Punk rawkers
AFI exude another powerful disposition on their fifth album,
The Art of Drowning. Issued on Dexter Holland's Nitro Records,
AFI's quick and haughty, spiraling guitar riffs and crashing percussion make for another mishmash for single-fisted anthems for punk revivalists and enigmatic pop kids raging against the machine. Nothing short of
Pennywise,
D Generation, and
Powerman 5000,
AFI is rowdy with their old-school-inspired rants like "Ever and a Day" and "Of Greetings and Goodbyes." Frontman Davey Havok casts a rough demeanor, but certainly not anything intimidating because punk rock became friendly after the war of early-'90s grunge. The snarl and sweat are not as fashionable as it once was, but the attitude remains the same. ~ MacKenzie Wilson