Review Summary: "Decemberunderground is a time and a place. It is where the cold can huddle together in darkness and isolation."
In all honesty and without any shame in saying this Decemberunderground is
my album. This is the album that even people on this site associate me with, or maybe it was another infamous user, I'm not sure as of right now and this is fairly unimportant for the review anyway.
Decemberunderground. This is an album often regarded by "hardcore" Afi fans as their low point, many even will argue that this was the band "selling out" (and who really knows what that means anyway?). Even I am one to admit that
Sing the Sorrow is their most admirable album, their
magnum opus if you will. I have been an Afi fan since
Black Sails in the Sunset and I will continue to follow them (no matter how much I had to force myself to enjoy
Crash Love..) However throughout all of their magnificent releases Decemberunderground has remained special to me, permanent in more than one way. I look at this album with a unique fondness one might share with a close friend that has been there from the start. Sadly I have never felt close enough to anyone to share these feelings with, ever since I can remember I have held my feelings close because I feared no one would understand what I was going through, what I am still going through. Despite having a difficult time talking to anyone about my feelings I have managed to hold myself together. I discovered a place where my sorrow no longer hindered me but made me stronger, a place where I didn't feel so alone,
Decemberunderground.
Swimming, bathing, drowning in sorrow.
From the eerie opener "Prelude 12/21" it's apparent that the band have further evolved from the basic punk group they once were into an intelligent band that understand how to manipulate electronic flourishes as to create a magnificently poignant atmosphere. "Kill Caustic", in all honesty and I know many will disagree, is the bands only misstep in the album. It seems as if they were trying to give hardcore fans a treat (which was clearly the case with the stellar track "Dancing Through Sunday") but instead fabricated a rather generic hardcore/punk song. While by no means a bad track its placement near the front of the track listing allows you to forget how terribly average it was by the albums end. "Miss Murder", the overly played single off DU, is a boisterous track showcasing each member at their peak. The guitar riff recalls a darker "Fall Children" and the ever present bass is a staple throughout the album. Adams consistency behind the kit is perfectly matched with Davey Havoks eclectic vocal performance ranging from soft whispers to harsh shrieks.
What's the hook? The twist within this verbose mystery
I would gladly bet my life upon it
That the ghost you love
your ray of light will fizzle out without hope.
The lyrics, or at least my interpretation of them, foreshadows the eventual loss of everyone we take for granted, the loss of everyone and everything we count close to us is inevitable. "Summer Shudder" continues to enchant the listener with Jades picked chord sequences as well as the salient bass, the sounds of a phone dialing is open to anyones interpretation and for me the phone call goes through at the end of "Affliction" and while the conversation might be muddled I can hear a womans voice begging for a lover, the woman seems to be crying and I believe she says-
And I ask you for one simple thing and you won't even do that
and when I feel whole again I'll be back home.
Again this is simply what I believe is being said, the lyric sheet may say otherwise but as to that I am unsure. "The Interview" is one of the main reasons why I feel so strongly about this album. Despite the bass being spectacular throughout the album it truly shines on this track. The subtly electronic effects and chunky power chords clash beautifully as some of the most desperate and sacrosanct lyrics are found here-
I crawl across this cracked expansion.
I'll be buried soon
Beneath the sand with pure intentions,
Wanting something, someone to follow
For a change I'll refrain
From hiding all of me from you.
Here's my lullaby
Pray for rain, lose your name
And watch all your dreams fall through.
Hush now, don't you cry.
My love for this track lies in my understanding of the lyrics and what they mean to me. It is foolish for us as humans to believe that
anything is forever. While many of us may blindly battle life and its endeavors I have come to realize that we are all destined to fall. We can try our best to accomplish our dreams but more often than not we will encounter despair and disappointment from the things we cherish. In my experiences as a person I have come to accept the fact that many of my dreams and aspirations will never come true and it is wiser to expect and accept failure and loss than to have those facts of life blindly destroy you from within.
"Love Like Winter" flawlessly showcases the band at their most poppy as well as their most pleasantly catchy. A curious thing about the song is that while it is the "poppiest" track on the album it never abandons the dark mood that embraces the album. The video is a treat to see as well as the stunningly beautiful Davey Havok walks through what is seemingly Decemberunderground itself. There he becomes curious about a slightly less attractive female model and eventually follows her to his death. The video matches the song seamlessly and is a pleasure to watch but again this is all subjective and is widely open to interpretation. "The Missing Frame" is another one of the albums more catchy tracks which relies on the simple yet catchy drumming courtesy of Adam who also enjoys throwing in a clever and fast paced fill when needed. The lyrics on this track are a little more insipid than on others but Havoks vocal performance weighs out the differences well but the soft female background vocalists must also be given some credit as they are what make that particular track stand out. "37mm" allows Afi to use their newfound electronic style to full effect. The drum loop must be noted as when listening to this song as it's just too fun to pick up a pair of pencils and attempt to shred along, or that's how I further enjoy the song anyway. "Endlessly, She Said" begins with the whispering of the word
'suicide' and again the musical output from all 4 members is flawless, the chiming of the picked chords, the relentlessly groovy bass lines and the pin-point drumming back the lyrical anomalies that Havok contributes.
I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel as if nothing can hurt me anymore. The lingering thought that I will never be able to show my parents how much I've made it through has probably affected me so much that it's no surprise I have never had a steady or meaningful relationship with anyone. One day I hope to find someone that will understand me and one day I hope to never feel alone again, like everyone I too want to laugh and smile with someone I care for. I wanted to show my parents the girl I fell in love with, I wanted a family to spend Christmas with. It's difficult to accept that everything you ever wanted to happen in your life is impossible, it's something I've had to deal with. The day that my heart finally stops I'll have a quite picnic with just my parents. We'll laugh at my stupid jokes, I'll pretend I know about football. I'll tell my mother how much I needed her and how much I love her. I'll tell her how alone I've felt. I'll tell her that when I felt so lost and I wanted it to end I kept going. I'll tell her about how I cried some nights wishing she could hold me, I'll tell her how much I couldn't take it anymore. I'll tell her how I escaped to Decemberunderground.
Calm down. Come now, cold resides with me.
I flee to Decemberunderground.
As you exhale, I breathe in and sink into the water underground
and I'll grow pale without you.
