Black Sails in the Sunset

Black Sails in the Sunset
Studio album by AFI
Released	May 18, 1999
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	Hardcore punk
Length	46:13
Label	Nitro
Producer	AFI
AFI chronology
Black Sails EP (1999) Black Sails in the Sunset (1999) All Hallow's EP (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic

Black Sails in the Sunset is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band AFI. It was released on May 18, 1999 through Nitro Records.

Release

Black Sails in the Sunset was released on May 18, 1999 through Nitro Records. It is the first album to feature guitarist Jade Puget as a permanent member, thus making it the first album the current line-up of the band truly collaborated. The album did not peak on any mainstream Billboard charts, however, it managed to peak at #6 on the Top Heatseekers (Pacific) chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Strength Through Wounding"	1:33
2.	"Porphyria Cutanea Tarda"	2:07
3.	"Exsanguination"	2:48
4.	"Malleus Maleficarum"	4:01
5.	"Narrative of Soul Against Soul"	2:29
6.	"Clove Smoke Catharsis" (Featuring Dexter Holland)	4:38
7.	"The Prayer Position" (Featuring Dexter Holland)	3:27
8.	"No Poetic Device"	2:16
9.	"The Last Kiss*"	3:02
10.	"Weathered Tome*"	2:12
11.	"At A Glance"	4:00
12.	"God Called In Sick Today"	3:24
13.	"Midnight Sun" (Hidden track)	3:04

Vinyl edition
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Lower It"	2:18

Japanese edition
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Who Knew?" (Hidden track)	2:16

• Due to a misprint, tracks 9 and 10 were mislabeled with their titles switched. Shown here is the correct track listing.

Bonus tracks, B-sides, unreleased tracks, etc.

All tracks recorded during the Black Sails sessions unless otherwise noted.

• "Lower It" is featured as track 7 on the vinyl edition of the album. It was eventually re-released on the AFI retrospective compilation.
• "Who Knew?" is featured on the Black Sails EP. It is released as the hidden track in the place of "Midnight Sun" on the Japanese edition of the album.
• "Transference" is featured on the No Time to Kill compilation. It is the only song by AFI to contain lead vocals by Hunter Burgan, which can be heard during the chorus of the song.
• "The Chicken Song" is featured as a hidden track on the No Time to Kill compilation. It features Burgan playing the piano and Havok and Puget sharing lead vocal duties. The band often jokingly deny the existence of the song.^{[citation needed]}
• "Weight of Words" was known to be recorded during the Black Sails sessions, but has yet to be released. However, the AFI retrospective compilation is often called 'The Weight of Words' on online shopping sites.

Background

• On the side of the album is a hidden message, reading 'Beyond And To All Time I Stand'. This is a lyric from the album's hidden track, Midnight Sun.
• The track Midnight Sun was inspired by the poem De Profundis Clamavi by Charles Baudelaire. Havok can be heard reciting parts of the poem in the song's bridge.
• 'Porphyria Cutanea Tarda' is listed as 'Porphyria' on the back cover of the album, as it was listed on Black Sails EP.
• Jade Puget has stated that 'Malleus Maleficarum' was the first song he wrote as part of AFI.
• The opening track, 'Strength Through Wounding' contains a repeated chant, 'Through our bleeding, we are one', which fans like to chant during concerts while waiting for the band to come onstage, or between songs.
• Dexter Holland, the vocalist for The Offspring is featured in the tracks 'Clove Smoke Catharsis' and 'The Prayer Position', as he was the owner of the record label, Nitro Records at the time.
• "God Called In Sick Today" is one of AFI's favorite songs to play live. Since the album's release it has always been on their set, usually to end a show. An exception is the I Heard a Voice – Live from Long Beach Arena show, in which they concluded with "Miss Murder".

Chart positions

Chart	Position
Top Heatseekers (Pacific)	6

Personnel

• Davey Havok - Vocals
• Jade Puget - Guitar, backing vocals
• Hunter Burgan - Bass, backing vocals
• Adam Carson - Drums

• Dexter Holland - Guest backing vocals
• AFI - Producer
• Andy Ernst - Engineer, Mixing
• Mike Fasano - Drum Technician
• Thadd LaRue - Engineer, Assistant Engineer
• Alan Forbes - Illustrations
• Gabe Morford - Photography
• Jamie Reilly - Layout Design