To say that Alexisonfire had a devoted following in 2006 would be an understatement. Since their self-titled album was released in 2002 the post-hardcore St. Catharines group had amassed a huge fanbase that had only grown exponentially.
Incorporating intense, aggressive elements from hardcore music and vast, expansive elements from post-rock was a winning combination and having dual vocalists – George Pettit and Dallas Green – that represented each side of that equation had made them a singular force in the Canadian alternative rock scene.
Their 2004 album Watch Out! was another winner, hitting gold status in Canada and leaning further into the post-rock influences. Singer Dallas Green also debuted his largely acoustic City and Colour project around this time, bringing in an even wider audience.
All this to say that the band were riding very high in August 2006 when they released their third album Crisis. Many fans wondered how this momentum would affect the band, and were ecstatic when singles “This Could Be Anywhere in the World” and “Boiled Frogs” took the group’s established dynamic and only made it bigger and bolder.
Lead guitarist Wade MacNeil added his voice to the mix, showing up more prominently on tracks and creating a new dimension to the band.
The album debuted at # 1 on the Canadian Album Charts and in nine months had already achieved platinum sales in Canada. “Boiled Frogs” became one of the band’s calling cards, an instantly recognizable hook-filled hit that was all their own. “To a Friend” was featured in hit TV show Degrassi in 2008.
As for the album cover? That was related to the titular “crisis” the band named the album after and sang about: a devastating blizzard in 1977 that hit New York state and Southern Ontario, causing massive damage as well as many cases of frostbite.
Alexisonfire are touring behind the anniversary of the album in 2026, playing Toronto on August 14th and August 15th after which they have several festival appearances in the US later in the year.
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