Album review: AFI – Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…

Much of the recent chat around AFI has centred on the drastic image change undergone by frontman Davey Havok, who now resembles what might be described as the ghost of a pirate. It’s an evolution somewhat in keeping with the Californians’ evolving sound, mind. Their last couple of releases – 2017’s self-titled effort, dubbed ‘The Blood Album’, and 2021’s Bodies – showcased a band maturing gracefully but impactfully.

Despite this precedent for reinvention, this 12th opus surprised even the band that made it. The word ‘goth’ has always been applied to AFI, usually prefacing the word ‘punk’, as a reductive but fairly accurate summary of their sound. Historically, that goth element has been for the purposes of aesthetics and atmospherics, but here it’s leant into with abandon. Your enjoyment of this is predicated on how much you like the brooding side of AFI, and how you feel about the absence of the punkier, pacier moments of yore, as there are precious few here.

Admittedly, on tracks like The Bird Of Prey and Spear Of Truth, AFI have abandoned any semblance of refinement or moderation, so what we get is thinly veiled hero worship of the likes of Bauhaus, The Mission and Sisters Of Mercy, generally overwrought in their execution. It is, however, delivered with delicious self-awareness, which while not to the extent of being tongue-in-cheek, doffs its cap long and loud and flamboyantly.

Behind The Clock works because it’s anchored by the kind of alt.rock, Jane’s Addiction-esque riffery AFI began incorporating some years back, with the lyrical guitar work of Jade Puget, who also acts as engineer and producer, proving the perfect counterpoint to Davey grumbling the cryptic likes of ‘Green light lit the blue remake no-one will care to see’. What does it mean? Who knows, but it sounds cool. Davey's lyrics fascinate once again, with his creative technique best illustrated by the line ‘When the pen hides from my hand, it leaves me free to keep digging’ from post-punk disco cut Holy Visions, one of the album’s highlights.

What makes Silver Bleeds The Black Sun… work is the confidence with which AFI have gone all in, slipping the bonds of expectation once and for all and cutting loose. If you want The Art Of Drowning-era iteration, then they’re still there on record forevermore. This is the AFI of 2025, though – older, bolder, hairier and doing things their way – and authenticity never goes out of style.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Creeper, Alkaline Trio, Thrice

Silver Bleeds The Black Sun... is out now via Run For Cover