One Man Army/Alkaline Trio

BYO Split Series Volume V (BYO)
by Lauren Bussard

Well, first things first: Alkaline Trio turns me all to miserable jelly every time I hear a new heart-wrenching song, and their six fantastic new songs on this split with One Man Army are no exception. When Matt Skiba sings, “I’d kill for you and eat the flesh, give you the heart and burn the rest,” I wipe away a tear and wish desperately that someone will someday write such an obsessive and psychotically romantic song about me. Alas…

On BYO‘s fifth installment in their split series, both bands do an incredible job. Matt and the boys offer a delicious taste of the old (dark, masochistic sorrow, bleeding hearts and burning souls) while San Francisco trio One Man Army offer funny (their love song “The Hemophiliac”), smart, and hard street punk (“Let’s Call it an Evening”) that turns out a perfect complement to the brooding moody tones of Alkaline Trio’s songs, which are some of their finest work. Hats off to all six of you amazing boys, and all 12 of your amazing songs.
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