In 2011, AFI split up. Or rather, they didn’t, it was a hoax. Nobody told me though, and so I’ve spent the last 2 years thinking I’d never get to see them again – or at all actually, as, criminally, I still haven’t seen them live.

On record though, they’re one of my favourite bands. Their 2003 album, Sing The Sorrow, is one of my all-time favourites and shows perfectly how to construct intelligent, dark, epic sounding gothic rock music that doesn’t resort to ridiculous lyrics, gimmicks or a carefully constructed image to get by.

Imagine my surprise then, to see this arrive on my Twitter feed yesterday – a link to a brand new AFI track ‘I Hope You Suffer’. There’s some interesting effects on this, the guitar sounds BIG and in places, Davey Havok’s vocals sound a tiny bit Trent Reznor. In short though, it sounds like they are back on form!

It’s out on July 23 through digital outlets, and there’s a new album to follow in September 2013. Let’s hope for some UK dates in 2014 then boys?!