AFI – Crash Love

Since signing with the big leagues back in 2003, each subsequent AFI album has found their legions of adoring fans, old and new, begging the question, “have they sold out yet?”  But time and again, starting with 2003’s Sing The Sorrow and later 2006’s Decemberunderground, each passing album has proven that the band can overcome their fans’ skepticism and offer something both original and true to their roots.  Their latest effort, Crash Love, is no different.

Crash Love is somewhat of a departure from AFI’s past major label works.  Sing The Sorrow introduced the band to goth driven, atmospheric punk, follow-up Decemberunderground fusing the goth thing with glossy 80’s synth pop, Crash Love draws its inspiration from deep within the band’s discography.  While not really a return to their oft-touted Nitro Records days, Crash Love marks the band’s return to guitar driven punk rock with teeth.  That isn’t to say that AFI has abandoned their carefully crafted goth persona, there remains a crisp choir of haunting background voices on tracks like “Torch Song,” but these effects are used sparingly, as to avoid compromising their new centerpiece.

I can only imagine that while in the studio the album’s guitar work must have had lead guitarist Jade Puget frothing at the mouth.  After two comparatively tame albums, Puget returns to the razor sharp rock riffs and raw intensity last seen nine years ago on 2000’s The Art of Drowning.  Tracks like “Beautiful Thieves,” featuring a slow but aggressive tempo, might have sounded relatively low key had they appeared on past albums, but here Puget takes control of the track with very punchy results.  Even their poppier tracks like “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” and the infectious toe tapper “Too Shy To Scream” feature constant reminders in verse and chorus that Crash Love is, at its heart, a rock album.

Crash Love’s only major stumbling point surfaces during its quieter moments.  Without the glossy atmosphere of previous records, tracks like “Darling, I Want To Destroy You” feel a tad empty.  While vocalist Davey Havok’s voice typically soared during these moments, here they feel uncharacteristically scaled back.  This wouldn’t have been an issue had any of the other band members stepped up, but even Puget’s enthusiasm doesn’t shine through.  Still, this is a minor point and by no means ruins the album.

Overall, Crash Love is a refreshing counterbalance to AFI’s previous major label releases.  While Sing The Sorrow and Decemberundergound crafted a unique goth atmosphere, at the onset of Crash Love’s announcement I couldn’t help but wonder how much further they could truly develop this sound.  Insightfully, AFI opted to keep things fresher than ever by taking a new direction, and it paid off.  Like with mostAFI releases, Crash Love comes as an easy recommendation.