocals. Not to mention he excels at swinging from bellowing moans to low growls to high notes, this is a range hinted at but never fully realized in previous albums.
Jade Puget's guitar work is the perfect compliment to Davey's voice. They even come off just as vividly and will stick in your mind long after the songs have finished. From mellow stretched out guitar whines to fast pulsing pure punk rifts the diversity is to be commended on this album. Finishing off this gloomy picture of sound are driven bass lines courtesy of Hunter and widely varied drum beats from Adam. The song structure has also been improved over previous works. Nothing is really straight forward about how any of the songs develop. You never know what to expect next and it's really a never ending wonder.
This is an album that will get into your head and stay there. Deep, dark, poetic lyrics will paint a picture in your mind while the intense instrumentals will help bring that image to life. It really is a diverse album, not only within the confines of the genre but in general. Ranging from brief, rough, hardcore hits that strike fast and leave your brain wondering what happened, to haunting, mellow, ballads that will have you stirring with emotion. It's a culmination of everything AFI has been working to up until this point. It could use an extra layer of polish and at times is a bit rough but that ends up being part of it's charm. Diverse, vivid, eerie, and memorable, AFI have reached the top of the pyramid with this album, it's a must listen for AFI fans, for punk fans, for horror fans, and for music fans in general.
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