AFI will release a new album, “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…”, on October 3 via Run For Cover Records. “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” marks the twelfth album from AFI and will include the lead single “Behind The Clock”, which ushers in the bold new era for the iconic band. Alongside the new single, AFI has shared a music video directed by Gilbert Trejo.
Regarding the experience working with Trejo, AFI vocalist Davey Havok said: “Gilbert‘s video has sublimated the essence of ‘Behind The Clock’. His vision and expertise is inspiring. Working with him was a privilege and utter joy. He is an artist of the purest form.”
Speaking about the “Behind The Clock” video, Trejo commented: “We wanted the video to feel like you’re seeing something you shouldn’t. In effect you are, because that’s how Davey writes lyrics. He’s expressing himself so openly, that you’re let behind this curtain. It’s a world that most artists don’t cut to, marrow deep.”
For more than three decades, AFI has been in a nearly constant state of reinvention. The band have made it a point to evolve with every album — sometimes dramatically so — never allowing themselves to become too comfortable in one genre or rest on any of their impressive career laurels. It’s an approach that has grown their audience but also challenged it with a sonic identity that can shift in wild, unexpected directions. Now with “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…”, AFI are once again at the start of an exciting new chapter, only this time they’ve even managed to surprise themselves.
The goal of “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” was to make an album with a singular mood, something dreamy and ethereal, and the band members found themselves diving headfirst into influences that had always been deeply embedded in AFI‘s musical core, but now were being brought to the forefront. The result is an album that feels out of time, at once familiar and fresh, drawing on classic sounds and reinterpreting them through a modern lens. “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” is dark and otherworldly, but also grandiose and stately, biting and beautiful in equal measure — in other words, it’s very AFI, yet not quite like any version of the band you’ve ever heard before.
It’s this combination of endless creative daring, deftly wielded influences, and above all else, an unshakeable sense of self that’s allowed AFI to stay relevant for more than 30 years, often leading the way through emerging musical moments. From their scrappy roots as a high school hardcore band oin the early ’90s (“Answer That and Stay Fashionable”, “Very Proud Of Ya” and “Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes”),to their dark melodic punk reinvention at the turn of the century (“Black Sails In The Sunset” and “The Art Of Drowning”),to their crossover into mainstream stardom in the early 2000s (“Sing The Sorrow” and “Decemberunderground”) and their years as shapeshifting alternative rock journeymen (“Crash Love”, “Burials”, “The Blood Album” and “Bodies”),the band has survived and thrived by staunchly being themselves — no matter what that is.
This fall, AFI will embark on their headline North American tour with special guests TR/ST to celebrate the release of “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” The 24-date run will begin on September 30 in Madison, Wisconsin, with stops in Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Denver, before wrapping November 5 in San Diego, CA. The tour marks AFI‘s first full-scale outing since their celebrated 2021 release “Bodies”, and will offer fans the chance to experience songs from across their extensive catalog, delivered with the band’s signature electrifying performance.
“Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” track listing:
01. The Bird Of Prey
02. Behind The Clock
03. Holy Visions
04. Blasphemy & Excess
05. Spear Of Truth
06. Ash Speck In A Green Eye
07. VOIDWARD, I BEND BACK
08. Marguerite
09. A World Unmade
10. Noneunderground
Upcoming live shows:
Sep. 14 – Washington, PA @ Four Chord Music Festival*
Sep. 30 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
Oct. 02 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
Oct. 03 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed
Oct. 04 – Columbus, OH @ The Bluestone
Oct. 06 – Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo RiverWorks
Oct. 07 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Cleveland
Oct. 09 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
Oct. 10 – Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues
Oct. 12 – Wallingford, CT @ Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Oct. 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
Oct. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
Oct. 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Oct. 18 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
Oct. 20 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Oct. 21 – North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues Myrtle Beach
Oct. 23 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Oct. 24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ War Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 25 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor
Oct. 28 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
Oct. 29 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at Moody Theater
Oct. 31 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
Nov. 01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell at the Complex +
Nov. 04 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre *+
Nov. 05 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA
Nov. 16 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Corona Capital*
* Non-Live Nation date
+ Support to be determined
Photo credit: Lexie Alley
