Alkaline Trio's 'Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs': Album Review
The perfect statement album to show the band has Matt Skiba's undivided attention after being in blink-182
Blood Hair and Eyeballs by Alkaline Trio is the band's 10th studio album to date and the last album with their former drummer Derek Grant. Derek was the drummer for Alkaline Trio from 2001-2023 and played on the albums from Good Mourning through the most recent Blood Hair and Eyeballs. This album does a perfect job of catching Alkaline Trio’s signature sound while still showing growth and progression after 28 years as a band.
Hot for Preacher
Right off the bat, you hear a guitar riff nothing like you’ve heard before on an Alkaline Trio song. Lyrically it has a common theme for the Alkaline Trio, relationships. The song paints a picture of a couple who are having a rocky relationship with lines like “You promised you wouldn’t get angry, now we're through”. This is the perfect opening track to set the mood for the rest of the album.
Meet Me
Starting with a riff that sounds like a lost track off of Good Mourning, any Alkaline Trio fan will be hooked right away. The song once again focuses on a relationship gone awry. The bridge in this song has to be one of my favorite moments on BH&E.
Versions of You
The third single off the album, and the first Dan-fronted song, starts with an ominous-sounding riff with the rest of the band coming in with the vocals. Dan begins to sing like he’s addressing someone who doesn’t quite know their own identity both personally and in a relationship. Overall this is a very solid song and a statement by Dan showing that lyrically and vocally he is here and better than ever.
Bad Time
The second single off BH&E and a fan favorite is a fun song Matt wrote about his time living in a bad part of Chicago in the early 90’s. He sings about a time he was on his way home and some gang violence broke out by his apartment, but when he got inside he was just happy to talk to the girl he was with at the time. With catchy melodies and melodic riffs, this is just a very fun Trio song that will hold up well in their discography for years to come.
Scars
Dan is back for his second track on the record with some strong writing yet again. He sings about emotional scars with lyrics like “I’ve never once been cut, but I see scars”. The post-chorus has Skiba singing the main lyrics while Dan is echoing his own in the background while singing the last line in unison making a very addicting part in the song I catch myself rewinding to every time this song comes on.
Break
Opening up you hear a familiar-sounding dark and ominous Alkaline Trio riff. Matt starts singing in a very poetic way about enjoying the end of the world with the person you love. The ambiance of the whole track is classic Trio while still bringing a new refreshing twist to it. This will be one of the fan favorites on the album.
Shake with Me
Shake with me is one of my favorites on BH&E. It is one of the best songs lyrically while bringing a new sound Alkaline Trio fans are not used to from the band. Matt primarily sings on the track while Dan sings the post-chorus giving it this cool second layer with dans perspective on the topic of loving while struggling with mental health with lyrics like “when it’s raining nasty thoughts inside my head and there’s only one place I should be, but I'm here instead”. This song will be another fan favorite.
Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
As the first single of the album, the title track was the perfect song to introduce the new era of Alkaline Trio. As soon as the song starts you hear an iconic-sounding Trio riff with a classic Dan bass track. Lyrically you have Matt singing about a failed relationship and the struggles that come with it mentally. He goes on to sing about how you get into a zombie-like state and makes a play on that with the line “sleep like the undead”. This song sounds like a familiar Alkaline Trio song while bringing a new, refreshing sound to it solidifying it as a classic Trio song that will stand out in the band’s discography.
Hinterlude
Hinterlude is a one-minute interlude before the last two tracks of the album. While it has no lyrics, the guitar does a great job of giving you an ominous feeling while waiting for the next song to start.
Broken Down In a Time Machine
This track starts right away with Dan singing “I don’t want to go back, no I don’t want to go” with a classic-sounding Alkaline Trio instrumental. He continues to sing about how your brain can work against you and keep you thinking about stuff from your past that hurt you emotionally. This is by far the best song sung by Dan on BH&E. Lyrically this is one of Dan’s best songs on their discography. It’s catchy while hitting you with a message everyone can relate to. It’s a song you will have on repeat once you hear it the first time.
Teenage Heart
What would an Alkaline Trio album be if it didn’t have at least one song touching on the politics and its problems in our country? The vocals on this song are shared between Matt and Dan while each shares their perspective on the drug problem with our youth and a line in the chorus directed at how available guns are to our youth as well. Overall this track is a solid closer for the album with an explosive ending with both Dan and Matt singing together in harmony until the last line where Matt belts it out on his own. I couldn’t picture a better way to end the album than they do on this song.
Conclusion
Overall, I give this album a 10/10. It gives you that sound you want and expect to hear on an Alkaline Trio album while still giving you a progressed sound. Once you finish listening for the first time, you will catch yourself re-listening to the whole album all day. Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs is the perfect statement album to show that the band has Matt’s undivided attention after being in blink-182 and is ready to take over the punk rock realm once again.