Head to the AP Shop to grab vinyl, CDs, and cassettes of AFI’s Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…
AFI have always been reinventing themselves. First, they began as a scrappy hardcore group, coming up alongside Green Day and Operation Ivy at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley in the ’90s. Then they were staples of “mall emo” in the early 2000s, making peers out of My Chemical Romance, Thursday, and Taking Back Sunday. With their forthcoming album, Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…, they’re channeling post-punk progenitors (think Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, and Echo and the Bunnymen) while paying homage to their East Bay roots. “When I think about this record, this is a punk record,” Davey Havok said in their recent AP cover story, recalling the tight-knit community of their early days. “Who knows what that word even means now? But to me, this is a more punk-sounding record than a lot of the records in the most recent past. When I think of Gilman Street, when I think of coming from there and playing there every weekend, those people who founded that collective were — if we’re going to agree upon the word — punks, and that ethic was more than embraced. It was demanded of participating in that community, or you were a pariah.”
Read more: AFI reflect on creating their breakthrough hit “Girl’s Not Grey”
With their new album being announced last week, we asked readers to vote on the best AFI songs. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
5. “Silver and Cold”
Sing the Sorrow changed everything for AFI. Their 2003 major-label debut catapulted them from the DIY stages of Gilman Street to bigger venues, going on to become regulars on MTV. Made with Butch Vig and Jerry Finn, two heavyweight producers who helped launch Nirvana and blink-182, respectively, into mainstream fame, they encouraged AFI to expand their breakneck punk, turning their love of post-hardcore, goth, and new wave into addictive songs — all without simplifying their approach. “Silver and Cold” is a standout from that album, boasting a lovesick hook that adds a touch of pop to their blazing punk.
4. “Death of Seasons”
“Death of Seasons” sees the band testing their own boundaries, throwing their hardcore roots, industrial edge, and gothic atmosphere into an experimental blender. The Sing the Sorrow track also includes one of Havok’s most compelling vocal performances as he shifts between melodic croons, gritty screams, and spoken-word parts. Traversing themes of alienation, decay, and hatred, “Death of Seasons” is still astounding in 2025, capturing a band that were completely fearless as they looked at the negativity of the world around them.
3. “God Called In Sick Today”
It’s difficult to pick the best song from 1999’s Black Sails in the Sunset, but our readers landed on “God Called In Sick Today.” As the hidden, theatrical conclusion to their fourth studio album, the song deviated from their heavy foundation in the best way possible. After all, Black Sails set the tone for AFI — signaling the arrival of Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan’s permanence, and a more melodic approach. In a 1999 4.5/5 star review, Alternative Press heralded the release as “their first epic… With longer, deeper, richer, more complex compositions than they’ve ever attempted before.” “God Called In Sick Today” is proof, offering a preview of the various styles they’d tinker with as the years elapsed.
2. “This Time Imperfect”
Sing the Sorrow has stood the rest of time, remaining one of AFI’s most beloved albums. It’s why three of its songs appear on this list. Dark and introspective, “This Time Imperfect” was a hidden track at the end of the record, following “…But Home Is Nowhere.” That made it special among real heads, feeling like a bonus for those who listened from front to back, rather than just latching onto the singles. Compared to the rest of Sing the Sorrow’s angst and aggression, “This Time Imperfect” slows everything down, culminating in a proper moment of reflection.
1. “The Days of the Phoenix”
The Art of Drowning created a lot of momentum for AFI, as major labels started eyeing punk bands after the success of Dookie, Smash, and Enema of the State. But their fifth LP doesn’t just boast tremendous artwork from Alan Forbes. According to our readers, The Art of Drowning hosts AFI’s greatest song, “The Days of the Phoenix.” Nestled on the album’s back half, the song is a blast of nostalgia, referencing Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California, where the band often played in their early years.