Alexisonfire

Alexisonfire is a Canadian post-hardcore band hailing from the southern Ontario city of St. Catharines. The band formed in 2001 when three separate local bands broke up: Plan 9, Helicon Blue, and Condemning Salem. Condemning Salem guitarist George Pettit became the new band’s harsh vocalist, Helicon Blue’s Dallas Green became the band’s clean vocalist as well as one of the guitarists, and Plan 9’s Chris Steele and Wade MacNeil became the band’s bassist and second guitarist respectively. The band’s initial lineup was completed with the recruitment of drummer Jesse Ingelevics.

After signing with Distort Entertainment, Alexisonfire released their self-titled debut album on Halloween 2002. The album was a success in Canada, being certified Platinum in December 2018. The music video for the track “Pulmonary Archery” received the Best Video Award at the 2004 Canadian Independent Music Awards and the band received the Favourite Indie Band Award at the 2004 CASBY Awards.

Their success would continue with the 2004 album Watch Out!, being certified Platinum in Canada in 2007 and debuting at #6 on the Nielsen SoundScan Top 200. The band would receive an award for New Group of the Year at the 2005 Juno Awards as well as the Best Independent Video for “Accidents” at the 2005 MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVAs). On June 17, 2005, the band announced that Jesse Ingelevics was leaving the band due to personal reasons and would be replaced by Jersey drummer Jordan Hastings.

Hastings would debut on the band’s next album, 2006’s Crisis. The album continued the band’s streak of both commercial and critical success, debuting at #1 on the Canadian Albums charts. The music video for the song “This Could Be Anywhere in the World” received a nomination for Best Rock Video as well as received Best Cinematography at the 2007 MMVAs.

By 2009, rumors began circulating that Alexisonfire were intending to break up, with McNeil claiming the band was at a crossroads during an interview with Bombshell Zine:

We’ll see what happens… Alexis hasn’t broken up, but we’ll see what happens. We’re at a crossroads right now.

On February 1, 2009, the band announced that the name of their next album would be Old Crows/Young Cardinals. On March 31, 2009, the band announced that they had signed with Dine Alone Records. The band released the album on June 23, 2009 under Dine Alone. The album was another commercial success, debuting at #81 on the Billboard 200 on July 11, 2009. The band would also release an EP, Dog’s Blood, in 2010.

On February 4, 2011, the band announced that work had begun on their next album but it would not come to fruition as the band would announce their breakup along with a final farewell tour in August of that year. The break-up would not last long as the band would announce a reunion tour in March 2015, In September 2015, MacNeil proclaiming that the band was officially back together at Riot Fest in Toronto, although the band later stated there were no immediate plans to get back to touring or recording.

After releasing a few teaser photos, the band would release their first new song since 2012, “Familiar Drugs”, on February 15, 2019. The band has since released a fifth album, 2022’s Otherness.