Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction



McHenry, Illinois' finest, Alkaline Trio are back with their highly anticipated new album, This Addiction. This album finds the group continuing to stick to their original sound that has garnered them praise and adoration from so many fans around the world. This album is another chapter in the continually unfolding saga of Alkaline Trio.

The album's opening and title track is a bombastic punk blast that showcases frontman Matt Skiba's blistering vocals and fast paced guitar riffs. At 2 and a half minutes long, its the perfect opener and keeps it short, sweet, and straight to the point. "Dine, Dine My Darling" is a melodic, punk infused song that features the Trio's signature guitar riffs set amidst a background of aggressive drum beats. "Lead Poisoning" is another short yet effective track that starts off on a high level of kinetic energy and never lets up.

As the album trucks on, we hear "Dead on the Floor", a mid-tempo rocker and my favorite song off the album and provides some relief after all the loud and aggressive songs that we heard earlier, adding some diversity to an all-around solid album. "The American Scream" maintains a level of balance and coasts along with ease with its edgy guitar riffs and Matt's vocals delivering at full blast. "Eating Me Alive" is an honest and pulsating track that best highlights the excellent songwriting and craftmanship that goes into each and every song that they create.

As the album closes out, we come across "Piss and Vinegar" a simple structured tune that delivers the goods as promised. "Dorothy" a fast paced, torrential song that doesn't disappoint, and "Fine" a great way to close out the album with its guitar riffs and anthemic drums, bringing everything on the album full circle. What has really attracted scores of fans to Alkaline Trio is their brimming sense of honesty that they bring to each and every song, and the intense imagery that is generated from the lyrics can correlate to something that might be happening in that person's life at that same moment and that is one of the remarkable things about music, its ability to affect and touch people in ways never thought possible or imagined.

All in all, a very solid and impressive album from Alkaline Trio, and one that is sure to be loved by dedicated Trio fans and others who might not be familiar with the band at all. One listen to this album and you'll understand what makes this band so respected by the music community.

                                                                                                                            Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:
  1. This Addiction
  2. Dine, Dine My Darling
  3. Lead Poisoning
  4. Dead on the Floor
  5. The American Scream
  6. Off the Map
  7. Draculina
  8. Eating Me Alive
  9. Piss and Vinegar
  10. Dorothy
  11. Fine

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