I’m going to post on both Reddit and here, because I’m curious about fan consensus on the Blood Album and what people think about it. I’m a hardcore kind of guy, and will always adore Black Sails above all else, but I’ve loved everything AFI has done including Blood. I actually enjoy Blood quite a bit, and was curious what everyone else thought?
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FYI I usually post these on Reddit too, but link to here.
“The Wind That Carries Me Away”, I love this track. It’s so different that any other “last track” on any other AFI album, yet it really compliments Davey’s vocals.
Davey’s vocals on that “The Wind that Carries Me Away” are really good. But we can’t ignore any of the instrumentals either. Hunter especially got a chance to shine in that track.
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I absolutely love AFI(The Blood Album.) I felt like there was more leading up to it, than there has been in awhile. Of course for CL there was the DF stuff on the boards, but I think the way they just kind of teased everyone was awesome. It made for a lot of texting people hahaha.
In general I absolutely adore this album. I can definitely relate to it.
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I am obsessed with The Blood album. Overall, instrumentally this is a fantastic album, and lyrically it shines. I can’t pick a favorite because I really love all the songs (even “So Beneath You”, which is think is almost a more mature continuation of “Sacrilege,” which I felt was a weak point on “Crash Love”). “Feed From the Floor” hits me the same way “God Called in Sick Today,” “Morningstar,” and “This Time Imperfect” hit me, and “Pink Eyes” is one of those tracks I wish I could have heard live.
I can see how some hardcore fans (not you @BrandonsNotGrey ) may dislike it considering it is rather polished and has a post-punk, Bunnymen and The Cure vibes at times, but I really do love it and feel that it’s a break through for them, almost as if they have finally become comfortable with where they’re headed as a band (not knocking the other albums by saying that, but there seems to be a greater deal of confidence evoked in the music on this album.)
So obviously I love it.
And now I will get back to researching Puritan diaries for work. Kill me now.
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Here’s the thing, hardcore fans usually actually like Echo and the Bunnymen, the Cure, Joy Division, and all those post-punk bands. I think they just refuse to like AFI based on some principle of “selling out” (despite the fact that I don’t think AFI has ever made music to be in the mainstream, I think they do whatever they want) and it has nothing to actually do with AFI.
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Oh, that lovely “sell out” moniker. It was interesting to listen to people debate The Blood at the shows I went to. A few people were downright vicious about it. One dude even suggested Jade ruined the band, which was…interesting. They were definitely in the minority, though.
Jade is as much responsible for AFI’s sound as Davey is. This is coming from a guitar player, so I feel very strongly about Jade’s involvement. While I enjoy AFI’s first three records, AFI didn’t really become AFI until Jade joined.
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Oh, definitely. They’re an incredible song writing duo, my favorite actually, and this album really is a testament to their ability (along with Adam and Hunter’s) to work together to create these songs. People just sometimes want a band to stay a certain way forever, maybe for nostalgia’s sake. They’re entitled to their opinions.
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Yeah, Davey basically attests to this every time they are on the topic of it in interviews. Davey always says it’s his “luxury”.
Mark’s guitar for Shut Your Mouth was dark and definitely, IMO, where AFI first started to get the tone they have today. Black Sails (Jade) truly set the tone for where AFI was then heading as a whole.
This is also always mentioned. They always mention how Jade knows Davey’s voice so well to where they know when enough is enough (for one day 
).
I love the Blood Album overall. AFI has taught me to be super anxious for the opening and closing track.
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I had an odd journey to liking TBA. When I first listened to it, I didn’t get it. I didn’t really connect with it, and it felt like it took a while to really kick into the sort of gear I wanted it to. My reaction kind of disturbed me, as I usually connect with AFI albums very quickly. The lone exception before this was STS, but I still got into that one more than TBA. Hell, STS was the era when I first saw them live.
I didn’t listen to it again until shortly before I saw them live for my first show of The Blood Tour. It made a very different impression on me the second and third time around, and it finally clicked for me. I later realized that it was just me who had the problem initially. I listened to it at the end of a long day, and I was in an especially bad mood that day for political reasons. I was inevitably distracted, and yet tried too hard to focus on the album. When I was more relaxed, I came to understand it. I still don’t connect with it as strongly as other albums, but I bought a second copy of it and have listened to it many times since. I’ve enjoyed hearing its tracks live at all of the shows I’ve been to on the tour.
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Blood grew on me, too. I still have a hard time ranking it in their discography. STS is still my favorite, and Blood feels like a successor to that, which I like. This may be controversial, but I feel like the album is not fully realized? Like, I feel if they spent more time hammering on this album, it would have been their best, but it’s not quite there. Jade kills it, and I think it’s some of his best work. Some of Davey’s lyrics are stellar, but some areas don’t work for me. I see where he was going with “distress” and “this dress” in Snow Cats, but a nagging part of me wonders if he liked one of those variations, and didn’t find a way to flesh out the next part of the verse, which drags the song down. There are just small areas like that that feel like they bog down the album as a whole, whereas so many of their other albums are wonderfully sequenced.
Enough with the negative, I still listen to songs on this album daily. I love the Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen influences on Feed From the Floor. I love how raw and biting Dumb Kids and So Beneath You. Snow Cats wonderfully harks back to Silver and Cold, with a bit of queerness, which I love. She Speaks the Language gave me chills. I really enjoy the lyrics in Get Hurt. Hidden Knives feels like Crash Love sprung back to life for one more glorious gasp of air. There’s not a single song on the album I don’t like.
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I agree that it took awhile for it to grow on me.maybe the 9th time is when it clicked.being that I’ve studied a lot on religions and occult in my life I noticed some occultic references in the lyrics occasionally…(i left a little something on the alter for you) and some symbolism also with the blood album.which heightens the darkness factor for me.i love the stranger.its my favorite for sure.they’ve all grown on me.i love jades guitar style.i love theyr collaborative union altogether.4 badass dudes for sure.
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I love all the albums. Including Crash Love. I got to met Davey and ee talked about appreciating a band as a whole and be glad that they evolve.
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I love the “Blood” album…as well as all the rest of AFI albums 
…are they all pretty different? Sure…that’s what makes them awesome…they don’t stuck in doing the same thing all over again…they evolve while maintaining their core…
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A year later (and in constant rotation) and Blood album still holds up. Sometimes I end up overplaying an album/song and get tired of it. Hasn’t happened with Blood yet. I still think a couple of the songs could’ve been left off.
Also, it happens to be one of those albums where I can’t just listen to one song or ever just want to keep one particular song on repeat. I always end up listening to majority of the album when I start it.
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I always listen to it as a whole.as i do all of theyr albums…lol.cant help myself.i love afi…thats awesome that you got to talk with davey a bit.wow.i still have yet to read his novels.
Ha, the first song you think of when it comes to Blood? For me, The Wind… 
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Me too. I love that song.
Its official.dawned on me today that the blood album is my favorite album of the year.or last year even.it grew on me big time.which american version comes with a guitar pick?if any.i thought about picking up a copy from Japan.
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