Fireproof Backpacks for Adventurers

On this EP, you can start to see AFI leaving their punk roots and getting into their much darker approach to music. Most people say that Black Sails in the Sunset was AFI's turning point and when they adopted their darker or 'gothic' (a false label that annoys every one of the band members) image, but does it really get any darker or more 'gothic' than a Cure cover? The Hanging Garden is a cover of a favorite Cure song, and Demonomania is an awesome, 45-second Misfits cover that just gets blown through your ears at 1,000 mph. Its sound is a mix between the pure hardcore of Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes and the darkness of Black Sails in the Sunset.

The Hanging Garden, a Cure cover, and Demonomania, a 45-second Misfits cover, showcase AFI's darker and more gothic-influenced sound on this EP. While many consider Black Sails in the Sunset as the band's turning point towards a darker aesthetic, this EP demonstrates that their exploration of these darker musical elements had already begun. The Hanging Garden's cover of a Cure song and the breakneck speed of Demonomania blend the pure hardcore of Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes with the darkness that would come to define AFI's later work. This EP marks a crucial transition in the band's musical evolution, as they begin to distance themselves from their punk roots and embrace a more complex, brooding, and atmospheric approach to their craft.

The EP serves as a bridge between AFI's earlier, more straightforward punk sound and the moody, introspective direction they would soon take. The Hanging Garden's melancholic melodies and Demonomania's frenetic energy foreshadow the band's future sonic explorations, hinting at the richness and depth that would come to characterize their later releases. While some may argue that the 'gothic' label is a simplistic and inaccurate way to describe AFI's evolution, this EP certainly marks a significant shift in their artistic vision, one that would ultimately lead them to new and exciting creative territories.

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