With something of a firmly established cult following behind them, Alexisonfire have once again created a huge melodic wall of sound, anthem filled, hard rock fuelled album. ‘Crisis’ is their third album and sounds as American as they come, but don’t be fooled, these guys are 100% Canadian. Luckily however they sound more like Papa Roach than Bryan Adams. Aggressive, loud, shouty and not one for the faint hearted, ‘Crisis’ has an unmistakable live feel to it and has seen Alexisonfire go from strength to strength.
The typical theme of ‘Crisis’ is that of ear bleeding, angst ridden, power rock, strong at the start and end but somewhat lacking in between. And despite it’s hard edged visceral, lung bursting screams, there’s an element of commercialism here. Not necessarily a bad thing, but slightly distracting and detracting all the same. For the most part, George Pettit’s vocals sound like he’s either in, or at least capable of inflicting, pain. Unfortunately it’s lyrically lacking, but this can be forgiven thanks to the bands unquestionable passion, some fine guitar work and an abundance of catchy licks and hooks.
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This is illustrated from the start with ‘Drunks, Lovers, Sinners And Saints’, familiar, to the point and setting the tone for what’s to come. ‘This Could Be Anywhere In The World’ is a cracker and features some out of character though nonetheless fantastic vocal interplay courtesy of Pettit and guitarist Dallas Green and ‘Keep It On Wax’ is pure no nonsense stand up rock. But saving the best til last, Alexisonfire’s masterpiece is undoubtedly the epic piano laden ballad ‘Rough Hands’ All in all ‘Crisis’ is a great effort and one that will go down well with their ever-growing and loyal fan base.
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