We love those stories where movies, or in this case, video games come together to shape people’s lives. In our case, this happened with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 in 2001, one of the best games in the Tony Hawk professional skateboarder series, with a deluxe soundtrack that left a lasting impact on our lives, filled with great songs from artists like Adolescents, Mötorhead, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ramones, among many others… but ultimately, the song that got us the most at that time was ‘The Boy Who Destroyed The World’ by A.F.I. At just 7 or 8 years old, it made us want to throw the PlayStation 2 out the window and start a mosh pit with our room’s stuffed animals.
A.F.I.’s ‘All Hallows’ takes us back to the childhood nostalgia that confirmed rock was ingrained in our blood. A four-song EP with a punk spirit made to grab your best leather jacket, buy the strongest hold hair gel, and sport a mohawk to move your head and body from side to side.
What can we hear?
Only four songs from A.F.I. in their most punk era. Power and youth at the utmost expression of the term, the EP begins with ‘Fall Children,’ a song that starts in the most mysterious way possible, transporting us to the feeling of stress and anguish as if breathing the contaminated air of a dreadful cemetery. However, when the song explodes, it’s impossible to stay still. Adrenaline begins to rush through your veins, urging you to break everything around you. The speed of the drums, the irreverent presence of the bass, the attack of power chords from the guitars, and above all, Dave Havok’s vocal performance are impressive.
Something that this EP, and especially A.F.I. in their punk era, has is that, unlike the majority of bands in the genre, they cared for a powerful but well-executed vocal delivery. The same goes for production, which is raw but never sounds ‘Do It Yourself’ or ‘homemade.’ On the contrary, despite not having overproduction, all instruments sound very clear, and as it’s commonly said, ‘with a lot of punch.’
Next comes ‘Halloween,’ a cover of the Misfits, a song that adds even more ‘Horror Punk’ to this work. We particularly like this rendition for the increased speed they gave it, along with the very impressive drum intro. They truly made it their own, and, above all, revived one of the most representative songs of the genre. At the end of the song, A.F.I. once again turns to atmospheric sounds with a long, atonal instrumental outro designed specifically to create tension that evokes madness.
The climax of All Hallows
In the third song of the EP, the climax of All Hallows arrives with “The Boy Who Destroyed The World.” Without fear of saying it, it’s one of the masterpieces in the history of Rock, with a bass reminiscent of Matt Freeman from Rancid, exceptionally present and played with a pick that seems like it’s going to wear out the instrument’s strings. A simple but fast-paced drum intro adds complexity, wise guitars that know when to deliver power chords, arpeggios, and riffs. To top it off, perfectly tuned choruses encapsulate the chemistry that A.F.I. possesses as a band. The melody is very catchy, representing well a message that wants to convey that no one, absolutely no one, should take away our shine.
The magic intensifies as we reach the outro of the song, a breath after so much power offered in so few elapsed minutes. We hear a crescendo that explodes at a down tempo with a scream from Davey Havok complemented by his band’s choruses. It’s inevitable to move your head from side to side, a different way of showcasing power without relying on speed. A masterpiece that led them to be part of the soundtrack of one of the best-selling video games in history.
The EP concludes with “Totalimmortal,” a song that was later covered by “The Offspring,” serving as a closing and a recapitulation of all the perfect elements heard before. Once again, we highlight the bass, which, in addition to supporting the verses and the solo bridge, takes advantage of the silences to deliver riffs. An excellent ending that represents the consummation of a very solid EP.
A.F.I.'s peak punk level
From our perspective, ‘All Hallows’ represents the pinnacle of A.F.I.’s musical level during their punk era. This is despite the fact that they later released ‘The Art Of Drowning,’ their last album of pure punk, before evolving as a band and transforming their sound towards earlier trends. It’s noteworthy that, despite these mutations, the band has been successful in all their facets.
This work demonstrates that the quality of an album or EP is not expressed in minutes but in the music itself. Despite having only four songs, ‘All Hallows’ manages to connect with a very special human sentiment, that connection that rock can inject into the devoted fan’s heart.
What do you think of this EP? We love it! Leave your comments down below.
