If we were to put all of Alexisonfire‘s fans into one giant boxing ring, you could expect it to look something like this:
In the red corner would be the die-hard fans who adored their self titled release and it’s brutal assault on the ears, yet saw ‘Watch Out!’ as being watered down to suit a more mainstream audience.
In the blue corner, we’d have those who saw both albums as having their own musical merit, and appreciated that the band had taken a different direction with their sophomore release.
But wait! Before all hell breaks loose and martial law is declared over the AOF fanbase, the band has fortunately produced a solution. It comes in the form of ‘Crisis’. On your first listen, you’d be forgiven for thinking their latest effort was recorded in the time between the releases of ‘Alexisonfire‘ and ‘Watch Out!’, because musically, that’s exactly how it sounds. The Canadian quintet have successfully managed to merge the best elements of their two earlier releases, to produce a record that sounds as if it is a collection of B-sides from either of these recordings. Thankfully, the result is pleasing.
From the outset, ‘Drunks, lovers, sinners and saints’ is littered with George Petit’s distinctive screams, which later take centre stage on songs such as ‘Mailbox arson’ and ‘Crisis’. All the while, fans of Dallas Green’s distinctive vocal melodies will be pleased to hear him return to form in ‘We are the End’ and ‘Keep it on Wax’.
The schizophrenic guitar lines are still present, although less prominent than in AOF’s previous work, while a much more straightforward drumming approach has been adopted, which gives the whole album a more ‘punky’ feel. While this is most likely due to a replacement of drummers between ‘Watch Out!’ and ‘Crisis’, the band have not lost their distinctive sound.
With all that being said, I can’t help but be left with a thirst for something more than what is on offer here. While the record is solid, it doesn’t break into any new musical territory, and makes me wonder if Alexisonfire can cement their place in the scene for years to come. However, as this album is chock-a-block full of definite crowd pleasers for their live shows, I don’t think it’s something the band will have to worry about for the time being.
Andrew