AFI - Black Sails In The Sunset

AFI - Black Sails In The Sunset

The fourth full length album from California punk rock group band AFI, Black Sails In The Sunset sees the band taking everything they've been building up to with previous works and makes improvements to their sound. AFI has gotten progressively heavier with their sound, while their first two albums were more melodic punk and generally poppy and upbeat in sound, the last album brought a more hardcore sound into the mix. Black Sails continues down that path while also adding a darker tone and more atmosphere than before. This album further distances itself from AFI's previous works by slowing things done a lot and adding more melodic elements and harmonies. There's even a few songs that break into ballad territory, especially the closer God Called In Sick Today. It's a different approach and it shows a much more diverse and mature side of the band.

While overall things have are handled more methodically with a slower pace, that doesn't mean this is a slow or sludgy album. The second song, Porphyria (a reference to a skin condition that classic vampires are based on) is extremely fast paced and hard hitting. It's demonstrates the transition from the previous album well. Songs like No Poetic Device and Weathered Tome have a more upbeat tempo while still being heavier songs. Show a nice blend of the old and new.

Vocally this album is a lot more diverse than before. The melodic parts are much less grating than before and actually sound smooth. Demonstrated especially well on the last song the soft vocals have gone through a significant improvement. However the transitioning from soft vocals to growling comes off a bit rough and jarring. There's really room for more improvement there, but it's nice to the hear the growth. Everything in this album is an improvement over previous work and considering it features a brand new guitarist there's certainly time for the group to grow even further and improve on the foundation laid down with this album.

 Whenever you ask an AFI fan what their favorite album is the answer always depends on when they really got into AFI. Ask someone who started listening to them after they hit the radios and made it big and you generally find the answer is Sing The Sorrow, but ask an older fan and the general consensus is Black Sails In The Sunset. As I've already mentioned personally my favorite and what I think is there best work is The Art of Drowning. Black Sails is a great album but feels more like a transitional album. It's the first album featuring the current lineup and the style gets a bit darker.It shows a ton of improvement on every front and certainly lays the ground work for what's to come. It's a must listen for any AFI fan, punk/horror punk fan, and any hard rock or post hardcore fan. However if you're looking to get into AFI I wouldn't start with this album. Listen to the others first and it'll make you appreciate this album so much more.