Alexisonfire is the debut studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on October 31, 2002.

Alexisonfire
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 31, 2002[1]
Recorded2002
Genre
Length42:16
LabelDistort Entertainment (Canada & Australia), Equal Vision Records (USA), Defiance Records (Europe)
ProducerAlexisonfire, Greg Below
Alexisonfire chronology
Alexisonfire
(2002)
Watch Out!
(2004)
Singles from Alexisonfire
  1. ".44 Caliber Love Letter"
    Released: May 4, 2002
  2. "The Kennedy Curse"
    Released: April 4, 2003

Release edit

Alexisonfire was released on October 31, 2002.[5] The cover art was photographed by lead singer George Pettit at Ferndale Public School in St. Catharines, Ontario. It is based on the lyrics from "A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles". There was also an alternative cover art released, which just depicts the band's logo and name. In June 2003, the band embarked on short tour of Canada with From Autumn to Ashes, A Static Lullaby, and Boys Night Out.[6] The following month, the band performed at Hellfest.[7] In September and October, the band went on a tour of Canada with Billy Talent, Spitalfield and Death from Above.[8] Following this, the band played with Spitalfield on their tour of the US.[9] In December 2003, the band went on an eastern Canadian tour, with Jersey and At the Mercy of Inspiration.[10]

On January 14, 2014, a remixed and remastered version of the album by Dine Alone Records was released.

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Punknews.org     [11]

In 2015, NME listed the album as one of "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time".[12] In 2022, Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan wrote that the album defined typical emo characteristics such as "Two singers, one who screams and one who whine-sings... Chaotic song structures... Bright melodies even at the most aggressive moments... Verbose teenage poetry, sometimes delivered as tense spoken word... [and an] overwhelming amount of melodrama..." Sacher said that the album "helped establish [the foregoing traits] as dominant traits of the early 2000s emo/post-hardcore boom."[13]

In August 2009, the album was given platinum certification as it sold over 100,000 units in Canada.

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Alexisonfire

No.TitleLength
1.".44 Caliber Love Letter"4:31
2."Counterparts and Number Them"2:18
3."Adelleda"5:47
4."A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles"4:12
5."Polaroids of Polar Bears"5:08
6."Water Wings (And Other Poolside Fashion Faux Pas)"2:41
7."Where No One Knows"3:12
8."The Kennedy Curse"3:38
9."Jubella"2:29
10."Little Girls Pointing and Laughing"4:54
11."Pulmonary Archery"3:26
Total length:42:16

Personnel edit

Release history edit

Region Date Label Format Catalog Notes
Canada October 31, 2002[14] Distort Entertainment CD DE-002
United States September 9, 2003[15] Equal Vision Records CD EVR89 Digipak
United Kingdom July 5, 2004[16] Sorepoint Records CD Sore018cd Alternate cover
Germany ca.2004/2005 Defiance Records LP Limited edition

Videos edit

  • "Pulmonary Archery"
  • "Counterparts and Number Them"
  • "Waterwings (And Other Poolside Fashion Faux Pas)"

External links edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Distort Entertainment". 2002. Archived from the original on November 23, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  2. ^ JR (December 23, 2004). "Watch Out!". IGN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2005. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  3. ^ "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". NME.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  4. ^ "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". NME.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  5. ^ White, Adam (October 25, 2002). "Alexisonfire to release debut album on Halloween". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Heisel, Scott (June 9, 2003). "Alexisonarecordlabel". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Heisel, Scott (April 25, 2003). "Hellfest lineup announced". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  8. ^ White, Adam (September 11, 2003). "Alexisonfire Canadian Dates With Billy Talent". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 16, 2003). "Spitalfield US Dates". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  10. ^ White, Adam (November 30, 2003). "Jersey & Alexisonfire touring, minus one guitar". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  11. ^ "Alexisonfire - Alexisonfire". Punknews.org. 17 January 2003.
  12. ^ "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". NME.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  13. ^ Sacher, Andrew (August 10, 2022). "35 Best Emo & Post-Hardcore Albums of 2002". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  14. ^ "Distort Entertainment". 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-11-23. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "Alexisonfire: Equal Vision Records". Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ "Sorepoint Records: Alexisonfire". August 16, 2004. Archived from the original on August 16, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2013.