Album Reviews

‘Blood, Hair & Eyeballs’ is an important album for Alkaline Trio. Not only is it their first new album in six years and their tenth overall, it is also the last one featuring Derek Grant on drums (Atom Willard will be taking over his stool). Over the course of the years, the trio have always remained true to their core sound from the ‘Goddamnit!’ years, while managing to keep their fans’ interest piqued by evolving ever so slightly. Sure, albums like 2010’s ‘This Addiction’ and 2013’ ‘My Shame Is True’ might not have been their best output, but they redeemed themselves on 2018’s ‘Is This Thing Cursed?’. So how does ‘Blood, Hair & Eyeballs’ hold up to the rest of the band’s discography?

They sure do open with a bang with ‘Hot For Preacher’ (pun enthusiasts, rejoice!), a track that is completely centered around a killer riff and one of those choruses that Alkaline Trio have patented a long time ago. ‘Meet Me’ sees them taking their foot off the gas and going for a more goth-y sound. Solid track, even though I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘I-I-I-I’ thingy they have going on in the chorus. Luckily, things get better again with previously released single ‘Versions Of You,’ which finds Andriano doing his thing over a song set for post-hardcore territory.

Other album highlights include ‘Scars’ with its propulsive drums and wavering guitar lines, the ‘Agony & Irony’ reminiscent ‘Break’, some Dan Andriano greatness on ‘Broken Down In A Time Machine’ and album closer ‘Teenage Heart,’ which keeps you on your toes by constantly shifting moods and vocalists.

The trading off vocals are something that are more present on ‘Blood, Hair & Eyeballs’ than on past outings. That might be attributed to the fact that this is the first album since the band’s early years that was written and recorded with all three of them in the same studio at the same time. Something that might explain the breath of fresh air on this album as well. Whatever the reason, fact is that on the band’s tenth album, Alkaline Trio manage to look both back and forward and ended up with one of their best albums in years.

Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs track list:

1. Hot For Preacher
2. Meet Me
3. Versions Of You
4. Bad Time
5. Scars
6. Break
7. Shake With Me
8. Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
9. Hinterlude
10. Broken Down In A Time Machine
11. Teenage Heart