Brutal!
R. Berahovich | Berkeley, CA USA | 06/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album, AFI's 3rd, marked a huge change in the band's direction. Instead of fun skateboard punk, which they perfected in their 2nd album ANSWER THAT AND STAY FASHIONABLE, AFI switched gears and made their music much harder and more serious. SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES rages, roars and rocks like no other AFI album -- Davey Havok screams half the lyrics, giving the songs more impact, and the music is simply brutal. The songs lack the soft, melodramatic goth parts common in the band's subsequent albums, making the hardcore music in SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES even more relentless. The subsequent AFI albums have more breadth and are more radio-friendly, but none can match SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND OPEN YOUR EYES for its visceral punch. One of the great punk albums."