There are many examples where drastic changes in the sound and image of a band led to great success. The AFI team is one of the most prominent examples.
At the moment, AFI is one of the most famous representatives of alternative rock music in America, whose songs can be heard in movies and on television. The tracks of the musicians became soundtracks for cult games, and also took the top of various charts. But the AFI group did not find success immediately.
The band's early years
The history of the group began in 1991, when friends from the city of Ukiah wanted to create their own musical group. At that time, the line-up included: Davey Havok, Adam Carson, Marcus Stofolese and Vic Chalker, who were united by a love of punk rock. Ambitious high school students dreamed of playing the fast and aggressive music characteristic of their idols.
Vic Chalker was kicked out of the group a few months later. Jeff Kresge took his place. Then a permanent composition of the group was created, which remained unchanged until the end of the decade.
In 1993, the debut mini-album Dork was released. The record was not a success with listeners, resulting in a decline in sales. The musicians performed in half-empty halls, losing their former optimism.
The result was the dissolution of the team, which was associated not only with creative failures, but also with the need for musicians to go to college.
First success
Significant for the AFI group was December 29, 1993, when the team reunited for a single concert. It was this performance that convinced the friends to continue their creative activity.
Music has become the most important passion in the lives of musicians who have concentrated entirely on rehearsals and live performances.
The breakthrough came in 1995 when the band's first studio album hit store shelves. The record Answer That and Stay Fashionable is created in the classic hardcore-punk style that has been popular recently.
Harsh guitar riffs were backed up by reality-defying lyrics. The audience liked the drive of the young band, which made it possible to record a second disc created in the same style.
On the wave of success, the band began recording their third album, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes.
However, while working on the record, Jeff Kresge left the band, which was the first impetus for change. The vacant seat was taken by Hunter Burgan, who became an indispensable member of the band for many years.
Changing the image of the AFI group
Despite some success that accompanied the band in the second half of the 1990s, the musicians remained known only among fans of old school hardcore punk. In order for the AFI group to reach a new level, certain stylistic changes were required. But who would have thought that the changes would be so radical.
Transitional in the work of the group was the album Black Sails in the Sunset, recorded with the participation of a new bass player. The sound on the record has lost the perky drive characteristic of the first releases. The lyrics became darker, while the guitar parts became slower and more melodic.
The "breakthrough" was the album The Art of Drowning, which took the Billboard chart at number 174. The album's lead single, The Days Of The Phoenix, gained immense popularity among listeners. This allowed the band to move to a new music label, DreamWorks Records.
The musical transformation continued with Sing the Sorrow, released in 2003. The group finally abandoned the elements of traditional punk rock, fully focusing on alternative directions. In the record Sing the Sorrow one can hear the influence of fashionable post-hardcore, which has become the hallmark of the band.
Changes have also taken place in the appearance of the musicians. Vocalist Davey Havok created a defiant image, which was created using piercings, long dyed hair, tattoos and cosmetics.
Decemberunderground's seventh studio album debuted at #1 on the charts. He became the most successful in the history of the group. It included the hits Love Like Winter and Miss Murder, which became the most recognizable among the mass audience of listeners.
Further work of the AFI group
The AFI group continued to be at the peak of popularity until the end of the decade. This was facilitated by the huge popularity of post-hardcore among the informal youth of those years. But in 2010, the popularity of the team gradually began to decrease. A similar problem arose in many alternative groups, forced to radically change their genre orientation.
Despite the change in fashion trends, the musicians remained true to themselves, only slightly "lightening" the old sound. In 2013, the release of the album Burials took place, which had positive reviews from "fans". And in 2017, the last full-length album, The Blood Album, was released.
AFI Group today
Despite the fact that the fashion for alternative rock music began to fade, the group continues to enjoy success around the world. AFI releases new albums not so often, but the records invariably maintain the level that was taken by the musicians back in the mid-2000s.
Apparently, AFI is not going to stop there, so new records and concert tours will be ahead of the fans. But how soon the musicians will decide to settle in the studio remains a mystery.
