AFI - Burials Album Review: All 13 Tracks Analyzed

13. The Face Beneath The Waves €“ The ninth album in AFI's career comes to an end with the overlong, malevolent misstep, "The Face Beneath The Waves." On this album closer, the band creates an eerie sonic landscape comprised of howling guitar bends and the sounds of whipping wind, conjuring images of a walk through a Hollywood movie graveyard complete with CGI spirits and film sound effects. With a shorter running time, the song could have landed with greater impact, acting as an unsettling homage to the menacing atmosphere of the band's past music, but the song ends up as an odd, inessential ending to a very strong album. After a four year wait, AFI presents fans with an inventive, exhausting experience on Burials. The most-is-more strategy may tire some listeners, and the album is dragged down slightly by a number of very similar sounding choruses, but those with the necessary endurance will enjoy a deep black, mega-sized rock epic that is one of the best albums in AFI's career. Album Score: 4.5/5 Album Highlights: "A Deep Slow Panic," "Wild"