Alexisonfire Call it Quits

 

Sad news broke today; Canadian screamo rockers Alexisonfire have announced their breakup. It's been 10 years since the five-piece began their musical journey together, fusing George Pettit's righteous screams with Dallas Green's ear-melting serenades and combining them atop ridiculously intense guitar work and ear-pummeling drum beats. Unfortunately, it has come to an end. According to a note posted on the band's website, George wrote that after the tour promoting their fourth album, Old Crows/Young Cardinals, Dallas informed the group of his intentions to leave and focus on his solo-project, City & Colour. Soon after, guitarist Wade McNeil was asked to pursue another band, which he chose to do. Then there were three, and instead of altering the Alexis legacy, they chose to preserve it.

I never wanted to admit it, but I did see it coming. Screamo is no longer in its prime like it once was when they first started. While the quality of their music was always incredible, their most recent release showed a great maturity that I feel a lot of fans could not connect with. It has also been apparent that all members of the band have focused on other projects, even slightly and maybe veered away from Alexisonfire for too long a time that returning to it wasn't as easy as it was in the past.

As a long time fan, I'm really bothered by this news. I began listening to Alexis soon after they debuted their self-titled disc. I was almost 14 years old at the time and as I grew up, their records and EP's played as a soundtrack to my life. Wow, that sounds really dramatic, but for the most part, they were really all I listened to for long periods of time. I devoted so much of my time reading about them, checking out their tour photos, watching their interviews and talking with other fans in Alexis-related forums. Not to mention going to see them live countless times. I remember seeing them in smaller venues and as their popularity continued to grow, the venues got bigger and bigger. It always brings a smile to my face when I reminisce about going to their shows with my best friends, waiting for what felt like an eternity in a sweaty mosh pit for the boys to take the stage and then blow my mind as they performed one song better then the next. Alexisonfire will always be a band I will associate with my adolescent and teenage years; 14 concerts, 10 band-t's, 5 posters, 4 records and 2 meetings and a sweater later, they will always be one of my all time favourites.

R.I.P Alexisonfire. You will always be THEONLYBANDEVER.