Alkaline Trio is a punk/rock band from chicago. The band consists of Matt Skiba (Guitar/Vocals), Dan Andirano (Bass/Vocals) and Derek Grant (Drums).
Track-by-Track Review:
1.) Time to Waste: This song starts off slow and dark with an eerie piano intro. Not too unexpected, coming from a band that seems to be obsessed with darkness and death. The song picks up within 45 seconds of the song with loud, fast power chords. The first verse leaves you wanting a little, but once the chorus picks up, you understand why Alkaline Trio is one of the best lyrical bands around. The chorus is fast and catchy, but not cheesy. The drums carry the verses, with only occasional strums from Skiba. The piano comes in again about 3 minutes into the song, which is a welcome break. It leads into the final chorus of a very good song. This is one of my favorites on the CD. It has that X factor that makes it a great song. It was a smart choice to start the CD off with this. 8 out of 10
2.) The Poison: This song starts off strong with a cool intro. Andirano does the vocals for this song. He has a pretty good voice, it's very unique. This is the shorest song on the album, clocking in at only 2:04. It's a good follow up however, it keeps the energy from the first track alive. 6 out of 10
3.) Burn: This is another one of my favorites off of the CD. The effects at the start are pretty cool, they lure you into the song. Once the bass kicks in, your stuck, you have to listen to the song, it's that good. The lyrics are good, a little reminisent of another one of their songs though. It has similar lyrics to "*** You, Aurora," which uses a lot of metaphors of natural disasters. A nice piano part shows up in this song too. This song also makes it very obvious that Skiba has cleaned up his act, his voice is clear as he hits those higher notes in this song. Very good. 9 out of 10
4.) Mercy Me: This is a pretty good song. It's not as good as the previous track, however. A catchy chorus, but this is the 2nd of 4 songs that refers to "hell," I'm starting to see a pattern. As a whole, the song works, but little separates it from the other tracks. 5 out of 10
5.) Dethbed: I like this song. It's got a pretty grim subject matter. Alkaline Trio does what they do best, taking insturmentals that our pretty easy on the ears (by which I mean they use chords and notes that you don't often associate with heavy or dark songs) and throw death-obsessed lyrics over them. It works however, creating a pretty strong song. 7.5 out of 10
6.) Settle For Satin: This song is a little different, It's got a slower pace, but has some heavy power chords, and a catchy melody, which adds up in the end. Its a strong song, but not one of my favorites, simply because it doesn't stand out much. 5.5 out of 10.
7.) Sadie: A little more poppy. This song seems like it was made for radio play, but that doesn't make it a bad song. It's got catchy lyrics, a cool drum part and a nice strings section in the background, even though I'm assuming it was done with a synth. It's a very well produced song that will catch your attention if your into the lighter, more ballad-sounding songs. 7 out of 10.
8.) Fall Vicitim: This song starts pretty fast, a good way to break away from the previous song. I really like the verse in this song. It focuses on the lyrics, toning the guitar down with palm-muted chords and a simple bass/drum part. The chorus picks back up where the intro started however, with fast and catchy chords/lyrics and a nice vocal show from Skiba. 7 out of 10.
9.) I Was a Prayer: I didn't really see this coming. It reminds me alot of 80s new wave. It's not a bad song by any means, with some geniunally unique lyrics. Not that I fully understand them, but I like it. I can tell this is the song on the album that people will either love or hate. It's got a pretty standard chorus when it comes to Alkaline Trio, but the guitar riff for the bridge/ intro is something completly different. It's more upbeat and less dark when compared to the previous tracks.
Favorite Line: "I sold my soul...a romantic, plastic, piece of *** you can mold..."
7.5 out of 10.
10.) Prevent This Tragedy: This song starts off strong with a cool string section over the guitar, bass and drums. It appears again during the bridges. The lyrics in this song are dark and strong, classic Alkaline Trio. This is a pretty good song, one of the strongest on the CD. 8 out of 10.
11.) Back To Hell: Ah yes, my favorite song on the CD. It starts strong with a guitar/bass/drum intro, followed with some cool synth effects. This song builds up after the verse and leads to one of my favorite chorsus on the album. This is a must-download if you don't buy this cd. 9.5 out of 10.
12.) Your Neck: This song starts off pretty cookie-cutter with some lyrics and chords that follow the melody. The vocal work is what really saves this song in my opinion. The verses are peppered with some piano, but besides the cool melody that Skiba sings, this song seems like a filler track to me. 5 out of 10.
13.) Smoke: This song seems out of place, similar to "I Was a Prayer." It's got some cool string/piano/synth work, and some cool vocals from Andriano though. It's a good song, but I wish they would have ended the album with a stronger song like "Back To Hell" or "Burn." 6.5 out of 10
Favorite Tracks:
Time To Waste
Burn
Back To Hell
