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For those of you haven’t heard of Alexisonfire, the name is pronounced “Alexis On Fire”… not “Alex Is On Fire”. Some how this band slipped under my radar for more than a few years. I first heard them being played at work back in 2006, but I never got around to buying any of their albums until about a month ago. Needless to say, I’ve purchased all three full length studio albums. There really aren’t many post-hardcore or emo/screamo bands that I like. But the couple that I do are among my favorites across any genre. I’ve been a long-time fan of Thursday (although their last album was a below par) and now Alexisonfire is on my list of great post-hardcore bands.
Alexisonfire is different from all of the bands in my previous posts, so you’re probably surprised I’d like a band like them… I know I am. In my opinion, these guys are as good as post-hardcore gets. I’m a strong advocate for screaming in music to aid in getting emotion across. I’m also a strong advocate for bands having a strong singer. Alexisonfire has both… and I might add that I really like their singer (recall that a screamer is not a singer). But I don’t want to focus on the vocals too much. Every band member is really on point, from the occasional multiple lead guitar parts to relatively busy drum beats to the occasional piano piece.
Their latest album, Crisis (2006), has received the most critical acclaim of the three studio albums and is definitely the most accessible. While I agree it is a great album, I still like their self-titled debut the best. Even still, given that I have enough time to do so, I almost ways listen to their albums back-to-back or even back-to-back-to-back if possible. There isn’t a single track across any of the three albums I dislike. I’m sure if you like any of their tracks, you’ll like them all. I’ll tolerate your decision to not like them because you can’t handle screaming or maybe you just don’t like any post-hardcore. But I’d find it hard to believe any informed opinion would conclude these guys are anything less than talented musicians and composers. That said, I’ve still selected two my favorite tracks for an audio clip to persuade you. The first track is Control from Watch Out! (2004) and the second is This Could Be Anywhere In the World from Crisis.
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