"From Ukiah Hardcore to Platinum Alt-Rock Icons, the story of AFI"
(Artist Report)
Written by: Cody Denning
Today we’re talking about AFI, a band from Ukiah, California. AFI formed in November 1991 when high school kid Davey Havok got together with some friends to start a band. None of them could really play their instruments at first. The name originally stood for “A Fire Inside,” though early on they joked about calling themselves “Abuncha Fuckin’ Idiots.” They played their very first shows in 1992 as openers for local punk bands.In the early years, AFI was a straight-up hardcore punk band with fast, aggressive songs and a strong DIY ethos. They released a string of independent EPs and built a dedicated following in the California punk scene through relentless touring and raw energy. Their first full-length, Answer That and Stay Fashionable, came out in 1995, followed by Very Proud of Ya in 1996 and Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes in 1997.
By the late ‘90s, the band started shifting into darker territory. Their 1999 album Black Sails in the Sunset brought in more gothic and bleak themes. That same year they dropped the All Hallow’s E.P., which leaned hard into horror punk. That EP included a cover of the Misfits’ “Halloween,” and one of its tracks, “The Boy Who Destroyed the World,” ended up in the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3. That placement exposed them to a whole new audience of skaters and gamers.
Their next album, The Art of Drowning in 2000, continued blending hardcore with slower, more melodic songs and really showed how much their songwriting was growing. Around this time they left their longtime label Nitro and signed to a major, which set them up for their biggest breakthrough yet.
In 2003 they released Sing the Sorrow, and everything changed. The album debuted in the Billboard top ten, went platinum, and gave them massive radio hits like “Girl’s Not Grey” and “Silver and Cold.” It marked a big sonic shift into a darker, more atmospheric alternative rock sound.
They doubled down on that evolution with Decemberunderground in 2006, which hit number one on the Billboard 200. That record brought in more electronic and new wave elements, and the single “Miss Murder” became one of their biggest songs ever.
After that, AFI kept evolving. They released Crash Love in 2009, Burials in 2013, a self-titled album in 2017 often called The Blood Album, and Bodies in 2021. Their most recent album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun…, came out in October 2025.
Throughout their career, Davey Havok and Jade Puget have been the creative core, with longtime members Hunter Burgan on bass and Adam Carson on drums rounding out the lineup. The band has never been afraid to change their sound, which earned them both loyal fans who grew with them and some old-school purists who felt left behind.
As of 2026, AFI is still very much active. They’ve been touring North America this year, including festival appearances and a run of headline dates with Choir Boy. Davey Havok’s distinct voice and the band’s ever-evolving style continue to connect with new generations of fans.
That does it for this report. Thanks for riding with us — we’ll catch you on the next one
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Written By: Cody Denning
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