Black Sails in the Sunset

Black Sails in the Sunset
Studio album by AFI
Released	May 18, 1999[1]
Recorded	1998—1999
Genre	Hardcore punk, horror punk
Length	46:04[2]
Label	Nitro
Producer	AFI
AFI chronology
Black Sails EP (1999) Black Sails in the Sunset (1999) All Hallow's E.P. (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Punknews	[4]
Alternative Press	[5]

Black Sails in the Sunset is the fourth studio album by the American rock band AFI. It was released on May 18, 1999 through Nitro Records.

Music

While Black Sails in the Sunset is a hardcore punk album,^[5] it also is a horror punk album.^[6][7] Black Sails in the Sunset is more melodic than previous AFI albums. Many AFI fans did not like the change in sound that was featured on Black Sails in the Sunset.^[7]

Release

Black Sails in the Sunset was released on May 18, 1999 on Nitro Records. With the addition of guitarist Jade Puget as a permanent member, it is the first AFI album to feature the current line-up of the band. The album did not peak on any mainstream Billboard charts, however, it managed to peak at #6 on the Top Heatseekers (Pacific) chart.

Critical reception

Black Sails in the Sunset was received well by critics. Alternative Press gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars, commenting that "with new guitarist Jade Puget adding a sense of brooding, thespian eloquence to the disc's shadowy post-hardcore, AFI all but reinvented themselves," and "With longer, deeper, richer, more complex compositions than they've ever attempted before, Black Sails tackles everything from brooding hardcore ... to shimmering balladry..." The publication also went as far as to say that Black Sails is "their first epic."^[8]

Decoy Music reviewer Aaron Yarborough praised Davey Havok's lyrical contribution to the album, commending his efforts to "find himself," saying "the way he expresses how he feels is pure poetry." Yarborough concluded by recommending the album to "anyone who likes heavy punk."^[9]

Track listing

• Due to a misprint, tracks 9 and 10 were mislabeled with their titles switched. Shown here is the correct track listing.

Bonus tracks, B-sides, unreleased tracks, etc.

All tracks recorded during the Black Sails sessions unless otherwise noted.

• "Lower It" is featured as track 7 on the vinyl edition of the album. It was eventually re-released on the AFI retrospective compilation.
• "Who Knew?" is featured on the Black Sails EP. It is released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album.
• "Transference" is featured on the No Time to Kill compilation. It is the only song by AFI to contain lead vocals by Hunter Burgan, which can be heard during the chorus of the song.
• "The Chicken Song" is featured as a hidden track on the No Time to Kill compilation. It features Burgan playing the piano and Havok and Puget sharing lead vocal duties. The band often jokingly deny the existence of the song.
• "Weight of Words" was known to be recorded during the Black Sails sessions, but has yet to be released. However, the AFI retrospective compilation is often called 'The Weight of Words' on online shopping sites.

Background

• On the side of the album is a hidden message, reading 'Beyond And To All Time I Stand'. This is a lyric from the album's hidden track, Midnight Sun.
• The track "Midnight Sun" was inspired by the poem De Profundis Clamavi by Charles Baudelaire. Havok can be heard reciting parts of the poem in the song's bridge.
• "Porphyria Cutanea Tarda" is listed as "Porphyria" on the back cover of the album, as it was listed on Black Sails EP.
• Jade Puget has stated that "Malleus Maleficarum" was the first song he wrote as part of AFI.
• The opening track, "Strength Through Wounding" contains a repeated chant, "Through our bleeding, we are one," which fans often chant during concerts while waiting for the band to come onstage, or between songs.
• Dexter Holland, the vocalist for The Offspring, is featured in the tracks 'Clove Smoke Catharsis' and 'The Prayer Position'. Similarly, Davey Havok did backing vocals for The Offspring's Ixnay on the Hombre album two years prior.
• "God Called In Sick Today" would become a live staple in AFI concerts for years, usually featured toward the end of the set and including a crowd walk from Havok.
• Most of the lyrics are properly capitalized, but "The Last Kiss" is printed completely lowercase for unknown reasons.

Chart positions

Personnel

• Davey Havok - lead vocals, lyrics
• Jade Puget - guitars, programming, piano, keyboard, backing vocals
• Hunter Burgan - bass, programming, keyboard, piano, backing vocals
• Adam Carson - drums, percussion
• Nick 13 - guitars, vocals
• Dexter Holland - guest backing vocals^[10]
• AFI - Producer
• Andy Ernst - Engineer, Mixing
• Mike Fasano - Drum Technician
• Thadd LaRue - Engineer, Assistant Engineer
• Alan Forbes - Illustrations
• Gabe Morford - Photography
• Jamie Reilly - Layout Design

References

External links