Sing the Sorrow

A.F.I. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00008GQVU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,081 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #9 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Hardcore
  • #20 in Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial > Goth
  • #37 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Emo

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Starting life as the most competent Misfits tribute band to not actually play Misfits songs, San Francisco Bay Area punks A.F.I. have not only discovered how to write their own snarling melodies, but have developed the confidence to play them without a cloak. Sing the Sorrow marks the band’s first major-label release and the difference from their indie albums is in the details: songs freely shift gears and tempos, singer Davey Havoc flexes his pristine vocal abilities by breaking into the occasional falsetto, and sugary tracks like "The Leaving Song" and "The Great Disappointment" now take a place next to more standard nuclear-charged mosh-pit fare like "Bleed Black" and "Dancing Through Sunday." Longtime fans might take it like a kick to the head, but this band is clearly moving toward bigger things. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high energy, high quality, highly addictive, September 11, 2003

By 

Nemo Daison "eRic. august" (Tupelo, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sing the Sorrow (Audio CD)

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.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is amazing, but don't try to categorize it, September 5, 2006

By 

H. Case (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sing the Sorrow (Audio CD)

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sing the Sorrow, March 23, 2003

By 

glitter adorned (Salinas, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sing the Sorrow (Audio CD)

After two years of anticipation, AFI fans have gotten what they've been so dedicatedly waiting for. Sing the Sorrow is AFI's first album released on DreamWorks Records and will never be forgotten; simply because of the elegance portrayed throughout the entire CD.
AFI starts the CD off with a brilliant chant, "Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)", causing older fans to reminisce on the legendary, "through our bleeding, we are one" hymn. Then, soothingly, "The Leaving Song Pt.2" begins with Jade's hypnotic guitar riff. Davey even speaks in Spanish, leading the song to sound even more amazing. Tracks like, "Bleed Black", "Girls Not Grey", "Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)" and "This Celluloid Dream" are indeed very catchy. I'd be lying if I said I didn't dance as these songs progressed into further bliss. Not only has Davey's lyrics gotten darker and more mysterious, he's been so beautifully yelling in fast paced songs such as, "Dancing Through Sundays" and "Death of Seasons". But fortunately, AFI hasn't left out the greatness of melody. "Silver and Cold", and "The Great Disappointment" remind me that AFI is truly one of the most talented bands ever, that brings purity into every form of art they pursue. Together, the four guys convey genuine melodic vibes into the album. Not to mention, the post-"Morning Star" with "The Leaving Song". And as if that isn't enough, AFI poetically ends the album with the immaculate "This Time Imperfect" -- which honestly leaves me infatuated with the band more than ever.
This is without a doubt, the album of 2003! Sing the Sorrow has it all; the yelling, the darkened lyrics, to-die-for bass lines, piercing drum beats, unique guitar riffs, the fast techno clip in "Death of Seasons" and a lot more. AFI fans won't be disappointed with this album at all!