XTRMST
Originally published on Mildred
Davey Havok and Jade Puget of AFI fame, again unite for what is their second side project. With Blake Audio being their first trip outside the box with an electronic dance music slant, this new project is drastically different focusing on hardcore militant, straight edge punk.
This is much heavier than anything we have seen from the duo in the past and is something that fans of AFI have been calling for. Contrasting Davey’s vocal work on this project to his more recent efforts with AFI is like comparing night to day. Meanwhile Jade finally gets the opportunity to return to his hardcore songwriting and guitar playing roots.
Throughout the album the songs hit in rapid fire succession, with the longest clocking in at barely just over three minutes and the majority under two and a half. This style works perfectly by combining the rallying cry style lyrics with heavy aggressive riffs.
Davey’s vocal performance is definitely a return to the early punk years of AFI, which is somewhat surprising given this screaming style has been employed less and less over the past decade by AFI. Thankfully though, because straight edge is a topic that both he and Jade are extremely passionate about, this passion and rage translates throughout the entire album, something that doesn't always happen in this genre where vocals often become difficult to comprehend.
The biggest downside to the lyrical content, with lines such as “Smirk and ask me how I live like this when you can barely speak. You ask me why I live like this and you’re barely alive” and “I’ll kill. I’ll die in this war of purity”, is that they can come across as too aggressive and confronting for some listeners and thus alienate them from the message.
For those who'll agree with the message it's easy to see a crowd throwing up fists in sync with these gang style chants when XTRMST hits the road.
Musically Jade has delivered some of the best work of his career with fast, angry, disjointed riffs with excellently executed dynamic changes interspersed. Sadly however since this project was the brainchild of Davey and Jade alone the drums are clearly electronically programmed and while done well lack an element of depth and personality a real drummer would have bought to the sound.
Overall if you are straight edge and able to get past the in your face lyrics XTRMST brings fans of hardcore punk music and AFI something they’ve been clambering for for years.
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