Alexisonfire - Otherness

Label: Dine Alone Records Released: 24th June 2022

Thirteen years is a hell of a time to wait for a new album, especially when dealing with a band as important to so many as Alexisonfire. Reformations, returning live shows and spluttering sparks of new material have all burned a path to ‘Otherness’ - an album that shows that, though they’ve spent time away from the coalface of recording new music, they’ve also grown.

One of post-hardcore’s most influential acts, this is no retread for a nostalgia band looking to maximise their quick buck. Opener ‘Committed To The Con’ thumps its way through the door, while ‘Sweet Dreams of Otherness’ has the air of a modern AOF classic, hypnotic in its havoc. The opening acapella of ‘Dark Night Of The Soul’ gives away to a fevered rattle and growl, and ‘Reverse The Curse’ puts all before it on blast to glorious results.

Proving themselves a band still deserving of the throne, if change really is as good as a rest, it’s no shock that - with both now under their belt - Alexisonfire sound fresher than ever. Dan Harrison