ALEXISONFIRE - OTHERNESS
Alexisonfire return with their first studio album in 13 years, Otherness, and the wait has certainly been worthwhile. After going their separate ways in 2012, many had assumed a new album would be out of the picture, but the band couldn’t keep apart over the years as they made reunion appearances and released singles here and there.
With the pandemic putting a halt on touring, the Canadian group had the opportunity to make a passion project without the pressure or constraint of a release timeframe.
Otherness is a melting pot of shifted influences and maturity from each band member, which results in their most polished release to date. Fans expecting the gritty sound they’ve been used to in previous work won’t be disappointed as the album offers plenty of nostalgia as it brings forth their iconic style once more. However, there is a distinct direction towards wondrous atmospheric tones that harmonises the established sound, as singer George Pettit eases up his harsh vocals more frequently to vary the dynamics.
The album title boldly declares the theme explored ‘otherness’, which widely delves into the broad definition of being in a state of other or different. This is a liberating topic that creates a notion of empowerment to the outliers however you may perceive that. ‘Sweet Dreams of Otherness’ really embodies this. Lending as a pseudo-title track, it tells the story of the band defining themselves in a place where there was less reference to ancestral culture to develop their idea of self from and how that transpires into the values they could uphold.
Otherness also benefits greatly from more of the band being involved in the songwriting process, which has given fresh perspective to experience. ‘Blue Spade’ is an example, as bassist Chris Steele wrote lyrics that developed into the chorus which delivers an epic hazey, stoner rock tonality. This chorus against gritty verses produces a very emotive track with the ethereal guitar riffs and a foreboding bass rhythm.
Alexisonfire have always had respected for genres outside their range, as Pettit says, but ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ helped them unlock their boundaries more, diving into the thick of the stoner rock genre which has given them creative freedom to explore their musical ideas. It’s because of this the album has a rejuvenated sound, it feels like a passion project and not forced. Furthermore it’s given a new dynamic to their sound, which makes Otherness standout from their previous works, something that some returning bands struggle to differentiate.
In having this new perspective to make music as they want, it’s given them the opportunity to look at some old demos that didn’t work in their other albums. ‘Reverse the Curse’ is one of these tracks that finally made the cut. They had a version of it that had drawn similar heavy tones to Kyuss, but Old Crows / Young Cardinals didn’t have the tonality to match it and so now we finally get to experience it in a setting more fitting.
Alexisonfire’s return is triumphant like a phoenix emerging from the ashes, wiser and stronger than before. Otherness establishes its own style, and makes every song as special as the next, making this a very exciting release for old fans. This Canadian group have set the standard for comeback albums in this era of the broad rock genre.
David Barter
★★★★☆