This Day In Music History: March 11th, 2003 – AFI enters the mainstream with ‘Sing The Sorrow’

Though the band had already scored a breakthrough with their 2000 album The Art Of Drowning and its standout single “The Days Of The Phoenix”, AFI’s brand of punchy, melodic punk rock and post-hardcore lended itself well to the oft-dreaded “mature” album. Of course, their 2003 major-label debut Sing The Sorrow probably shouldn’t be labeled as such, but it is the album that introduced them to a much wider fanbase.

While certainly a departure from the band’s melodic hardcore punk past, Sing The Sorrow also shouldn’t be labeled as a “sellout” album. While massive and inescapable singles like “Girl’s Not Grey” and “Silver And Cold” were vastly different than their previous material, the heart and soul of the band’s energy is still prevalent. The album, which reached Platinum status by the RIAA, eventually landed AFI a coveted slot on that summer’s Vans Warped Tour, where even more fans discovered the band for the first time. Luckily for younger fans, the album has aged pretty well too. Even better – it’s not just a singles album. Shades of the band’s hardcore punk past are still plenty in nature. It’s a pretty neat midpoint between the band’s older material and the even more successful future they’d soon have.