The Fire Burns Bright (Sing The Sorrow - AFI)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Sing The Sorrow - AFI
Date:	22/02/08 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great variety of sounds, some super guitar melodies.

Disadvantages: The variety of sounds produced may be a bit much for some.

AFI (A Fire Inside) is an American rock band from California. They formed in 1991 and to date have released a total of seven studio albums. Over the years the sound of this band has continued to develop and change, starting as a Hardcore Punk band, AFI developed to become more of a Horror Punk band, and more recently their music has had a more straight up rock sound with elements of punk rock thrown in for good measure. 'Sing the Sorrow' was the bands sixth studio album, and was the next logical step for the band to take having released their 'The Art of Drowning' album in 2000. Although the sound of AFI is ever changing, they have taken things extremely slowly and never does the sound change drastically from one release to the next. In 'Sing the Sorrow' AFI produce an epic sound that is always exciting to listen to and never do they disappoint. I was a great fan of the early work of AFI, but am all for change and love the line that the band have taken with their music in continuing to grow with every release and never sounding quite the same.

Beginning with the introduction of 'Miseria Cantare--The Beginning', the band soon break into 'The Leaving Song, Pt. II', an excellent track that was in fact released commercially as a single. The track kicks the album off well I feel and leaves you wanting for more, desperate to hear what the band will have to offer with the rest of the album. It has a great chorus and as the band blast their way through this track there is never a dull moment. It is a great one to sing along to at the top of your voice, and the sound you produce will no doubt fill the room for all to enjoy (unless you happen to be tone deaf of course). With this track the band start as they mean to go on, and as they crush their way through the rest of the album the music is never short of enthralling.

Although the band are forever changing, there are times on this album when even their early Hardcore Punk sound can be heard coming through. 'Dancing Through Sunday' is one such example of this, and although this element of the sound is watered down with some cleanly sung, softly spoken vocals; there is a definite Hardcore Punk bite about the track, and it does in fact begin in quite a Hardcore fashion. The fact the band do not forget their roots here is great to hear, and this aggressive element of their music certainly sits well with me.

'Girl's Not Grey' was perhaps the bands most well known track until the release of 'Miss Murder' in 2006. There is good reason for this, 'Girl's Not Grey' is a brilliant track and is one that is in possession of an exceptional chorus and some truly fantastic guitar work. Every time I listen to this album I can't help but smile every time this track begins to play. There is just something about this track, something that I love, cherish, and will forever hold in high regard. Tracks rarely have as great effect on me as this, but 'Girl's Not Grey' is definitely amongst the tracks that I would regard as my favourites of all time. There are so many AFI tracks that I love, and yet this is always the first that springs to mind when I think of the band. It's quite strange that this is my favourite considering that I prefer the earlier albums of the band to the more recent material, but the fact of the matter is that 'Girl's Not Grey' is an absolutely excellent track.

What I love about this album is that it packs such a vast array of genres into its run time. Every track comes as a surprise, and as the band progress their way through the album you never know quite where they are going to go next. The fact that the album is so unpredictable makes it terrific fun to listen to, never do the band disappoint and always they excite. One moment Davey Havok will be singing his little socks off at his most melodic, and next he will erupt into a fiery hardcore vocal assault. Whatever sound the band are producing in this album, they always sound excellent and never do they sound uncomfortable in what they are doing. AFI are an extremely accomplished band and sound natural in every sound that they produce, whether it be soft and gentle or heavy and aggressive; AFI are always brilliant and pull the sound off with a great deal of style and a high level of excitement.

'Sing the Sorrow' is a fantastic AFI album and is one that I hold in extremely high regard. Some may not appreciate the way in which this band operates in that their sound is always evolving and therefore they never sound the same from one release to the next, however I greatly appreciate the adaptations that the band undertake with each and every release. I thoroughly enjoy the music of AFI and would definitely recommend the 'Sing the Sorrow' album to all. There is such a great variety of music displayed on this album, many genres are covered and therefore there is something here for everyone to enjoy. Whilst you may not enjoy every track that the album has to offer, you will definitely find some that impress, tracks that you can gain great enjoyment from listening to. The fire inside this band is still burning bright, AFI still have plenty of ideas as a band and with a sound that is continually showing signs of growth; the music that this band produce should never become tiresome. 'Sing the Sorrow' is an astronomically excellent album and AFI a tremendously talented band.

Summary: With 'Sing the Sorrow' there is never a dull moment, it is an absolutely excellent album.