31 Days of Horror: AFI's All Hallow's EP is hardcore horror punk that still rips

AFI is a band that has undergone countless phases and various evolutions, and to date, has released 12 albums. They initially started out as a straight-up hardcore band influenced by the likes of Sick of It All, before they shifted to horror punk, and eventually brooding Goth, synth, and industrial rock that resembles some of their other influences, specifically The Cure and Depeche Mode.

However, for this writer, who got into punk rock in the late 90s and early 2000s, few bands were bigger than AFI during that period. I'll always be fond of a very specific AFI era, which started with Black Sails in the Sunset in 1999, followed by the stellar four-song All Hallow's EP, and eventually 2000's The Art of Drowning. This is the era when AFI really merged their punk rock influences from the Bay Area where they formed, with hardcore, and horror punk, specifically The Misfits. This is the era when front man Davey Havok shrieked and wailed and sported a devil's lock. This period was also very brief, and following this stage, the band would achieve massive mainstream success with their major label albums Sing the Sorrow and Decemberunderground.

For the punk rock and horror fans like me, few AFI recordings are as perfect as the All Hallow's EP. All four tracks on it absolutely rip and shred. The EP kicks off with "Fall Children," which has a moody opening, featuring Jade Puget's slow guitar riff, before the power chords kick in, followed by Davey Havok's trademark throat-shredding screams. Just look at some of the opening lyrics: "As the cries start to penetrate still air / This day we celebrate, the wait now ends." It's a perfect autumn anthem, especially when Havok howls "Fall childreeeeeeen" about two minutes in, backed by a blast of power chords and Adam Carson's relentless drum kicks. Additionally, the track has so many damn catchy "woahs," making it a great sing-along.

The EP then launches into a cover of one of the Danzig-era Misfits' most famous tracks, "Halloween." AFI's version, however, is much faster and louder. It also underscores just how much the band was influenced by classic horror punk at this point in their career. "Halloween" is followed by another gem, "The Boy Who Destroyed the World," which is still one of my favorite AFI tracks to this day. It contains awesome breakdowns and a chorus that sounds big and bold, with the lines, "Remember when, remember when? / Remember when we were all so beautiful? / Never again, never again." Meanwhile, the track's first verse continues the brooding songwriting that the band started on Black Sails in the Sunset, especially the opening lines, "Once there was a boy who had a vibrant glow / But as it goes, someone took it from him / One day through the rain, I heard him meekly moan / He said, will you wrap your arms around me?" Musically, hardcore influences are evident, but lyrically, it's fitting for a rainy October day and previews the eventual transitions that would come next for AFI, from emo to eventual industrial Goth.

The All Hallow's EP concludes with an absolute banger, "Totalimmortal," one of my favorite punk rock tracks from the 90s. It's aggressive and anthemic and a reminder of just how damn good the band was during this era. AFI would continue this horror punk version of themselves for The Art of Drowning, but the All Hallow's EP sounds much more urgent. At four songs, it's all killer, and no filler.

AFI would evolve and change several times after this era, but for me, I still return to the All Hallow's EP, especially in October. It's utter punk rock bliss with a strong horror influence. Just look at the artwork. It's rare for AFI to play any songs from this era live, other than "Days of the Phoenix" from The Art of Drowning, but if you're lucky, they'll slip "The Boy Who Destroyed the World" and "Totalimmortal" into their set list.

Play this EP and play it loud throughout October.