Alexisonfire is the band that best encapsulates what I love most about melodic post-hardcore sound. The drop-D tunings, heavy riffs, and distorted screams interspersed with gorgeous clean vocals and euphonic guitar melodies. It’s a recipe that is pretty much irresistible for me.
13 years on since their last studio album, Otherness is an emphatic statement that not only does Alexisonfire still got it, they’re making the best music of their career. The vocal melodies that Dallas Green, George Pettit, and Wade MacNeil have put on tape are stunning, and possess a cohesion that simply hasn’t existed before in the genre. This is post-hardcore’s version of Hotel California by the Eagles and Deja Vu by CSN&Y, triple layered vocal harmonies that propel a song past your eardrums into your veins where they circulate for days on end.
The best example of this achievement can be found in “Sans Soleil”. The first time I heard the trio hit “It’s easier to love someone else, than it is to be kind to yourself” I literally got goosebumps. Still do. It remains one of my favorite musical experiences in the past year, and is a perfect representation of what makes Alexisonfire so exceptional.
If you’re looking for intense music that compels you to get up and aggressively bang your head before sitting down to contemplate the meaning of life, Otherness is it.
Standout Songs: “Sans Soleil”, “Dark Night of the Soul”, “Reverse the Curse”
