Black Sails in the Sunset

AFI - Who Knew? (Black Sails EP) - YouTube

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Black Sails in the Sunset is the fourth studio album by American rock band AFI. It was released on May 18, 1999 through Nitro Records. With the addition of guitarist Jade Puget as a permanent member, it is the first AFI album to feature the current line-up of the band.

Video Black Sails in the Sunset

Music

While Black Sails in the Sunset is a hardcore punk album, it also is a horror punk album.

Maps Black Sails in the Sunset

Critical reception

Black Sails in the Sunset was received well by critics. Alternative Press gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars, commenting that "with new guitarist Jade Puget adding a sense of brooding, thespian eloquence to the disc's shadowy post-hardcore, AFI all but reinvented themselves," and "With longer, deeper, richer, more complex compositions than they've ever attempted before, Black Sails tackles everything from brooding hardcore ... to shimmering balladry..." The publication also went as far as to say that Black Sails is "their first epic."

Decoy Music reviewer Aaron Yarborough praised Davey Havok's lyrical contribution to the album, commending his efforts to "find himself," saying "the way he expresses how he feels is pure poetry." Yarborough concluded by recommending the album to "anyone who likes heavy punk."

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Track listing

All lyrics written by Davey Havok; all music composed by AFI.

Due to a misprint, tracks 9 and 10 were mislabeled with their titles switched. Shown here is the correct track listing.

AFI Black Sails in the Sunset Custom 7 EP Stencil

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B-sides

All tracks recorded during the Black Sails sessions unless otherwise noted.

"Lower It" is featured as track 7 on the vinyl release of the album. It was eventually re-released on the AFI retrospective compilation.
"Who Knew?" is featured on the Black Sails EP. It is included as a bonus track on the Japanese release of the album.
"Transference" is featured on the No Time to Kill compilation. It is the only song by AFI to contain lead vocals by Hunter Burgan, which can be heard during the chorus of the song.
"The Chicken Song" is featured as a hidden track on the No Time to Kill compilation. It features Burgan playing the piano and Havok and Puget sharing lead vocal duties. The band often jokingly deny the existence of the song.
"Weight of Words" was known to be recorded during the Black Sails sessions, but has yet to be released.