hstisgod's Full Review: Watch Out! by Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (Alexis~on~fire)is a part of the wave of up and coming artists bulleting through the glamour of stage, and the taste of green. This St. Catharines, Ontario quintuplet may have been going through the same motions and steps as most artists do after inking a record deal, but the overall drive and focus of 'AOF' has stayed the same since day one with Equal Vision Records. Music, emotion, rhythm and performance equal steady progression and maturity. One part of the equation may be the full backing and patience invested by the ever improving Equal Vision records.
Chris, Dallas, Jesse, George and Wade make up the five equal parts showing the music industry how much an artist can mature with a little time and experience. With the new album ‘Watch Out’ on shelves everywhere, lead vocalist George 'Logan' spoke honestly about the improvements made on the June 29th release. “I think if you do it long enough, than u get better at it. You’re on the road a lot and you just get better. Also, we had a great producer, Julius Butty. We learned what we like to play.” George continues over the loud, happy go lucky crew in the background. “We’re no longer virgins to the studio. We’re just not quite the band we we’re a long time ago.”
After the success and acclamation of “Pulmonary Archery” on video stations like Muchmusic, ‘Accidents’ has been fingered for the first video off this release. Powerful from the start, this track encompasses the new and improved AOF, while their sound still remains as hungry as ever. This song only sets the tone for a trip through yet another revolution of rock music. Instead of wondering which of 11 tracks will become a single, the progression of this album becomes more of a concept album without the concept. If that makes any sense? Each song seeming almost Epic like. “A lot of those songs were first draft. A lot of stuff just kind of fell on the page, and it is what it is.” said George with confident tone.
Most critics familiar with the 2003 self-titled release could speak of an album so rich in aggressive hooks that it overflowed causing frustration to the ears. It seems these guys have harnessed that aggression and emotion, equally on all 11 songs this time around. Songs like “Hey, It’s your funeral Mama” have a mind numbing mix of melodies ranging from 80’s metal slide chords, to the strengths of what most would consider “SCREEM0“,.
While some changes like clearer vocals and longer chord repetition may be culture shock to fans of old, its made an amazing difference in associating familiarity with each song in its own characteristic. Track seven “Sharks and Danger” starts off with the clicking of a keyboard and never looks back. The everyday intro build up and transforms into a berserk chord change.
Simple, smooth and still ballsy. George admitted a certain personal favoritism towards track nine, ‘White Devil’. “I really enjoy playing it live. It’s just one of those songs that just has a pace to it, that really gets you going”
Often times the culmination of a new album means time off, but not for AOF. With just enough time to pick the cover art and go, Alexisonfire struck while the iron was hot and hit the road by playing with likes of Death from above, Jersey, Boys Night Out, and Billy Talent to name a few. But given the choice, is there an artist George and his band mates would look tour with. “There’s lots of bands I would like to tour with………… (Hesitates) Bear vs. Shark, we’ve played some shows with them and they’re absolutely nuts. Just a fun bunch of dudes…we did like eight days with them and it wasn’t long enough”
With such a wide variety of styles evident on “Watch out” its no surprise to hear of them playing festivals like EdgeFest 2004 in Canada, Reading Festival and America’s latest musical farm system, Warped Tour.
However, not all tastes of the industry have been sweet for these guys. Radio is still too far behind, and attempt at keeping our listening habits with acts such as Muddle of Pudd. So, Alexisonfire may never have their “O Sh*t, that’s our song.” moment cruising in the car. Certainly, George has an opinion on this matter. “Yea there’s a lot of things we could be doing to grab more media attention. We just kind of write what we want, and it is what it is”. Yes, this album down grades from the raw, deflecting metal it once was. The trade is welcomed when you consider the serious upgrades of clarity these guys have made in “Watch Out” .
Most importantly things are still fun to the five boys from some small town in Ontario. And If a Dr. Helcama should come back for his revenge and this artist thing ends for George, his back up plan certainly proves his natural rock star abilities. “When I can’t do it anymore….. I’m planning on doing lots of LSD, and walking around on the tracks (Laughs)”. Find out why Jeff Buckley, Michael Jackson and The Misfits all show up on the website of these young men. www.theonlybandever.com
A review by Brian Rutherford(hstisgod2000@yahoo.com)
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