Search - A.F.I. :: Sing the Sorrow

High energy, high quality, highly addictive

Nemo Daison | Tupelo, MS | 09/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Leaving Nitro, and signing with Dreamworks, AFI changes their style somewhat and not for the worst. Thought to have sold out by many of their long-time hard core fans, AFI enters new territory on their musical journey with Sing the Sorrow. AFI has done anything but "sell out." I've been a fan since Black Sails in the Sunset, and this album did not dissapoinment me in the least. It's true their first single, "Girl's Not Grey," is probably their most radio friendly song ever, but it's still AFI and it definetly isn't anything close to pop. These guys have been around a while now, and they're finally getting the respect and recognition they deserve.This entire cd is simply incredible. Every song is outstanding. The lyrics are great and Davey delivers them beatutifully with high emotion, making you forget everything but the music. I can't recommend this cd highly enough. AFI owns. It begins with "Miseria Cantare- The Beginning." An opening with Davey proclaiming "you are now one of us." Then "The Leaving Song Pt 2" which is the second single and one of my favorite songs on the cd. "break down and cease all feeling...burn now what once was breathing...reach out, and you may take my heart away." Awesome. Couldn't stop singing this one for months. "Bleed Black" is more upbeat, and Davey screams through much of the song. "Silver and Cold" is one of the slower songs on the album. It's neat. "Dancing Through Sunday" is probably the fastest song of all and Davey yells most of the song. Very awesome. "Girl's not Grey" is the first single, and the song that opened many people's eyes to AFI whom had never heard of the band before. Good song, but not one my favorites personally. "Death of Seasons" seems to be an album favorite for many, with Davey yelling through the verses and beautifully singing the chorus - "I watch the stars as they fall from the sky. I held a fallen star and it wept for me. I feel the fallen stars encircle me now as they cry." - some of my favorite lyrics from the album. "The Great Disappointment" is one of my favorite songs. The line "While I waited I was wasting away" is very catchy, and carries the song. "Paper Airplanes (Makeshift wings)" is simply amazing and is high energy from beginning to end. Very awesome song. "This Celluloid Dream" is another of my favs, beginning with Davey's signature "oh." I really like Jade's guitar on this track, and I found myself singing this one a lot. "The Leaving Song" is soft and slow, but the lyrics are great and this song shows just how great Davey Havok's voice is to listen to. "...But Home is Nowhere" is the last song, and there is a lot of yelling in this one. Also, "This Time Imperfect" is at the end as the hidden track, and it's soft and slow.Really, after listening to this cd for months, I have to say that this is AFI at their best."

This is amazing, but don't try to categorize it

H. Case | Michigan | 09/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is it punk? Is it goth? Alternative? Metal? Play this CD for 10 different people and I bet few of them will agree on how to categorize it. And that's one of the things that makes it great. If you were an AFI fan from their early days of three-chord songs on Answer That and Stay Fashionable, then this likely wouldn't appeal to you. This is not punk in the sense that their earlier CDs were (and yes, I have heard them). But the punk influence is still there, particularly in the vocals on "but home is nowhere" and "Bleed Black." To someone who only listens to pop on the radio, they would think this is punk. To someone who thinks Crass is real punk, they obviously wouldn't. If you look through the one-star reviews, a lot of them are from people who are mad that AFI "sold out" to sign to a major label and no longer sounds like they did when they were writing about breakfast cereal. Nor is this goth, per se, but if you only read the lyric sheet and looked at a photo of the band in this era, you might assume they are goth.



Okay, on with the review: this CD is amazing. I grew up listening to old punk and goth, and yet my days of wanting to listen to those exclusively are mostly over. Life has gotten too complicated for me to invest time and energy into being concerned with categorization or "selling out." AFI appeals to that part of me that liked those styles of music, because I can still hear those influences. My favorite songs on this CD vary almost by the day, and I love each of them best at different times. From the atmospheric call to arms of "Miseria Cantare" to the incredibly energizing and almost bouncy "This Celluloid Dream," there's enough variety here to keep it interesting. It's not like listening to the same song over and over. "...but home is nowhere" is positively epic. The lyrics are worthwhile to read and commit to memory, dark and almost poetic at times. If, like me, you grew up listening to The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division, etc. you might just love this CD. Davey Havok and the guys in AFI are combining varied influences in an interesting, complex way. The passion in this music is undeniable. After I got this CD, it was almost three weeks before I even wanted to listen to anything else, just because I kept discovering something new with subsequent listens. All of AFI's CDs have something to offer, and I really like all of them for different reasons. But this one is a true masterpiece and a great introduction for anyone considering checking out AFI."

Easily one of their best

Jason | Hagerstown, MD | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's funny reading so called AFI fans saying oh they sold out and what not. A million dollars says that if this album was on Nitro records you all would love it or if Answer that was on a major you would hate it. Since when does being on a major label mean your a sell-out? I guess all you knowledgeable people would know that every Sex Pistols, Clash, Ramones, X, Stooges album was on a major label as well as many other influental punk bands. Yes the sound is different on this album but every AFI album except for the first two sounds different from the previous. People are saying, oh Davey is fake and pretending to be goth and what not now. Their last few records were very dark records especially The Art Of Drowning, which is hailed as their best. Davey's lyrics have always been poetic and dark. Davey grew up listening to goth music like Sisters Of Mercy and Bahaus and it's not like his dark image or the bands dark image is new. They've had it for years. Is thw album overproduced? No because Nitro doesn't have as much money as their major label does to make it sound as crisp and clear. If you were a fan of this band before and ditched them once they got big that makes you the sell-out, not them. They never elected to be all over mtv. It wasn't like they set out to do so. They had the blessing from Nitro to leave. Nitro records is owned by millionaire REAL sellout Dexter Holland of the Offspring who DID stab his label in the back so in reality they were working for a millionaire corporate .... anyways. Yes they are on MTV and yes kids are showing up to their shows that won't be devoted to them when something new comes along but it's nothing new. A true fan doesn't ditch their bands. AFI still plays small clubs for their fans and still are very down to earth guys and helping out the smaller bands. How on Earth does that make them a sellout? Sing The Sorrow hands down is one of 2003's best albums. It's a much much more mature album compaired to the childish almost pop punk sound and nature on their first two albums. Changing your sound isn't a form of selling out. Making the same record over and over and over is a form of selling out. AFI easily could've made the same record again as the last one but why would you want something you already own. There are already bands like SugarRay and The Offspring making the same songs over and over because that's what keeps their career alive. I'm willing to be the next AFI record will sound different from this one which might lead some tools who loved Sorrow to dub them sellouts. For all you little close minded elitists why not follow AFI's motto and Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes. This is an amazing record and if you dislike it NOFX keeps making the same exact record over and over again so you can go buy that."