Track Listing

1. Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
2. This Could Be Anywhere in the World
3. Mailbox Arson
4. Boiled Frogs
5. We Are the Sound
6. You Burn First
7. We Are the End
8. Crisis
9. Keep It on Wax
10. To a Friend
11. Rough Hands

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57262 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-22
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.ca
"This is from our hearts" is the impassioned declaration that opens Alexisonfire's third CD Crisis. Longtime fans of the Ontario emo-core group would never doubt that claim; the 5-piece delivers a powerful one-two punch via their juxtaposing vocalists, from the screams of co-lead George Pettit to the melodic intensity of fellow frontman Dallas Green. Their pairing is absolutely perfect: Pettit's primal wail would on its own be too extreme to appeal to the masses, while Green's emotive vocals (not unlike Amy Lee of Evanescence) would not merge as fluidly with the group's heavy guitars and metal-influenced drum beats. Together, their fans adore them: the group pushes the boundaries of 'pop' music, with Crisis debuting on Canadian charts at No. 1, although, ironically, very few tracks can actually be played on pop radio. Overall, the disc is more extreme than their past efforts, both harder and softer than before. The strong, crisp production further enhances that appeal, especially on the caustic first single "This Could Be Anywhere in the World" and in the gothic sounds of the closing track, "Rough Hands." Much of the CD stays true to AOF’s unique style, save for "You Burn First" which is dangerously reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails. The quiet-to-loud sonic implosion halfway through the cut, however, creates a forgivable, discordant highlight. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews

More mainstream than Maroon 5
Formula for an alexisonfire song

1. Melodic, testosterone free intro, into "crushing verse"
2. Worst screamer in the world goes on for a few measures
3. Sing chorus, preferably with high pitched squeal vocals
4. Repeat
5. Outro

Pathetic.

The Only Band Ever
You may say that the title of my review is a statement that takes huge shoes to fill (it's actually a reference to their website, www.theonlybandever.com), but I believe that Alexisonfire has large enough feet to fill those shoes.

Hailing from our northern neighbor, Canada, the likes of George, Dallas, Wade, Chris, and Jordan deliver some of the best, if not the best, post-hardcore ever heard by human ears. George's chaotic screams, along with Dallas' beautiful melodic contrast and Wade's frequent punk-like vocals make the best combination of vocals the overpopulated genre has to offer. All backed up by awesome, articulate hardcore instrumentals.

Now, on to the main subject of the review. Crisis is an excellent album. Excellent lyrics, vocals, instrumentals, everything. The opening track, Drunks, Lovers, Sinners, and Saints is a full blown metalcore assault at it's beginning, but turns into a more melodic, punk track later into the song. The album then goes to This Could Be Anywhere In the World (my personal favorite) which showcases Dallas Green's unbelievable talent. The album then follows suit with perfect order tracks Mailbox Arson and Boiled Frogs, followed by the great mosh worthy melodic hardcore piece, We Are the Sound. The album then suddenly changes tempo with Wade on vocals in the song You Burn First, which sounds a lot like a Trent Reznor produced track. However, the album brings the tempo back up to speed with We Are the End, which has an awesome break down, Crisis with an awesome sing-a-long worthy "1-9-7-7" chant, Keep It On Wax, an actually pretty mean song about the band's former drummer, To A Friend which ends with a harmonous acapella provided by Dallas, and finally Rough Hands, which I would consider Alexisonfire's ballad about lost love. This song features Dallas at his finest with George providing the contrasting, but rather soft, screams.

Basically this is the Canadian post-hardcore outfit at their finest. I have been a fan of this band for a while now, and have always loved the overall fresh sound they provide to the aging genre. I recently saw the band in concert and was equally amazed with the bands live show. I actually met Wade and Chris, and I do have to say that they are two genuine, awesome guys. Alexisonfire is anything, and everything a person could ask for in a post-hardcore band and I highly recommend Crisis. I also recommend the band's self-titled debut and Watch Out!. Both are excellent albums as well. But for people who have never heard Alexisonfire, I recommend Crisis as a great way to start. I have had the album for months and still listen to it frequently. A++

Really Good Band
I would call myself a pretty avid rock music fan and this is, in my opinion, one of the better bands out there. I have never been so much into what I would call death metal, which is what I call it when the lead singer does nothing but yell nonsense into the microphone leaving everyone thinking to themselves...."what the hell is this guy saying??" Much like beer, I have acquired somewhat of a taste for the "lead" singer of this band (who does his fair share of yelling) although I do personally think the band would probably be better off without him. The unique thing about this band though is that they really have 3 singers. Dallas Green, who is vocalist/guitarist for the band, is really the back bone of this band. Without trying to sound cheesy, this guy radiates talent. On top of that he honestly is one of the best male vocalists I have ever heard. That in part makes the band unique because you have one guy singing/yelling like he is pissed off with the world and this other guy comes right behind him with this harmonizing voice almost like taking a sip of Red Bull and the chasing it with a sip of wine. If you feel you do not like the sound of Alexisonfire I would highly suggest you check out Dallas Green's solo project, City and Colour, if you are more into a raw acoustic guitar with great vocals. Ok, I have made this review entirely too long, but bottom line is if you are a rock fan I think you will enjoy this cd. For some it may take a few listens for it to catch on, but if you are anything like me it will and at this point it has not left my cd player since I bought it.