article RockSound Issue No.85

" "Time off is something that we did not have," says A Fire Inside drummer Adam Carson as Rock Sound tries hard not to choke on the slice of pizza it's masticating with famished gusto. So just where the bloody hell have East Bay's finest punk rock outfit been for the past 2 and a half years? "We came off the road and had the usual couple of weeks to decompress," the sticksman admits. "But then we jumped straight into the songwriting process. There were 80 songs written for this album, not all of them were good, but it took time to work out which ones deserved to be recorded. We wish we could have been completed sooner, but it's not done until it's done. From start to finish, this record has taken two years to write and record. We were in the studio for nine months just recording. It was a long process but we wanted to make sure we got it right; we want to be proud of everything we do.

The band, completed by vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Jade Puget and bassist Hunter Burgan, have been busy creating 'Decemberunderground', a record they wouldn't finalise for release until they felt the next stage of evolution for AFI had been properly sculpted.

"For the first time we were making a follow-up record to something that people outside our core fan base knew about," notes Carson. "That does bring some pressure with it. The biggest challenge was to work out how not to reproduce 'Sing The Sorrow'; it was so big and grand so we had to take a different approach. We had to outdo ourselves without simply trying to be more epic."

The resulting interrogations created a record that is another massive step away from the world of punk and into the world of rock. Intricate electro-hybrids, thrashing riffs, gang vocals and half-time break-downs are all still well and truly in the mix, but the melody is king on 'Decemberunderground' and all the effects exist in the ether behind the hum-able hooks ever present on the offering. Dare Rock Sound even utter it, but have AFI taken a step from the world of rock into the world of pop?

"We grew up listening to the radio," cautiously remarks Carson. "Of course we were bought up in punk and hardcore, but it is hard for those popular culture influences not to seep into our work. But if you listened to all our records back-to-back you would notice the differences throughout our career. Most of our records are like night and day to each other. There are, however, some elements that remain consistent; even if we are playing a drastically different song there are things that still make it an AFI song. No matter how clichéd it sounds, we are always pushing ourselves. If we play something too similar to what we have done before it just bores us."

It would appear that change is the only constant one can rely on with this band, as vocalist Davey Havok adds strength to the sentiment: "The album is a result of always wanting to do something different; we always gravitate towards material that is new, that represents something we have not done before."

Sheep in Sheep's Clothing
AFI have been away for a long time, so long that many wolves in sheep's clothing have managed to penetrate the gothic punk rock flock. Satan thy name is Aiden; thy deceit is a curse upon the ears of all true believers. It could easily be argued that the Seattle pipsqueaks are the ultimate plagiarists and nothing more than a copycat gang who came together imitating everything that A Fire Inside have propagated, pioneered and perfected during the course of their illustrious 15-year career. Most artists in AFI's position would be suffering fits of apoplexy, but it would appear that as obnoxious as Aiden's simulacrum may be, word has not even reached the band of their most obvious admirers.

"It's hard for me as I am a huge fan of music and culture but only with the stuff I am into," Havok sheepishly admits. "I don't spend too much time seeing what's going on in different genres of music so everything about this band Aiden means nothing to me. I don't know them at all." Any hope of starting a good old-fashioned band feud is thoroughly ruined as Carson chimes in with nonchalance: "There is a lot of bad music out there but there is also a lot of good music," he notes. "We just don't pay attention to a lot of it. I'm also not familiar with that band, I have heard the name and seen them in magazines but that's about it. I am not going to tell anyone what type of music to play, enjoy or listen to. If you look at it music is only informed by other music, everything perpetuates everything else." How diplomatic. How true. Artist integrity 1 Rock Sound 0. Consider the chips passed on.

The Hush Sound
The musical landscape AFI return to looks much different to the one they returned from in 03. Davey Havok has retained his privacy for years due to a climate of respect and tolerance permeating from media outlets for this well respected band, but with wiL Francis banging on about his druggie past, Pete Wentz's privates being pasted on the internet, and the ever emerging cult of Gerard Way, it seems that letting the music do the talking is no longer an acceptable option for a new generation of rabid fans who want to know you very, very personally. How is Davey going to deal with the confessional questioning that is now the norm?

"I'm not, because that is just not going to happen to me," laughs Havok. "I have not really considered it up to this point as most of the press I have done has focused on our band, our music, and where we have come from. As far as the personal stuff goes, whenever that is touched on I just decline to discuss it and move the conversation somewhere else. That sort of journalism reads like a tabloid to me and I have no time for it."

Interestingly, the differences between those aforementioned men and Monsieur Havok is actually magnified by his dignified silence on personal issues. His abstinence from discussing such matters leaves the field wide open for speculation and throws the spotlight from him and on to the person who wishes to scurrilously gossip about his sexual preference, physical appearance or style of dress. By reflecting the media's glare back on itself Havok actually pacifies the power of the pen; he is not a desperate confessor, bombastically insecure or a boastful storyteller. He is who he is; assured and confident in what that means. Therefore he feels no urge to explain himself to any publication or pundit; thus, aggravatingly and excitingly, the same questions always remain unanswered. However, the lyrics to 'Decemberunderground' have a candour and accessibility that has previously been missing from the band's earlier work.

"I have felt that myself," he agrees. "I feel that this work is more straightforward and that people are going to have a better idea of what a song really means to me. However, it was not a concious effort; I looked back and saw that was the case. I don't discuss the lyrics or what they mean but this time when people ask about what a song means I can say that if you just pay attention to what I am saying then I think you can figure it out!"

But what if someone does crack the code, does that shatter the mystique and interest in the group? More importantly, does it shatter the breathing space the vocalist has created behind his allegories and metaphors? "It does present an interesting situation for me," Havok acknowledges. "Lyrically this record is more straightforward and it may put me in a place where people unlock what the songs are about. At the very least that will take me aback as I've never dealt with it before, but it's not that frightening, as in writing the song in the first place I am putting myself out there for public consumption. I think I'll be able to deal with it."

In conclusion, let's just remember one thing before we all get too upset: AFI love not fitting in, they absolutely thrive on it.
"We never really fitted in with the greater scenes that we were in," remembers Havok. "Even when we were a punk band playing hardcore - we were in a scene where everyone either wanted to be Jawbreaker, Crimpshrine, a quirky pop-punk band or grindcore. We didn't fit but we continued to play because we liked it and we have weaved in and out of genres ever since. For me I take comfort in the people that accept us for who we are."

Even though the music that AFI play has changed, the band you know and love have not. As the saying goes, the more things change..."