Biography
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(from Nitro Records, October
2000)
The origins of AFI (A Fire Inside) are humble-- four high school students making
noise in a garage in the early 90's, looking for some way to alleviate boredom
in a small town between skateboard sessions. As they learned to play their
instruments with each practice, even they couldn't imagine what the band would
become.
On September 26th, the band released their fifth full-length album, entitled The
Art of Drowning, which showcases exactly what it is AFI has evolved into-- a
band with a sound unlike any other, a sound where chilling melodies collide
alternately with furious aggression and somber melancholy. While their music is
firmly rooted in both punk rock and hardcore, they have effectively blasted away
any distinction between the two and can claim an army of fans from both
subcultures as well as virtually every other underground or extreme music genre
from goth to metal.
Not just a "studio" band, the intensity of their live performances
must be seen and heard to be believed. "Through our bleeding, we are
one!" the crowd chants as the band takes the stage, wherein occurs an
exchange of energy between band and audience that is much like a lightning
storm-- charging and changing the normally genial vocalist Davey Havok into a
man possessed. One of the ways the band has garnered the fanatic following they
now enjoy is through the plain hard work of many a month spent on the road.
They've toured with such acts as The Offspring, Rancid, Danzig/Samhain and Sick
Of It All to name but a few, as well as doing a stint on the most recent Warped
Tour. Since their first nationwide tour in 1995, they have crossed the continent
of North America countless times in their tours of the United States and Canada,
done multiple tours of Europe and even paid a visit to Japan in 1998. AFI hit
the road in support of The Art of Drowning with punk legends Rancid near
the end of 2000 in what promises to be one of their most anticipated and
exciting tours yet.
In addition to original members Havok and drummer Adam Carson, the band has seen
its share of lineup changes, bassist Hunter (ex-The Force) entered the fold as a
tour stand-in before recording on the band's third album "Shut Your Mouth
and Open Your Eyes," while guitarist Jade Puget (ex-Redemption 87) joined
for the fourth full-length, "Black Sails in the Sunset," as well as
the subsequent "All Hallows E.P.," a four-song release that contains
the original version of "Totalimmortal" (a song which received heavy
radio airplay all over the nation when it was recorded by The Offspring for the
soundtrack to the film Me, Myself & Irene). Puget's task was not easy-- in
addition to assuming guitar duties he became a primary writer of the band's
music. Still, no one better understood where AFI had been musically and where
they should go-- he'd known the band since the very beginning and had played
guitar on the flip side of their first ever release, a split 7" with Loose
Change released in 1992. Things coalesced quickly, Jade the perfect complement
to Havok's brooding lyrics and accomplished vocal talents. There's no weak link
in this chain-- to say that Hunter and Adam are accomplished in their respective
rhythm section duties would be an understatement.
Such lineup changes might have destroyed another band, but the opposite has
occurred with AFI -- with each new album and E.P. the band has bravely forged
ahead into new musical territory, all the while maintaining their original
energy and intensity. The Art of Drowning is no exception to this
progression, but while it contains the inevitable musical surprises that avid
listeners have come to expect from the band, it is also a distillation of all
that has come before, touching on every phase of their evolution, as well as
what is to come. Of the new album, vocalist Davey Havok says, "I feel it's
our most complete work." It is also the most sonically pleasing, recorded
in Berkeley's famous Fantasy Studios with Chuck Johnson and mixed in the
familiar environment of Art of Ears in Hayward with longtime associate Andy
Ernst. Johnson, a well-respected veteran who's worked with everyone from Nick
Cave to Korn, lent his expertise as he co-produced the new album with the band.
The days of honing their craft in the garage are now a long ago memory, but one
thing has not changed-- the fire inside AFI still burns, more strongly than
ever. With each new record, each tour, each show, the flames spread-- ever
igniting in new people and places, threatening to someday engulf the world.
Biography received from www.afireinside.net
