AFI - The Art Of Drowning (Cover Artwork)

AFI

AFI: The Art Of DrowningThe Art Of Drowning (2000)
Nitro Records

Reviewer Rating: 4

User Rating:

Contributed by: BrinepacerBrinepacer
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 13th 2001On those long lonely nights in college, doing a bit of surfing or programming, you're likely to find me with my headphones on listening to this album. Being that I come from teenage years abound with metal (Biohazard, Machine Head, Metallica), it's only natural that I loved the last AFI album. Howev.

On those long lonely nights in college, doing a bit of surfing or programming, you're likely to find me with my headphones on listening to this album. Being that I come from teenage years abound with metal (Biohazard, Machine Head, Metallica), it's only natural that I loved the last AFI album. However, this album was entirely unexpected. Some guy in Hit Parader called this Abbreviated Metal. AFI call it East Bay Hardcore. I call it petal. Or munk. Well, i dunno what I call it, but i would call it good.

Starting with an intro (as metal albums do), and moving into standout track 'The Lost Souls', this album is punkified metal, like Sick Of It All's 'Call To Arms' only a little goth. But thats not to say it loses it after two tracks. 'The Nephilim' is VERY Sick Of It All, down to the group shouts. 'Ever And A Day' is ballady (in a metal ballad type way). 'Sacrifice Theory' has a nice bit of rockabilly bass on it, and on and on.

With 13 tracks, an intro and a bonus, this really is one of the great releases of the last year, and actually made me seriously consider going goth. Until i realised they look a bit silly. I will however be stenciling their bat type logo guy and the lines 'Look what you've done to me now, you've made me perfect' on my bag. Maybe.

Originally appeared in Pacer Webzine.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

StandAlone (October 3, 2009)

This is one of the best albums of all time. Anything newer than this released by AFI sounded watered down in comparison.

LetTheDayBegin (October 16, 2007)

Favorite CD ever; 'Of Greetings and Goodbyes' is my favorite song ever.

thomas7155 (August 30, 2007)

this album is awesome. complex riffs/harmonies, dark, yet passionate lyrics, ridiculously fast drums, incredible bass, and Havoks vocals are at their most weird here. almost female sounding. he holds back the yells though. "The Lost Souls" "Of Greetings and Goodbyes" "Days Of The Phoenix" and "Wester" are the best songs.

jimmyjjackamoose (August 13, 2007)

great album.

hatefulromance (June 5, 2007)

Wester is the best song on this CD

Anonymous (June 9, 2006)

This is the best fucking album in the world and whoever dosnt agree must obviously love the cock

afi rule

miff (May 25, 2006)

describing this as like call to arms isnt a good thing
tho i would like to hear how it sounds like SOIA

Anonymous (August 19, 2005)

AFI is one of the best bands ever! this CD is fucking awesome. They are one of the only bands that could ever completely change their sound and get away with! i love the new AFI, i love the old AFI, and i love this CD.

Anonymous (October 31, 2004)

This album and this band are AMAZING!

Anonymous (July 7, 2004)

Whoever thinks fashionable is way better than this album needs fucking professional help.

Anonymous (July 7, 2004)

Why do people have to bash the newer AFI material? Are they threatened that their fav. punk band is sounding more clean? I still think they are a great band.

THeir first 2 albums are really weak and they have some really really stupid lyrics esp. when you have sing about mohawks, toy trucks, cereal wars, and key lime pie. Stop trying to act all underground and tough... even davey doesn't like the first album.

Anonymous (June 29, 2004)

Im pretty sure a lot of people will agree with me on this one, early AFI was way better than this polished version, This is actually a good album, but the outcome of this whole dark and spooky thing has just left a bunch of hardcore fans sore with the next big thing AFI, i know they are still great musicians, but they are not what they used to be, i really hate when this shit happens

Anonymous (June 25, 2004)

the beginning of the change from hard punkrock to the new afi sound. sounds good, but I like personally the good old kick ass punkrock records much more...

Anonymous (April 28, 2004)

how old is this reviewer? sounds 12!

jockyfa (January 16, 2004)

You shouldn't ask people to stop insulting people by threatening and insulting them in return - mind you - I likely shouldn't mention that, for I'm sure it will garner me some insults. AND for some reason I just can not like AFI - I've listened, I've tried, I've borrowed albums from many teenagers to try and "get" it - but I just can't like AFI. Kind of like Kenny G - I know he's good at what he does, and that people into what he does REALLY like his stuff, but I just can not like Kenny G. - or AFI. Not that they're similar. Not that they aren't.

Anonymous (August 30, 2003)

anybody who crticizes them, especially havoc, for their gothic looks or their other demeanor needs to fucking grow up. How fucking immature is it to call a band gay just beacuse the lead singer dresses different than you or because he's smarter than to write music about the same old shit like drinking booze or a girlfriend.

Anonymous (August 30, 2003)

someone out there should do a proper review on this album. It certainly doesen't deserve such a lousy review to represent it. next time someone writes a review put some more effort into it. This band has incredible talent and deserves better. Anyways, this album is close to being perfect, actually probably is since i can't see any fault in it and is by far AFI's best or second best. It is melodic and still carries with it tremendous energy that i've not heard form any other band. havoc pulls off the feat in which he doesen't have to sacrifice the molodic nature of the music in order to pull off that energy. great lyrics, reallly meaningful and artistic. great cd by a great band period

Anonymous (August 30, 2003)

Manman (June 30, 2003)

Anonymous, please make some sense of Albatross Flipping Ignite for me. They don't have anything worth saying, yet so many people willingly listen and agree. Ack, zombies!

Anonymous (May 8, 2003)

Niiiiice ! OK, im not a huge fan of the really early A.F.I but this album is the meeting place of there hardcore sound mixed with a more melodic blend of punk, This album is great, one of my favorites and it gets alot of play time, id reccommend

Anonymous (March 2, 2003)

This cd is just great, not AFI's best, but my first listen. All you people bitching about AFI, grow the fuck up. You'd be making fun of them if they kept the same shitty sound as on ATASF and a near 30 year old Davey was still singing about cereal. They may not fit into the limiting label of "punk" anymore, but then again, who the fuck cares?

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

Amazing CD, AFI is awesome. If you don't like this album, you don't like AFI. we'll you could like their old stuff, cause it's different. It's not "melodic" in any way whatsoever, unless you consider shouting melodic. Anyway, let this be the next CD you buy because it is simply AMAZING.

Anonymous (December 8, 2002)

Damm i love this cd ive love AFi for a while now but i finallt got foo me arse and bought the cd....ANd holy SHite...Kan they rule any more....Damm.....

Anonymous (December 6, 2002)

A.F.I sounded so goddamn repetitive before this album. i think that they knew it, it was such an overplayed sound, too many whoo oohs, i liked it but could only stand about 3-4 songs at a time. this album on the other hand has so much more variety and it is all intelligent, and doesn't easily fall into any category.
i hope now that they are working on a major, they don't abandon the darkness and aggression, like alot of other bands do.

Anonymous (October 20, 2002)

this cd kicks ass! and whoever doesnt agree is, well, just plain stupid and deserves to loose their hearing for not appreciating good stuff.
thpppppp!
~baby corky moo moo muffin~

maverick (September 21, 2002)

I don't like it.

-Scott

bemused (July 13, 2002)

I love this album. The diversity and originality is incredible-its pretty hard to imagine they can top this in the future. Black Sails set the standard, AOD rose the band to whole 'nother level. I likes

harg (March 31, 2002)

This is a cool album with some great songs on it but it lacks the power and flow of Black Sails In The Sunset. Speaking of which why hasn't anyone reviewed black sails it is by far the best AFI album a truly awsome record to have in your collection.
Oh and that guy who said AFI were as trendy as blink 182 is a knob i couldn't think of a worse comparison.

Anonymous (February 17, 2002)

the lead singer of this band is so badass. he is cute tooo. wow, i want to lick his balls -fathead

freaky143ddficc (February 3, 2002)

this fuckin cd is awsome and to whoever said there were trendy how are they trendy ?there no where near fuckin blink182 they have a unique sound that i think should be appreciated

Anonymous (January 29, 2002)

afi is a great hardcore punk band, they rock, and all you other people who say that it is shit, they are the ones who listen to brittney spears, afi just rocks

Anonymous (September 13, 2001)

I love how people defend their arguements on how bad this album is...I personally think it's a great album. The music style is different than most other music out there yet somehow it's catchy with very well written dark lyrics. Songs like DotP and Story or Three sound really neat...

Anonymous (July 17, 2001)

AFI are the trendiest band next to Blink-182, and this album sucks.

Anonymous (July 17, 2001)

This is the best AFI album! I mean there all good but this is the most complex and has the best lyrics. And for those idiots who likes seing the same album every fucking time, well it shows what you know about being a musician you lame fucks!

-dom

Anonymous (July 15, 2001)

I don't understand why people like this cd and black sails more than "Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes." That cd will over-shadow everything that afi has done and will do. Never again will there be so much energy and never again will they make songs that are so good to see live. People say they put on a great live show now, those people should have seen afi 3-4 years ago. It's sad to say, but they aren't nearly the afi that i followed since "Very Proud of Ya."

Anonymous (July 14, 2001)

This band sucks live as bad as they do in the studio. And what's with the singer? Get a haricut, lady. I can't believe Rancid had these guys open for them. No wonder the guy from Tiger Army left. THEY SUCK!!!

Anonymous (July 14, 2001)

I agree with punk_kid, this is by far AFI's worst. Answer That And Stay Fashionable is several times better.

Anonymous (July 14, 2001)

I think it's funny and sad how people always try to define things by what they know instead of trying to describe something outside their scope of experience...this album owns, by the way...

Anonymous (July 14, 2001)

Calling these guys metal would be like calling The Vandals a country band... they're like the least-metal-sounding punk band I listen to. This CD, by the way, is very good. It's darker and the lyrics are deeper... but there are still some songs that show they can still fucking rock. Not to mention, these guys put on a great fuckin' live show.

Anonymous (July 13, 2001)

afi is one of the best hardcore bands out there. although black sails is what i think their best album so far. this ranks up there in their best work

sickboi (July 13, 2001)

This album is incredible, right up there wITH "Black Sails..." and "Very Proud of Ya". People need to stop bitching. A band will not keep the same sound forever. Get used to it ya dumb fucks.

punk_kid (July 13, 2001)

by far AFI's worst

Anonymous (July 13, 2001)

AFI is the shit.