Artist: Alexisonfire

Album: “Watch Out!”

Label: Equal Vision

Tracks: 11

Length: 43:45

Reviewed By: Justin Brinker

 

I have to admit I was a bit thrown off when I first heard Alexisonfire, part of me thought, “Oh great another screamo band just what we need” while the other part of me was somewhat intrigued.  The band describes their music as “the sound of two catholic high-school girls mid-knife-fight”, I am still unable to comprehend what that would sound like so I will just leave it at that. One thing I can comprehend is the evident changes that Alexisonfire has made from their self-titled debut album to “Watch Out!”

 

For starters, no more mundane psychedelic guitar introductions that are so long that by the time the verse starts you are ready to skip to the next song.  Secondly, Alexisonfire has stumbled on something called melody, with the help of guitarist Dallas Green singing more instead of obtrusive screaming for three or four minutes.  George Pettit still does a lot of the vocal duties as well, so the screaming aspect is still there, but its Green’s vocals that carry the songs. 

 

The punk influenced “Accidents” starts up the record with screaming vocals, “I’m not sure what’s worse the waiting or the waiting room?” and it lets you know that they haven’t completely abandoned their previous sound.  The band slows it down on, “It Was The Fear Of Myself That Made Me Odd”, and has Green doing the vocals predominantly, while Pettit echoes him, over a barrage of guitar riffs that are more accessible than last time around and drums. “Side Walk When She Walks” is ready for modern rock radio, and is really strong, amidst the time changes and the clean and distorted guitar parts there is also a keyboard, and has almost no screaming, yes you heard me right, no screaming.  They return to freshman form with “Hey, It’s Your Funeral Mama” with frantic screaming and distorted guitars, while “That Girl Possessed” follows the same formula.  “Sharks And Danger” opens up with a muffled telephone conversation, which was first heard on At-The-Drive-In’s “Quarantined” before Green starts singing over a drum fill while the conversation weaves in and out, throughout much of the track. 

 

Lyrically the band touches on everything from the stupidity of cocaine addiction with lines like, “Addiction is in, I guess addiction is in yea, look so good convulsing on the floor” in “White Devil” to a diatribe on those who forgot what music was all about “This is about having a good time, maybe music isn’t dead we just forgot what it sounded like” in “Get Fighted.”

 

The band has done a good job at slowly steering away from what made their last album so weak, and has built on what was done well.  They haven’t done away with everything that was bad about their last album and the traces of their weaknesses are found throughout “Watch Out!”  Whether it’s the obtrusive screaming, or the predictable breakdowns and song structures that are so easily abused in this genre, there is not so much of it that it makes this a failed outing.  The good definitely outweighs the bad and I have to admit “Watch Out!” is a pleasant surprise.