History Music / AFI

* ColorMotif: Most of their albums physical packages and discs have distinct color setups that match the mood of the album, such as the burning red of ''ShutYourMouthAndOpenYourEyes'', the amber and gold of ''Crash Love'', and the brownish grey of ''Burials''. Their website changes accordingly to suit the new theme.

* DrugsAreBad: The use of drugs by companions is mourned in songs like "Clove Smoke Catharsis" and "Veronica Sawyer Smokes".

On their 1999 release "Black Sails in the Sunset", they supplemented their hardcore sound with {{Goth Rock}} influences. This trend would continue with their next two albums, "The Art of Drowning", which also brought in {{industrial}} elements, and "Sing the Sorrow", the latter album becoming AFI's breakthrough album and reaching #5 on the Billboard charts. Then [[NewSoundAlbum Decemberunderground]] came around. With a bigger emphasis on a electropop-ish Music/{{New Wave}} sound, the album proved to be a bigger success than "Sing the Sorrow" but also [[BrokenBase caused some alarm]] due to percieved abandonment of their hardcore roots.

* PrecisionFStrike: "This hate is fucking real" in "Death of Seasons"

* TBA (2013)

* ShoutOut: to ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' in "The Despair Factor," ''{{Goodfellas}}'' in the "He Who Laughs Last" video (the "as far back as I can remember..." line) and ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' in the "Girl's Not Grey" video. Also to ''ReservoirDogs'' on the "Answer That and Stay Fashionable" album cover; the album title itself is a line from the film Bad News Tour.

* GratuitousLatin: "Miseria Cantare," "Porphyria Cutanea Tarda" (somewhat justified in that it's a medical name for a disease)

* CoverVersion: "Halloween" and "Last Caress" by TheMisfits, "The Hanging Garden" by TheCure, "Don't Change" by INXS, "Jack the Ripper" by Music/{{Morrissey}}, "Head Like a Hole" by NineInchNails, "MyMichelle" by Music/GunsNRoses, "Ziggy Stardust" by DavidBowie, "Man in a Suitcase" by ThePolice, "Today's Lesson" by Filth...
** Happened to the band themselves when TheOffspring covered "Totalimmortal" for the ''MeMyselfAndIrene'' soundtrack.

* CoverVersion: "Halloween" and "Last Caress" by TheMisfits, "The Hanging Garden" by TheCure, "Don't Change" by INXS, "Jack the Ripper" by Music/{{Morrissey}}, "Head Like a Hole" by NineInchNails, "MyMichelle" by Music/GunsNRoses, "Ziggy Stardust" by DavidBowie...

* ObligatoryBondageSong: Mentions are made of wrist restraints in "Kiss and Control," and "The Interview" refrerences an honest-to-god OBS, "Master and Servant" by DepecheMode. Then there's "Dream of Waking"...

* CoverVersion: "Halloween" and "Last Caress" by TheMisfits, "The Hanging Garden" by TheCure, "Don't Change" by INXS, "Jack the Ripper" by Morrissey, "Head Like a Hole" by NineInchNails, "MyMichelle" by Music/GunsNRoses, "Ziggy Stardust" by DavidBowie...

* Music/{{Emo}}: their closer to classic/ post-hardcore emo than scene emo. They were also key players in the early 2000's post-hardcore scene along with Thrusday, {{Brand New}} and {{My Chemical Romance}}

* ([Music/{{Emo}}: their closer to classic/ post-hardcore emo than scene emo. They were also key players in the early 2000's post-hardcore scene along with Thrusday, {{Brand New}} and {{My Chemical Romance}}

* CoverVersion: "Halloween" by TheMisfits, "The Hanging Garden" by TheCure, "Don't Change" by INXS, "Jack the Ripper" by Morrissey, "Head Like a Hole" by NineInchNails, "MyMichelle" by Music/GunsNRoses, "Ziggy Stardust" by DavidBowie...

* ShoutOut: to ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' in "The Despair Factor," ''{{Goodfellas}}'' in the "He Who Laughs Last" video (the "as far back as I can remember..." line) and ''AliceInWonderland'' in the "Girl's Not Grey" video. Also to ''ReservoirDogs'' on the "Answer That and Stay Fashionable" album cover; the album title itself is a line from the film Bad News Tour.

* HoYay: They love making suggestive jokes during interviews

On their 1999 release "Black Sails in the Sunset", they supplemented their hardcore sound with {{Goth Rock}} influences. This trend would continue with their next two albums, "The Art of Drowning", which also brought in {{industrial}} elements, and "Sing the Sorrow", the latter album becoming AFI's breakthrough album and reaching #5 on the Billboard charts. Then [[NewSoundAlbum Decemberunderground]] came around. With a bigger emphasis on a electropop-ish {{New Wave}} sound, the album proved to be a bigger success than "Sing the Sorrow" but also [[BrokenBase caused some alarm]] due to percieved abandonment of their hardcore roots.

AFI (A Fire Inside) started as {{Hardcore Punk}} revivalists. Nothing special, but they had some clever and sarcastic lyrics to back up the typical fast sound. For their first three albums, they played this way with very little musical variation. They surprised everyone on their 1999 album ''Black Sails in the Sunset'', taking their usual hardcore sound and adding a heaping dose of {{Goth Rock}} and even a few slow songs (best showcased on the songs "Porphyria" and "God Called in Sick Today"). This album was considered a big jumping off for emotive hardcore and it was considered a real artistic upgrade for a band that before never really broke from formula. Their follow up album ''The Art of Drowning'' continued this trend with such songs as "The Lost Souls", and especially the single "Days of the Phoenix". With their renown increasing and their musical creativity entrancing both their new fans and their old hardcore fans, it was clear that A Fire Inside was all set for a popular breakthrough.

AFI delivered with ''Sing the Sorrow'' in 2003, This album is often considered the high point of their creativity and musicianship. This album did the impossible by not only being a popular breakthrough, but also by staying true to their old fans who (surprisingly enough) didn't view it as a selling out, but as a musical achievement by a band that was once dissmissed. Musically ''Sing The Sorrow'' strips away their more Hardcore musicianship in favor of gothic-flavored {{post punk}} with several tracks having an {{industrial}} influences. Despite its better production, it still had a fist-pumping sound to it as well as keeping their usual sarcasm laced lyrics.

However, this proved {{too good to last}}, as AFI was now in the limelight, and this seemed to get to their heads, as their next album, ''Decemberunderground'', distanced them even further from their old fanbase. It embraced a more {{New Wave}} sound and it seemed like every song was an attempt to make a pop hit (whereas only a few songs on Sing the Sorrow could realy be described as poppy). Despite FanDumb becoming enraged that AFI could actually become successful, "Miss Murder" from climbing the charts.

Not to be confused with the American Film Institute, best known for their "100 Years, 100 Movies" lists.

* ShoutOut: to ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' in "The Despair Factor," ''{{Goodfellas}}'' in the "He Who Laughs Last" video (the "as far back as I can remember..." line) and ''AliceInWonderland'' in the "Girl's Not Grey" video. Also to ''ReservoirDogs'' on the "Answer That and Stay Fashionable" album cover; the album title itself is a line from the film Bad News Tour.

* TheTropeSong: "The Leaving Song", "The Leaving Song, Part II", "Torch Song"

* TitleByNumber: "3 1/2," "6 to 8," "37mm"