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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is the title. It means nothing. Please procede., February 3, 2007
You know what? In many ways "Black Sails in the Sunset" is probably the perfect AFI record. That's not to say that it's their best but whatever phase of AFI you like---the early hardcore stuff, the middle period goth punk stuff or the current arena ready stuff--- you can find something to like and admire on this album.
This was the first AFI record I heard when a friend played it for me back in the spring of 2000 and I immediatly knew I loved it as it blends two of my favourite types of music, eighties goth like the Cure and Joy Division, with hardcore, and does so perfectly. Although they would build on this template and improve it on their followup releases "All Hallows" and the nearly flawless "The Art of Drowning", "Black Sails" will always have a special place in my record collection.
Now, as one of the few earlier AFI fans who doesn't believe that they have recently sold out(rather they have been given the finincial means to expand on their influences, and this isn't as a bad thing as both "Sing the Sorrow" and it's followup "decemberunderground" are excellent records), I am not feeding you some purists nonesense when I tell you that if you are an AFI fan then you need "Black Sails". Where there earlier hardcore records were typical east bay hardcore, "Black Sails" builds on the template. The songs have more crashing dynamics than anything that came previous, while upping the melody and allowing Davey Havok room to write more insteresting lyrics and expand his vocal range. The songs all feature the same chant along choruses that have taken AFI to the top of the charts lately, only this time they're dellvered with a far more breakneck speed.
What's surprising to hear, or at least to me, how much sense the bands newer stuff sounds when you listen to "Black Sails". The playing is strong and the melodies are easily digestable without being easy and obvious. The production of the record at time can be a little same sounding, thought each song has it's own distinctive features and ebbs and flows that you know exactly what you're listening to every given second.
Again "Black Sails" is not the best AFI record in my opinion(that really has to be "Art of Drowning"), whatever you like about AFI is here on this record in spades. Crushing hardcore, melodic breakdowns, excellent lyrics and vocals and even the requisite power ballad("God Called in Sick Today", still one of the bands best songs), and for those reasons alone that should make this record an essential in every AFI fans collection.
That and every sing is pretty great. What more could you ask?
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Black Sails in the Sunset, June 12, 2003
After many months in the recording studio, AFI created a masterpiece. It was titled "Black Sails in the Sunset." Many fans believe that the name came from Homer's "The Iliad," a tale of the warrior Theseus. Before he left to destroy the Minotaur, Theseus told his father, the king of Athens, that his ship would hold white or black sails. White meant that Theseus slew the Minotaur and was alive. Black meant that the Minotaur won the battle and that Theseus was dead. His ship left with black sails. When Theseus killed the Minotaur, he and his crew sailed back to port. They all forgot the promise Theseus made to his father. The king of Athens saw his son's ship holding black sails. Thinking that Theseus was dead, he was full of sorrow and hurled himself off the cliff, descending towards his death.If this album's name truly was inspired by this tale, I must applaud the boys of AFI. They make this album have a deeper meaning, making it more interesting. Black Sails in the Sunset completely surprised me with its bittersweet aura. Since current guitarist, Jade Puget, joined AFI during this time, I'll first talk about the song he first wrote for the band: Malleus Maleficarum, track 4 of Black Sails. "Malleus Maleficarum" is the name of a book written in the 1400's by the Catholic Church. It means "Witch's Hammer" in Latin and the book was the witch hunter's bible. The album began with a chorus yelling, "Through our bleeding we are one!" with a strong sense of wholeness. Afterwards, track two "Porphyria Cutanea Tarda" began and carried on the spirit of unity in "Strength Through Wounding." "Malleus Maleficarum" was, in my opinion, a metaphor for Davey. He was the witch that was always judged by everyone, but he still wouldn't change. Everything slowly got mellow and "Clove Smoke Catharsis" did just that. "The Last Kiss" seemed to be a tale of heartache. After much of the energy slowed, "God Called in Sick Today" began. It is the zenith of the album and it pierces your soul. 01. Strength Through Wounding: 4/5
02. Porphyria Cutanea Tarda: 5/5
03. Exsanguination: 3.9/5
04. Malleus Maleficarum: 5/5
05. Narrative of Soul Against Soul: 5/5
06. Clove Smoke Catharsis: 5/5
07. The Prayer Position: 4.5/5
08. No Poetic Device: 4/5
09. The Last Kiss: 3.6/5
10. Weathered Tome: 3/5 (There was a printing error; "The Last Kiss" is the 9th track and "Weathered Tome" is the 10th.)
11. At A Glance: 5/5
12. God Called in Sick Today: 4/5
00. Midnight Sun [hidden track]: 5/5 The fans will always love "Black Sails in the Sunset." Their evolution began with "Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes" and continued on with the later albums. To me "Sing the Sorrow," AFI's latest release, was like a tribute to "Black Sails in the Sunset." "Sing the Sorrow" had just as much melancholy as Black Sails. When I first got my special edition Sing the Sorrow album with the DVD and book, I saw a picture in the back. It was a picture of an ocean with streaming clouds. It looked familiar and then it hit me, it was the cover of Black Sails without the ship. That's because the ship has sailed to what AFI is now: a future legend in the underground punk and hardcore scene.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My 2nd AFI purchase. Dark, hard, melodic, intense, profound, June 1, 2003
After picking up the All Hallows EP and pretty much becoming completely addicted to it, I decided that I definitely needed a full length AFI CD. So, I picked up Black Sails in the Sunset, popped it into my CD player and proceeded to be amazed. The album starts with a song/intro containing shouts of "Through our bleeding, we are one!" After the intro, the next two songs are really good fast punk/hardcore songs, similar to those found on the All Hallows EP. But after those, the album takes a different turn with the 4th track, Malleus Maleficarum. It's a slowed down, melodic track and really shows you that AFI isn't here to fool around. Track 6, Clove Smoke Catharsis was the one that really did it for me. This one song really showed me that AFI could do punk/hardcore, but wasn't going to be put under the often strict limitations. The end result is a combination between punk, metal, hardcore, and emo (don't worry, I hate emo too, AFI isn't an emo band) that is flat out amazing. This album has literally not left my CD player in about 3 weeks. It simply had all the music I want to listen to on one disc. The album NEVER gets boring. It's like a beautiful story, with each song a chapter, that you never want to end. After hearing this, I cannot wait to get their other studio efforts. I'll keep the reviews coming once I pick 'em up.If you're into punk/hardcore, or are just simply bored with music, pick up this record. You won't regret it.
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