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DECEMBERUNDERGROUND

AFI

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Album Review

AFI is a band lucky to own fiercely loyal fans who embrace — and ultimately expect — the gradual transformation the band has undergone with each album since 1999's Black Sails in the Sunset. Where many bands get called out for signing to a major label or even just maturing their sound over time, AFI fans have chiefly stayed devoted to their ever-evolving goth-punk heroes. With that in mind, Decemberunderground comes as AFI's follow-up to their ambitious major-label smash Sing the Sorrow. Due to the clever production tricks employed on that album, fans might expect even more intricate arrangements, sound effects, and sonic landscapes to emerge from the wintry packaging of Decemberunderground. To an extent this is true, but it's more that the cloudy gloom permeating their career thus far has lifted, allowing a relatively tighter and lighter overall album to emerge. Take the band's traditional prelude for instance: this time it's infused with stirring strings and an uplifting dance-pop beat that is a far cry from the dark and eerie call-to-arms chants of previous albums. And though "Kill Caustic" (and later "Affliction") brings AFI's earlier hardcore punch, if you thought "Girl's Not Grey" was poppy, check out this record's lead single, "Miss Murder." Despite a slightly ominous undertone, the glam-tinged song is damn near playful and sunny amid bouncy rhythms, vaguely industrial beats, background "hey!"s (courtesy of AFI's fan brotherhood, the Despair Faction), and a bassline that could have been swiped from Green Day. The band further dips its hand into new wave exploits ("37mm"), truly stirring choruses ("Summer Shudder"), stark electro vibrations ("Love Like Winter"), and the customary ballad ("Endlessly, She Said"). AFI even comes as close as they probably ever will to sounding like U2 in "The Missing Frame." Somehow, the guys have managed to combine hardcore instincts with dark emo-coated lyrics, synth shimmies, gothic aesthetics, and electronic beats into a sound that still remains wholly AFI. So maybe that's why fans have stuck by the band over all these years. Even as the guys stretch and flex their songwriting muscles, they never fail to remember where they came from, instead using their past work as the foundation to their essential growth. Decemberunderground may have more fully realized doses of pop and electronic music present, but the core of AFI's sound never strays too far from what listeners have grown to love about them in the first place.

Customer Reviews

Just so y'all know....

I get this sneaking suspicion that a ceratin segment of you writing these reviews are real big Fall Out Boy and/or Hawthorne Heights and/or "insert generic post/dance punk act here". Whether this album is considered good, bad or otherwise by these folks is of no interest to me and only serves to skew the ratings made by fans with solid music taste (i.e. listen to bands for more than 2 weeks before retiring their CD next to old N'Sync, P!nk and Will Smith albums). No offense, its just the unfortunate way of things I guess. A.F.I. are a tight band, but not for the reasons that most of you profess them to be. Yes, A.F.I.'s sound has changed to fit a little snugger inside the "post punk/gothic punk" box, and because of this, an unfortunate number of radio-slurping, top-40 worshipping johnny-come-lately's have come out of the woodwork to profess they've been fans all along (when most STILL can't tell me what the acronym A.F.I. even means)...somewhat sad, but it pays A.F.I.'s bills I guess....so I guess they've got that going for them. I would definately recommend this album, but I say this because I respect A.F.I's right to change and mature as a band, not because they've gotten all My Chemical Romance on us. Wearing eye makeup and singing angsty and/or murderous lyrics not a good album make, but paying your dues and staying true to your natural progression as artists does....and for this reason, I still dig A.F.I.

One Word : SICK

AFI has been through many phases through their career. From pure punk to a symphonic sound they have been blastin through my headphones since 98'. This new album DECEMBERUNDERGROUND, is alot more complex than their other albums. The first track "Prelude12/21" is an awesome opening. It gets you so pumped up and ready to hear the next songs. Their first single off the cd "Miss Murder" is beyond amazing. By far their best song yet. It's very hard to classify AFI. They give you alot of everything with this album and I love every bit of it. For all AFI fans, new and old, this has got to be in your cd collection!

This Record Has Hell Frozen Over

V=Vocals G=Guitar D=Drums F=Final Score 1. Prelude 12/21 V: 9 G: None D: None F: 9 This prelude is actually an amazing prelude. The vocals are amazing and the chimes are perfect for the snow theme of this album. There’s no guitar and no drums I think, cymbals are the only thing and clapping. The strongest part of this song is where everyone is singing. 2. Kill Caustic V: 7.5 G: 8.5 D: 8 F: 8 The vocals in this song are powerful and mostly Davey is screaming. The guitar is pretty good in chorus and the beginning. Overall this is a pretty powerful and dark song. The guitar in the bridge is pretty good too. The strongest part of this song is probably the chorus. 3. Miss Murder V: 9 G: 9.5 D: 9 F: 9.2 This is the first single from AFI on “DECEMBERUNDERGROUND”. The vocals in the chorus are pretty powerful and the guitar is great. The guitar in the verse is my favorite in the song. The bridge is where Davey gets very dark and screams the end of the bridge. The strongest part of this song is the chorus. 4. Summer Shudder V: 9 G: 9 D: 9 F: 9 This song was picked to be a song on a recent football game for xbox or xbox 360. I really like this song. The chorus is my favorite part. The vocals are great and the “Oh!” on the choruses is great. After the second chorus you hear dialing on a phone and I don’t now why but I think it’s pretty cool. The bridge is the chorus with no instruments which sounds great. The strongest part of this song is the chorus. 5. The Interview V: 8.5 G: 8.5 D: 8.5 F: 8.5 I love the beginning where the guitar is being played softly and you hear Davey echoing in the background. The echoing lyrics in this song are amazing. This is one of the slower songs for AFI but it’s amazing. The verse has great vocals and the chorus has good guitar and solid vocals. Overall, the song is mysterious. The strongest part of this song is the verses. 6. Love Like Winter V: 9.5 G: 10 D: 9 F: 9.5 This is probably my favorite song off the album. It was my favorite before it was even announced to be a single. It’s the second single. You hear footsteps in the beginning and then Davey begins singing. The drums in this song are so fit for a winter scene. The chorus has the best guitar in the whole album and the vocals are amazing. The bridge is short but slowly goes into the last chorus. I recommend buying the music video on iTunes because it fits the song so perfectly. The strongest part of this song is the chorus. 7. Affliction V: 8 G: 8.5 D: 8 F: 8.2 The guitar is pretty good at certain parts in this song. The vocals are similar to “Kill Caustic” because a lot of it is screaming. I really like the bridge, the guitar in it is so dark. The vocals are very good in the bridge too. The strongest part of this song is the bridge. 8. The Missing Frame V: 8.5 G: 8.5 D: 9 F: 8.7 The beginning of this song is great with the drums and the guitar, they fit so perfectly together. I love the guitar riffs in this song too. The drums are so catchy in every spot. The verse is catchy and just great to listen to. The chorus involves some new vocals and drums that use the cymbals in a good way. The guitar in the bridge is the best, it’s just great. The strongest part of this song is the verses or the bridge. 9. Kiss and Control V: 7.5 G: 8 D: 8 F: 7.8 The beginning of this song where the guitar is fading in sounds so mysterious and creates a certain suspense. The verse is so dark and the vocals are so low. The chorus just explodes and Davey screams and the guitar is so heavy. The guitar in the bridge starts off pretty good. Davey screams a couple times in the bridge. He also speaks in the bridge which sounds so cool because when he says “death” it like stutters itself. The strongest part of this song is where Davey speaks. 10. The Killing Lights V: 9.5 G: 8.5 D: 8 F: 8.7 The beginning is catchy with the guitar and you hear Davey moan once. The verse is so quiet and builds up so much for itself. The chorus is awesome because it reminds me of a Fall Out Boy song and just sounds great with the song. The strongest part of this song is the chorus. 11. 37mm V: 8.5 G: 8 D: 9 F: 8.5 The beginning of this song is so mysterious before the spine shivering vocals come in. The verse is so mysterious and dark. The chorus is a bit higher but still dark. The drums in this song fit the darkness of it all when you hear it. The bridge has catchy vocals. I love the little chimes in the second verse if you listen closely. The strongest part of this song is the verse. 12. Endlessly, She Said V: 8.5 G: 9 D: 8.5 F: 8.7 The beginning of this song reminds me of a nursery rhyme that’s frightening in a horror story. The guitars come in and it gives the song a lot of depth. This is another slow ballad from AFI. The song is so dark sometimes which gives me goose bumps but sometimes it so hardcore with the guitar and vocals put together with the drums. The song has the same tone and it doesn’t stay a slow ballad for the whole song. The strongest part of this song is the beginning probably.

Biography

Formed: 1991 in Ukiah, CA

Genre: Alternative

Years Active: '90s, '00s, '10s

Although they didn't reach platinum status until 2003, hardcore punk revivalists AFI originally formed in 1991, when the band's four founding members — vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Markus Stopholese, bassist Vic Chalker, and drummer Adam Carson — were attending high school in Ukiah, CA. Chalker was replaced by Geoff Kresge after eight months, and the band played several local gigs and released a split 7", Dork, with fellow Ukiah natives Loose Change (a band that incidentally included...
Full Bio

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