Alexisonfire Albums- Caustic Wit in Hardcore Music

There is no doubt that Alexisonfire merch and albums are a treat to have. It is a fact that musically inclined individuals often have a knack for crafting catchy lyrics. This band however is one of the very few that can exhibit a funnily acidic wit that is both entertaining and winning. You’d easily notice this in composition titles like Boiled Frogs and Pulmonary Archery.

The band has always been witty from the very start. This is evident in their band name which is lifted from a stripper named Alexis Fire. The stripper claims to be the only lactating strip performer. Fire initially took legal action against the band because her name had been used without permission. She had no choice but to stand down though after it had been established that she had no name copyright.

The members of the band officially came together in 2001. The original members were members of other musical groups that eventually fell apart. Vocalist George Pettit was originally from Condemning Salemn while multi talented pianist and guitarist Dallas Green was from Helicon Blue. Guitarist Wade MacNeil and bassist Chris Steel both hailed from Plan 9. The new band was then joined by drummer Jesse Ingelevics.

The group’s wit became apparent again in their first 2002 EP Math Sheet Demos. They reportedly settled on this name because the disc was covered in math sheets. The debut Alexisonfire album was even funnier featuring a pair of Catholic school girls in the middle of a knife fight. Appropriately enough, this is the image the group thinks best describes their music.

The unique and somewhat humorous image that the group had built for itself is partly responsible for the group’s growing following. Because they were beginning to gain ground, they were able to get a deal with Distort Entertainment and EMI. Clearly, the group would have been able to get better deals with bigger labels but the band had chosen to specifically veer away from the mainstream. The decision to keep their independence did not work against them since touring continued to produce great results for their album sales.

The group followed up on their first success with their second album Watch Out! which was released in 2004. In only three months, the album was already certified gold in Canada. Although the first release was seemingly good enough, this second group brainchild was even better. Pettit attributes this to the band becoming better the more they do what they do. Fans however attribute their improvement to greater emotional release. The taste of initial success prompted the group to work on succeeding projects. Crisis came out in 2008 and was very quickly followed by Old Crows/Young Cardinals in 2009.

The group’s progress was only briefly interrupted by Ingelevics leaving in 2005. Although he was one of the originals, some of the members could not get along with him. Taking over from him is Jordan Hastings.

All Allexisonfire albums are scream songs. Even if you don’t like this type of music though, there’s a good chance you’ll find this group a bit endearing. You might eventually become a fan and start wearing their music fashion.

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