That new direction has been labeled everything from Goth-punk to noir-core. It's a style marked by brooding lyrics and tempos that alternate between plodding and raging, like a bastard melding of Minor Threat and the Sisters of Mercy.
Havok says the shift in the band's sound was simply the result of artistic growth. ''It wasn't like we woke up one day and said, 'Oh, we're gonna get away from hardcore,''' he says. ''It was more like, 'Oh, we're gonna do different stuff because we enjoy doing it, so I guess that means we're gonna be getting away from hardcore.'''
''The hardcore scene is really insular and dogmatic,'' says Puget. ''For anybody who's a self-respecting musician, it's boring to keep making the same kind of songs over and over.''
The retooled AFI drew even more fans, whose presence at shows in turn served as a magnet for major-label talent scouts. Last year, the band signed to DreamWorks, one of five labels that were courting them. ''The thing that attracted them to us was our fan base,'' says Havok. ''They would come to our shows and see this band with no press, no radio play, no MTV play, no distribution, playing to these huge crowds. They were like, 'You guys have made it easy for us. Just keep doing what you're doing, but please do it with us.'''
''Sorrow,'' AFI's first album for their new label, is easily the band's fullest-sounding and most impressive CD. Produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and Jerry Finn (Green Day), it sold 256,000 copies in the first six weeks after its March 11 release, while current single ''Girl's Not Grey'' has become a mainstay on the modern rock chart. ''Our previous album sold less in three years than this one has sold [already],'' laughs Hunter.
Although AFI's predilection for doomily portentous music (not to mention Havok's fondness for eyeliner) screams ''Goth!'' the band is loath to embrace the tag. ''They're calling us Goth-punk or whatever,'' says Havok, ''but that's an oxymoron. There's no such thing. It's ludicrous.''
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