WOW. is all i have to say. personally, I was blown away, and so far, it's the album of 2005 so far in my opinion. I've liked Alkaline Trio for a while, and my enjoyment of them has a limit. I've always liked them, but they've never been inspiring enough to me to listen to nonstop for weeks. They have had a lot of appeal, but never really grabbed me. Some favorites are Stupid Kid, Every Thug Needs a Lady, and I Lied My Face Off.

Probably, my love of the new album is due to my heavy emphasis on the harmony and melodic sounds. I love bands that synchronize perfectly and have that awesome sound that clicks together. Not that I don't like raw early music, but I love the polished product with the awesome flow from verse to verse, song to song. Call me cheesy, but the cohesiveness and melody is very important in my listening. Everything comes together in Crimson. The album attacks you from start to finish, leaving you with intense tunes blasting in your head.

This is what caused me to download it from the FTP, and then, even though I already had the album on my computer, to buy it when it came out today anyway just to have the hard copy and the pure sound from an album. Because this album must be appreciated with good sound quality and at loud volumes.

Favorite track is Time To Waste.

Buy it.