AFI - Decemberunderground
Does anyone else have memories tied to specific albums? Iβm not talking about to what your life was like when you were listening to something, but a specific memory attached to an album or listening to it. I have a memory of picking up AFIβs Decemberunderground in 2006 or 2007, and I opened up the CD to play it in my momβs car; my parents were surprised by how heavy the second track, βKill Caustic,β was, because of all the screaming and heavy guitars in that song. Itβs not an important memory, or anything like that, but I just remember it, because I never really showed my parents βmy music,β kind of because they didnβt like it. I just remember that for some reason, but what I also remember is how good the album was.
I havenβt listened to this album in years, but thatβs mainly due to me finding more types of music that I got into, such as metalcore, pop-punk, and things like that. I also thought this album may not have held up, so Iβve been scared to listen to it. I decided to listen to it recently, however, and I also briefly talked about it on my yearly Spooky Season piece, so letβs talk about this album. AFI began as a hardcore punk band that moved into horror punk, and then they made a pivot into emo and post-hardcore. Decemberunderground isnβt their first foray, but it was actually 2003βs Sing The Sorrow. Iβve never heard that album, but Iβve always wanted to.
As for Decemberunderground, that album is very nostalgic to me, and after 20 years, this album has held up pretty well. Itβs a bit melodramatic, but itβs fun and diverse. The album runs the gamut between alt-rock, emo, post-punk, goth-rock, and post-hardcore, but it does so in an entertaining way. When I was a kid, there were a lot of songs I wasnβt as into, mainly because they were 80s-influenced, and they werenβt heavy post-hardcore songs, but now I enjoy the post-punk and goth songs quite a bit. Vocalist Davey Havok is a bit of an acquired taste all these years later, because he has such a whiny and nasally voice, I donβt know if I really like it, at least on certain songs, anyway. He sounds fine on some songs, but it can be a bit much on others.
The same goes for the lyrics, too, which can get pretty melodramatic at times. Theyβre not bad, but the lyrics are the weakest link of this album, along with Davey Havokβs vocals being kind of whiny and annoying. I would recommend this if you want an album thatβs kind of spooky, but also has an 80s sound to it in spots. You definitely have to be in the mood for this stuff, but there are a handful of really solid songs. The album does run a bit too long, clocking in at 46 minutes, but itβs not too bad. Decemberunderground is an album thatβs held up pretty well, minus a few aspects that prevent me from truly loving it, but it has some solid songs and some catchy hooks that I keep coming back to. Songs like βMs. Murder,β βSummer Shudder,β and βThe Killing Lightsβ are loads of fun, and those songs alone make the album pretty special.
