Track Listing 1. Initiation 2. Lost Souls, The 3. Nephilim, The 4. Ever and a Day 5. Sacrifice Theory 6. Of Greetings and Goodbyes 7. Smile 8. Story at Three, A 9. Days of the Phoenix 10. Catch a Hot One 11. Wester 12. 6 to 8 13. Despair Factor, The 14. Morningstar
| Details | | Producer: | AFI, Chuck Johnson | | Distributor: | Fontana Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes A.F.I.: Davey Havok (vocals): Jade Puget (guitar): Hunter (bass): Adam Carson (drums). Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California. "My whole life is a dark room" is the sentiment expressed by AFI on the appropriately titled "The Despair Factor," and there's no denying the uniformly bleak outlook of this young band. If they made music to match, this would be a rather dull ride, but they work the contrast nicely by backing their worrisome lyrics with explosion after sonic explosion of blistering punk. AFI might be said to practice a variant of horrorcore, but not of the stylized, play-acting, Slipknot kind. Rather, the group comes off as a junior branch of the Misfits, mating the grim and the grisly with energetic, old-school punk bashing, and even a fairly conventional melodic sense. For those who think Halloween rock started with Marilyn Manson, THE ART OF DROWNING will provide a quick and infectious history lesson.
Editorial Reviews ...DROWNING features bigger hooks, a more ornate sound, and shout-along choruses that dominate nearly every tune... Spin (04/01/2003)
A new level of dark meant a new level of success. Kerrang
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