Crisis is Alexisonfire's third studio album, and the follow-up to Watch Out!. Crisis is one of Alexisonfire's most successful albums.
Conception and recording
This is the first album to feature Jordan Hastings on drums, replacing founding member Jesse Ingelevics. Ingelevics was no longer a part of the band as of June 14, 2005, according to a statement on . The post cited that the band and Ingelevics had slowly grown apart, and that he wanted to spend more time with his family and his fiancée. The song "Keep It On Wax" is alleged to have been written about his departure and subsequent trash-talking of the band. The album also features Planes Mistaken for Stars frontman Gared O'Donnell singing on the track "You Burn First". The album art for Crisis features aftermath of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 that hit the Niagara Region and Western New York. The main cover features the famous picture of a frostbitten man, a snowblower clearing the large accumulation of snow, and bare trees during the blizzard. Additional pictures of the event are included inside the album's booklet. The lyrics from the song "Crisis" are based on this event.
Release
On July 5, 2006, it was announced that the band had signed to Vagrant, Crisis was announced for release, and "Boiled Frogs" was made available for streaming. Dallas Green explained that signing with Vagrant gave the band "a fresh start for us in the U.S." In July and August, the band performed on the 2006 edition of Warped Tour. Crisis was released on August 22 through Distort Entertainment. The album was released in the UK on Hassle Records, while Vagrant released it in the US. Limited edition versions of the album was released, with USB flash drives that contained bonus material. The bonus material included: live performances of "Accidents" and "Mailbox Arson" at the SCENE Music Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario, the making of the videos "Passing Out in America" and "This Could Be Anywhere in the World", and a slide show to the audio of "Thrones". There is also an extra song called "My God is a Reasonable Man". The Vagrant version has an insert between the jewel case and original album cover, the insert changed the cover art for the US release, this was not done in any other market. In September and October 2006, the band went on a tour of Canada with Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats and Attack in Black. In October and November, the band went on a co-headlining tour of the US with Moneen. They were supported by Cancer Bats. In March and April 2007, the band supported Anti-Flag on their War Sucks... tour of the US. In June, the band went on a US tour alongside Funeral for a Friend, Emanuel and Fightstar. In September and October, the group supported Saosin on their headlining tour of the US. In December, the group went on a Canadian tour alongside Anti-Flag, Saosin and the Bled.
Reception and legacy
The album debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling over 20,000 copies in its first week. Crisis was certified platinum in Canada in May 2007. Crisis was voted 50th in the 50 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century in Kerrang! The album was a big influence on Silverstein's Arrivals & Departures, Cancer Bats' Hail Destroyer, We Are the Ocean's Cutting Our Teeth, Four Year Strong's In Some Way, Shape, or Form and 36 Crazyfists' Time and Trauma.
