I should listen to folk more often – the name Alexisonfire was mentioned many moons ago on the Punktastic forums and for some reason I just dismissed them as yet another Yank screamo band cashing in on the emo explosion. Well I was wrong. Very wrong. For not only are Alexisonfire Canadian, they also play some of the most refreshing and hard-hitting music I’ve heard in a long time. The fact this lot can switch from the breathtakingly beautiful to the downright aggressive in the mere swift strike of a guitar is testament to their talent. Named after a female contorting (and lactating no less) pornstar, Alexisonfire (pronounced Alexis-on-fire) are bound to be huge by the end of the year. It is said that within three months of their conception the band had played their first show and recorded a three-song demo which attracted label scouts. Not bad considering they’re based up in St Catherine’s, Ontario, not exactly flushed with musical talent over the years.
This self-titled release, now out on Equal Vision after being released locally, is an aggressive little bugger, full of hard-hitting drums and squally metal solos. There’s harsh screaming mixed with some more melodic vocals, but it’s the guitars that really make this record the beast that it is. Witness the opening ’44.caliber love letter’ which is beautifully cathartic, taking its time to build up before literally exploding like a bullet being released from a gun. The first line of the album is stunning: “sifting through weathered photo albums looking for gloriously aged polaroids of places you have never been,” setting the tone for what is still to come.
‘A Dagger Through The Heart Of St. Angeles’ will make your ears bleed, while ‘Polaroids of Polarbears’ is quite simply one of my favourite songs right now. For 11 tracks of inventive guitar work and thudding drums, not to mention blistering vocal ability, there’s so much here for any listener to digest. The lyrics are as off the wall as you would expect for a release of this nature, but they’re at times beautifully poetic. “Spill on me your nostalgia like warm water and cataracts that that fell behind self conscious eyes,” they yell during ‘Little Girls Pointing and Laughing’, and while most of the lyrics don’t seem to make sense at first glance, they end up fitting perfectly.
Writing a review for this record was always going to be a challenge because Alexisonfire are probably a reviewers nightmare. There’s so much going on, so much good stuff going on, that it’s almost impossible to nail down your thoughts. The fact that I’ve had this record for a bit now and I’m still picking up new things is testament to just how good it is. It’s the first CD I pull on when I drive to work. I scream along, I replay the thumping riffs and pickslide when ‘Polaroids of Polarbears’ kicks in and I get lost in this violent little world. With an oversaturated genre becoming full of turgid de-tuned riffs and borrowed ideas, it’s taking bands like this to shake things up again. A little originality, lots of inventiveness and an abundance of talent will take you a long way. Alexisonfire are already making waves in the underground. I don’t think it will be long before the ripples are heard above ground.
www.theonlybandever.com
Equal Vision Records
Paul