AFI Vinyl & CDs

Review: Originally released in 1999 and now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Black Sails In The Sunset was the fourth full-length from California hardcore-turned-horror punk heroes AFI, and is often cited as the pivotal project that signalled their sonic, career and identity shift for the decades ahead. Their first album with guitarist Jade Puget, the material marked a notable distancing from the frenetic energy of 1997's Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes, and began their long love affair with gothic romanticism, Lovecraftian lyricism and a newfound horror aesthetic. Perceived by the band and fans alike for being the work that would form the basis of their future sound, while also exuding the first glimpses of vocalist Davey Havok's prowess as a melodious songwriter, there's no more important project in the AFI canon, especially when following onto the career heights of the All Hallow's EP and The Art Of Drowning LP, which likely wouldn't have materialised if not for the creative fearlessness of Black Sails.

Review: The sixth album by American scene/screamo band AFI hears a timely 20th Anniversary reissue here. Hinting at a more gothic direction and an abandonment of their former footings in hardcore punk and horrorpunk, we hear Davey Havok and co. move through fast-paced punk and spitty vocals as ever, harking back to a much earlier time (2003) in which this genre sadly held more weight. Like a high school drama plunged into a nightmarish vampire apocalypse, the blend of sounds here are perfect for a late-night Twilight or Buffy binge - with sad piano interludes interspersed with grungey axe washouts and ruminations on hopelessness and despair.