- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Even as the guys stretch and flex their songwriting muscles, they never fail to remember where they came from, instead using their past work as the foundation to their essential growth.
-
An ambitious, enjoyable album that expands AFI's sound while retaining the bombastic, aggressive rock the band played throughout the '90s.
-
The most melodically acute distillation of that style yet.
-
Both accessible and artistic, Decemberunderground is destined to give AFI that larger mainstream audience they missed out on the last time around.
-
Singer Davey Havok continues to impress with his range and ability to quickly turn from a throat-searing scream to a bare-boned croon, as does the entire band's consistently exciting approach to songwriting and their music aesthetic.
-
"Decemberunderground" is less cohesive than its predecessor and apes the band's influences far too obviously for musicians of this caliber. Even so, it's vastly entertaining.
-
BlenderSung in his almost icy, stentorian cry--and outfitted with mega-choruses--the tracks feel as epic as Havok's themes. [Jul 2006, p.97]
-
There is plenty to love here, so don't be surprised when you find it has become the current soundtrack to your life.
-
Although they love drama, AFI never abandon believability here. Which means the arena-rock trappings don’t make the music feel fake -- they just make it feel more exciting than life.
-
By mimicking the sound of every Hot Topic band crashing into one--with songs that pilfer from the Killers, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy--we have to wonder if they haven't just orchestrated their own extinction.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 108 out of 143
-
Mixed: 16 out of 143
-
Negative: 19 out of 143
-
Apr 7, 2013
-
Jun 7, 2011
-
Mar 6, 2011