 Matt Skiba |
 Dan Andriano |
 Matt Skiba and Derek Grant |
Review by Phil Bonyata
Illinois natives Alkaline Trio took a short trip across the border and made a bold statement at the soldout Rave in Milwaukee last night. Brooding and sparing notes helped to define "Time to Waste," off of their latest release Crimson with the chorus mounting to an explosive finish.
Photos by Karen Bondowski"The Poison" erupted fast and furious and let the precise and calculated assualt climax like a perfectly timed execution. McHenry native, Matt Skiba, dressed in tan dress shirt, tie and fine eyeliner focused most of his energies on his brashly literate vocals and spirited guitar playing. "Mercy Me" took us on a winding road at 100 mph with Dan Andriano's furious bass playing and drummer Derek Grant's even steeper attack on the skins.
Alkaline Trio's years of hard touring are finally starting to payoff as witnessed by the dedicated and rabid fans in attendance. Crimson is also a testament to the band's growing maturity and depth. The tempos are more aggressive and the lyrics are challenging and ambitious. On "Maybe I'll Catch Fire" and "Clavicle" the boys let loose cannon blasts of aggression. The audience and band melding as one happy entity.
The band culled heavily from Crimson. The tight-fisted "Settle For Satin" and the epic "Sadie" on the true travails of Manson family member Sadie Mae Glutz, played out it's punk noir rawk in anthemic fashion. "Burn" lit up the stage with Skiba's fiery fret work to Andriano's guttural basslines - a beautiful fusion of form and function.
Alkaline Trio's bold and confident performance is surely a sign of even better things to come.
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