alexisonfire - s/t

for those unfamiliar with this fast-rising canadian band, this self-titled release is actually their debut record first released in 2002, "watch out!" being their more recent sophomore effort. the reason i'm giving this cd a review is that it's one of the recent re-releases over here in the uk courtesy of sore point records, and seeing as i'll probably be reviewing the band's new album soon, i'll try to keep this review on the brief side.

alexisonfire go for high-energy, anthemic emo-hardcore, that concentrates a great deal on the melodic side of things. so we're talking a great deal of infectious, metal-birthed guitar riffs, lots of gutsy screaming, the contrasting gentle melodic breakdowns, and yes, plenty of singalong hooks. it's a common enough approach, but in this case it's a much more flammable than usual take on the heavy/gentle, hardcore/emo formula, leaning towards the heavier side of things rather than the poppy.

they certainly don't hold anything back, musically or lyrically, and this genuine, all-out approach definitely works in their favour, and stops the music from sounding too contrived or generic. ok so sometimes they run the risk of going a little over the top - for example in the album opener, the rapidly spoken "this is a 44 caliber love letter straight to your heart" is a touch on the cringey side - but you can't have everything.

another reason i like this album is that the band are also obviously pretty techinally adept, with a solid handle on the more complex side of things ('counterparts and number them'), while also capable of creating some lush melodic moments - the intro of 'polaroids of polar bears' for example. it's a little too unpolished overall to be a great album - as perhaps can be expected from a debut record - and can be a little repetitive, but is still a plenty impressive and promising start, and luckily enough, i don't have to wait long to hear their next album and see where that potential has led them.

matt

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