Undoubtedly the band has grown up and Burials does sound like a natural progression of 2009’s Crash Love. It is hard to imagine Burials being popular with anyone besides either big fans of the band or big fans of punk rock, which for a band of AFI’s stature and potential is a somewhat disappointing conclusion to come to. However, one gets the impression that what Burials is lacking is an understanding of where cutting edge guitar music is at internationally. True AFI is a perfect example of a rock band which has inspired loyalty through their continued relevance throughout the years – their sound has never stagnated. Neither groundbreaking nor particularly moving, it is atmospheric and troubled. The overall sound of the album was described by Rolling Stone as something which wouldn’t be out of place playing at the end of an action movie as credits roll. Guitarist Jade Puget shines on “Rewind” despite the track’s shortcomings. “Wild” is another highlight, a twisting, shimmering, arena-sized track which gels with Havok’s androgynous, impassioned vocals better than tracks which aspire to punkier territory. With a sexy earworm of a guitar riff, it recalls what made the slick pop of their seventh album DecemberUnderground work so well. Another successful piece is “The Conductor”, again straying further from punk rock as AFI has known it than the rest of the album. The melancholy guitar resonating across a sparse texture is perhaps what comes closest to lucid, convincing emotion in the LP. “Heart Stops” leans toward ambient indie that hints at the XX or 80s inspired indie such as the White Lies. Testament to the album’s disparate and sometimes disjointed nature is that perhaps the best song on it sounds little like the rest of it. In “17 Crimes”, “Let’s love and kill like 17” are histrionics which sound empty sung with the controlled precision of Havok’s voice. Instead it is layered over ‘goth opera’ not half as ‘chaotic’ as the song’s official press release would have listeners believe. “I hope you suffer just like I suffered” is a lyric so petulant it could only be taken seriously sung over music either raw or glacial. The explosive angst so skillfully captured in songs such as “Bleed Black” and “Kill Caustic” is absent here, though not for lack of the band’s trying. One of the album’s first singles, “I Hope You Suffer”, falls short of what it aims for. “The Sinking Night” represents where the LP should’ve gone - dark beauty allowed to breathe without the excessive intrusion of cawing guitars, offset by pained yet euphoric pop exemplified by songs such as ‘Wild’. Some tracks sound free and some sound comfortable and only one of those adjectives is a positive comment on punk rock. However, Burials tries to be desperate and glossy at the same time and it should’ve chosen one tone or the other. It is what keeps them relevant despite their connection to the controversy known as ‘pop punk’. One of AFI’s most interesting influences is ’80s goth rock like the Cure, and where this influence is emphasized most is where the LP succeeds the most. Some tracks sound free and some sound comfortable and only one of those adjectives is a positive comment on punk rock.ĪFI’s Burials was created in the context of emotional turmoil and pressure to fulfill all the expectations naturally riding on a ninth studio album.
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