Alkaline Trio
This Addiction

Before delving into the analysis of the actual album, it’s worth making a few preliminary considerations: Alkaline Trio have always moved forward, and they rarely, if ever, make missteps.

A little over a year and a half after the much-debated, yet still appreciated by me, “Agony And Irony,” which marked the start of their collaboration with a major label (Epic), the Chicago Trio strikes a balance, breaking the major label contract, to return to an indie, Heart & Skull (the band's new label), which releases the new “This Addiction” in partnership with Epitaph and Hassle for Europe.

The statements from months ago by leader Matt Skiba focused on the band’s intent to rediscover their punk-rock roots and return to a more direct sound.

Were the premises respected?

The album opens with the titular launch single “This Addiction”, a simple structure with an immediate chorus instilled on a dynamic groove. Honestly, as a single, the choice could have fallen on other, more interesting episodes.

As usual, the two singers split the vocal parts, and here on “Dine, Dine My Darling” (with a clear reference in the title to the Misfits), Andriano takes the stage, with his nice, softer voice compared to the sharper and more piercing guitarist, giving voice to a track as immediate as it is engaging.

The real hits, however, come with “Lead Poisoning” and “American Scream” both sung by Skiba, two great anthems that will become their classics at concerts, with an unusual but fitting NOFX-style trumpet solo on the former, while “American Scream” (whose opening riff vaguely recalls that of “Warbrain”) is the album's best episode, as well as the most punk rock track, with its constant speed and a rising lively chorus, reminiscent of the band’s younger and more direct dimension, that of great tracks like “Mr. Chainsaw”, “Armageddon” or “Poison”, so to speak.

In the middle, sandwiched between the already mentioned tracks, we find the relaxing and almost unprecedented atmosphere of “Dead On The Floor”, which boasts a nice riffing. “Off the Map” with Dan Andriano's voice closes the first positive part of the album.

The second part, on the other hand, proves to be inferior to the first, being also a breaking point with the first and less conventional, with more rocking sounds, slower rhythms, and some experimentation that seems to propel the band towards the future, rather than the past.

The new-wave atmospheres with included synths that gloss over “Draculina” and the boring “Eating Me Alive” are examples, reminiscent of the last intangible AFI of “Decemberunderground”, mention on “Piss and Vinegar” the guitars return to play a more important role and the inspired, and mature “Dorothy”, full demonstration this latter, of how the band manages to furnish a more visceral and deep soul, and a purely rock canvas, alongside their now classic pop-punk roots.

With its almost pastoral and sweet atmosphere, among harmonized electric guitars and a slight background hum of acoustics, supported by the bassist's voice this time, the curtain finally falls.

Despite the much-vaunted ‘back to basics’, it can be said that this rediscovery of early works only happened halfway, especially concerning the production by Matt Allison (previously worked with the band), never so minimal, stripped and raw and not inclined to overdubs, effects, and various stratifications, rather than from the sound point of view, which remains anchored, this time in a more intelligent way to what was seen in the last works. Not coincidentally, excluding two tracks, the rhythms almost never get pushed, focusing everything on well-considered medium tempos.

The inserts of additional instruments are indeed reduced to the bone, particularly noticeable is the total absence of keyboards, heavily used in the previous two albums, and it’s a real shame I must say, because they fit perfectly with the created atmospheres (see “I Found Away” or the wonderful “Into The Night”).

Globally analyzing the tracklist it must be said that there are no obvious drops in tension, everything flows smoothly (as suggested by the short running time), perhaps too smoothly, and it must be added, that the tracks present here will hardly equal the great past hits, which still warm the hearts of old and new fans. Probably the absence of grand hits is somewhat the limit of this work, combined with often bland and unsatisfactory guitar riffing, possibly penalized also by the choice to insist on minimal production at all costs.

In terms of lyrics as inferred also from the artwork there’s a sort of concept on the figure of heroin and drugs, which create addiction and habituation, and are metaphorically linked and compared to love affairs and the thin thread that binds life and death. This is discussed in the title track, but there are also texts of political critique as in “American Scream”, which deals with an American soldier returned from Afghanistan, then committed suicide.

It won’t be the album of the year, but the ideas are there, and the work hits its target to entertain and amuse, although it must be said that from the Trio we always expect the album of life and breakthrough.

All things considered “This Addiction” is a respectable work, albeit it won’t create that strong addiction and doesn’t have those standout elements that made masterpieces like “From Here To Infirmary” special.

Album rating: 3.5/5