SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AFI – BLACK SAILS IN THE SUNSET (25th ANNIVERSARY REISSUE)

AFI
BLACK SAILS IN THE SUNSET (25th ANNIVERSARY REISSUE)
CRAFT RECORDINGS

When it comes to one of the most intelligent and unique bands in the music industry, how does one come to talk about such a prestigious album that would be the gateway to such success? When looking back at AFI’s Black Sails In The Sunset, such a gravid release would usher in the band’s dramatic, catchy, raw, poetic, and powerful sound that would continue to permeate their other releases afterward. While the band is known for their atypical growth throughout their career, one can’t deny that such an impactful sound that has morphed and changed over the years started with Black Sails In The Sunset. Such an album straddles the knife edge of perfection simply because the first hints of AFI’s true musical nature are actualized here and are beautifully accented on the 25th-anniversary special vinyl reissue. Featuring all the favorites that would begin to cultivate a bigger following for the iconic band, the gorgeous vinyl features three bonus tracks: the previously unreleased kinetic moments, “Weight of Words,” rarity “Who Knew?” (originally issued as a Japanese B-side) and the spry, and robust, vintage-punk vinyl-exclusive, “Lower It”.

In the opening tracks of Black Sails In The Sunset, AFI effectively combines powerful and energetic instrumentals with dark and brooding lyrics. This unique blend of punchy musicality and tenebrous lyricism would define the band’s style for their future works, setting a new standard for their artistic evolution. Songs like “Porphyria” on Black Sails In The Sunset marked a noticeable lyrical shift from their previous works. Agile and full of vitality, experiences like this show a new and improved Davey Havok emerging for the first time. Such lyrical treasures at the time were something new to AFI’s growth within their careers. Very Proud Of Ya was an album that embraced the band’s funnier tendencies, while Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes would dive into angrier tides. This album signaled the band’s growing comfort with embracing and exploring this darker musical direction, setting the stage for what’s to come on the album as they set sail to depart from the shores of their standard punk-rock hardcore essence and into brave new territory.

After the intense and haunting beauty of “Exsanguination,” AFI presents “Malleus Maleficarum,” a standout track on the album. This song showcases AFI’s mastery and innovation, highlighting the band’s evolution and unique identity within the album. “Malleus Maleficarum” is a powerful, high-pressure composition that masterfully builds up tension, eventually releasing it in a cathartic chorus before gradually fading away, painting an impactful picture of instrumentation and compelling lyrics that truly define the captivating sound of Black Sails In The Sunset.

More adrenaline-infused energies continue to flow through “Narrative Of Soul Against Soul. A double chorus line is used to great effect in both of these songs, which are a spiritual successor to popular songs like “A Single Second” and maintain the same upbeat energy throughout, setting the stage for yet another album head-turner.

“Clove Smoke Catharsis” is one of the most emotionally dramatic tracks on the record. An audio experience drenched in melancholy and deep grungy reverbs, AFI displays a rare form of grittiness that still makes it a real treat to listen to.

Songs like “The Prayer Position”, “No Poetic Device”, and “The Last Kiss” proceed to display the band’s heavy emphasis on rhythm and distinct percussive and guitar riff changes that cling to Davey Havok’s rare melodic, raw-throated vocals like a glove as the album starts to wind down with “At A Glance”.

“At A Glance” stands out for its crafty use of duality within its high-octane guitar riffs paired with its melodic sections sewn into the aggressive musical frame of the record. In many ways, this is the perfect near closer, as it displays all of AFI’s blossoming talents that many would see grow into vastly larger, darker, atmospheric, versions of these tracks.

“God Called In Sick Today” is a gorgeous closer that continues to embody everything this band is and continues to be many years later. Climactic and restive at the same time, such a dynamic number perfectly closes off a chapter of one of AFI’s greatest times in their careers.

Black Sails In The Sunset is more than a reflective change in the band’s career. It’s an exceptional album that shows its creative teeth and sense of audacity in all the right places. A raw and profound sound that dances around one the most unique minds and charismatic vocal talents in the rock industry, Black Sails In The Sunset effectively switches creative territories without ever truly saying goodbye to the roots that brought them here. It’s one of the main reasons why this album continues to be a mark of success within their career and one that fans will fondly look back at as one of the most successful crosses into another chapter in a band’s sound to date.

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