A.F.I

Very Proud of Ya

Early A.F.I. Hardcore

Review Score:

(6/10)
Listening to early AFI is like trying to remember a name that has slipped your mind. You know you've heard that riff, that melody somewhere before, but where? To be sure, Very Proud Of Ya is not an original effort. This brand of Southern California hardcore had been repeated endless times by countless bands for more than a decade before this CD was released. And yet, there's still something very entertaining about it. Even though they have yet to define their style, AFI comes up with quite a few clever hooks, and even a few fun sing-a-longs, which are rare in this genre. Ironically, the best songs here are the ones that show no hint of the gothic inclinations their later work would lean towards. Songs like "This Secret Ninja," and "Soap Box Derby" are near perfect bits of constricted hardcore anger. Unfortunately, 20 songs is a bit too much to take, and by the end it all just runs together and sounds alike. Still for fans of old-school punk and hardcore, this is a pretty decent album.

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