Alkaline Trio’s gruesomely named 10th album, Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs, is a commentary on the modern world through the dark, poetic lens that the band have honed over their 25-year career. In both theme and sound, it captures their identity while offering new observations.
The striking riff and sombre lyrics that open the album in “Hot for Preacher” set the tone for the remaining tracks. Cries of “I just cannot seem to get my rotten head around this mess” and “God has given up on me” are intertwined with solid melodies and an almost romantic smirk. For every reference to horror and despair, there’s a playful choice of words or a distracting chorus to lighten the mood slightly. Closing track “Teenage Heart” summarises this with “all I want for Christmas is an AR-15”.
Gun violence is referenced again in “Bad Time” and despair finds its way into every track, from being “broken down in a time machine” to sorrowfully admitting “I’m so much lighter now I’m no longer holding you”, the album covers a comprehensive list of life’s horrors. The title track is one of the highlights of the album, with its bouncy beat and gothic imagery coordinated perfectly, and there are other moments of that scattered throughout, despite the overtly dark theme.
The band’s morbid curiosity displays like a diary entry, with no clear message of positivity or guidance, just an intimate unravelling of thoughts. Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs leans heavily into the emo side of punk rock, in keeping with the band’s history. It is evident that singer Matt Skiba’s seven years with blink-182 did not soften his songwriting at all. Quite the opposite, it feels like a return home, and a new chapter that will undoubtedly excite Alkaline Trio’s fanbase.
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