Crimson by Alkaline Trio: Punk Band Heads Towards Musical Maturity

Crimson, the most recent album by Alkaline Trio (2005) marks a slight departure from the band's previous sound. Though the core Alkaline Trio sound is still there, the band has clearly matured, and their talent has grown substantially. Some fans of the band's older material may not appreciate this change, but for those fans who are willing to give it a chance, Crimson will likely grow on them, as it has on me. Overall, it is a wonderful blending of their older style and decided musical maturity.

"Time to Waste," the first song of the new CD, opens with the sounds of a piano, delicate and haunting. The piano notes are echoed by the heavier guitar chords as the song picks up speed and intensity. Lyrics have always been an arena in which Alkaline Trio has excelled, and the words of "Time to Waste" are no exception to this. Overall, the song is catchy and bitter, two of my favorite things about Alkaline Trio songs.

"The Poison" is a very brief song that resembles older Alkaline Trio songs a bit more, being a much heavier song. The big difference here is that the normal vocalist, Matt Skiba, does not sing the main part of the song, leaving that task instead to the bassist, Dan Andriano.

"Burn," the third song on the album, is a more complex song, musically speaking, containing layers of guitar effects beneath the lyrics. The much more pop-oriented "Mercy Me" follows "Burn," with Andriano sharing duties on lead vocals. This is an interesting twist, as so much of Alkaline Trio's earlier music shares this pop orientation, but Andriano's deeper voice adds a slightly darker quality to the song.

"Dethbed," a faster paced song, is driven steadily along by the drumbeat. It edges slightly away from their typical punk sound, almost to an 80s rock sound. The vocals, of course, are still decidedly Alkaline Trio.

"Settle for Satin" utilizes a slightly darker sound, underscored by intricate keyboard work, but otherwise blends into Crimson as somewhat unmemorable. The next song, "Sadie," will drag your attention back to the music, as the first verse gets back as close to vintage Alkaline Trio as is possible on this album. The chorus will remind you that this isn't Goddamnit or their self titled CD, but improves the overall quality of the song.

"Fall Victim" does not particularly stand out as either good or bad. It plods along steadily and unremarkably. "I Was a Prayer," on the other hand, stands out especially for the excellent harmonization of the two vocalists.

The orchestral sound that opens "Prevent This Tragedy" is a perfect beginning for this darker song. The more upbeat vocals seem a bit out of place here, however.

"Back to Hell" starts out fast, and only builds up tempo after that. Again, the harmonized vocals, which seem to be prevalent in several songs on Crimson, help this song to stand out amongst the rest.

"Your Neck" is another song featuring keyboard instruments, which is another recurrent theme on this album. This both steers the sound a bit further from the punk sound for which Alkaline Trio is best known, as well as giving the music more depth and at least a perception of maturity.

"Smoke," a slow piece, provides a perfect ending to a brilliant album. It combines the predominant musical themes of the album, and the end of the song is probably the best conclusion to which Alkaline Trio could have brought this album.