Alexisonfire – Watch Out!

Most people that know me know that I am not a huge hard-core fan. One band that comes up a lot during hard-core conversations is Alexisonfire, and before now I had always been quite negative when talking about the quintet. George’s vocals annoyed me, they were completely incomprehensible and didn’t invoke any sort of emotion in me other then a slight urge to turn off the music. My friends and I agreed that if Dallas and Wade sung more then just a few lines like they did on the first album, then maybe we’d give Alexisonfire another listen. And it looks as if we got our wish.

Watch Out! is Alexisonfire‘s sophomore album, and by listening to the eleven tracks on it, it is quite evident that they have improved their sound and made a more well rounded album then before. You still get George’s classic screaming vocals like before, but they are more defined. They are easier to understand, stronger, and just generally improved. And, George is no longer the sole vocalist; Dallas and Wade both make appearances on vocal duties, and they do them well. They are nice and melodic, incredibly easy to understand and create a great contrast with George’s screaming vocals. Old Alexisonfire fans may be a bit disappointed with the change, because there are some songs where George is barely in it; but most fans will agree that this slight adjustment has made the band much stronger overall.

Lyrically, they have improved tenfold. They actually have a full set of lyrics for their songs instead of only three lines dragged on like before; and if you take the time to read them, you will find that they are written really well. The lyrics are dark and powerful, and cover a wide range of subjects like cocaine addiction, rape, death, and the downfall in music originality as of late. Alexisonfire surprised me once again with their improvement in their lyrical department.

As for musically, Watch Out! still packs hard hitting riffs and amazing break downs. That’s one thing I’ve always like about Alexisonfire, and they didn’t let me down here. Watch Out! is a huge improvement from their last self-titled album, and I probably will grab it next time I am looking for something hard to listen to.