The band formed in December of 1996, originally consisting of Skiba, Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Doran. He was replaced by Andriano, who had been the singer for Tuesday and bassist for the ska band Slapstick. The band released their second EP, entitled For Your Lungs Only, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fan base in the American Midwest. Later that year, they released their first full-length album, Goddamnit, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000. Both were released on Asian Man Records. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously-released EPs on a self-titled album.
Following the success of their Asian Man releases, Alkaline Trio signed to Vagrant. Joined by new drummer Mike Felumlee (previously of the Smoking Popes), From Here to Infirmary was released in 2001. It was their first album to see any interest from alternative radio and the mainstream media, with the semi-hit punk single "Stupid Kid" and the inclusion of the song "Armageddon" on the Tony Hawk's Underground as well as Tony Hawks American Wasteland video games. Their cover of "Over at the Frankenstein Place" was included in the compilation The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show, an album made to pay tribute to the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After the release, Felumlee left the band too and was replaced by Grant, previously of The Suicide Machines.
Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing a considerable amount of commercial success. The album was a significant departure from earlier works, featuring greater production value and a noticeable move toward a more mainstream sound.
The band has also appeared on various compilation albums, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1 and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Skiba and Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They have also recorded two split EPs with bands who are no longer together: one with Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, entitled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In 2004 Andriano became a member of The Falcon, a super-group of consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist/co-vocalist Brendan Kelly (with who he had played with in Slapstick), and Neil Hennessy, drummer from The Lawrence Arms. The band released a 5-song EP in 2004, and its first full-length Unicornography in September of 2006.
In 2006 Matt Skiba collaborated with Josiah Steinbrick for the band Heavens.
In 2008 Alkaline Trio released Agony & Irony on Epic Records. The album charted at #13 on the Billboard 200.
Alkaline Trio's 7th studio album, This Addiction,was released on February 23rd 2010. This was their first album under their own label, Heart & Skull, an offshoot of Epitaph, and the album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Alkaline Trio's eighth studio album, Damnesia,, was released July 12, 2011. Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the album also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms".
On April 2nd, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "My Shame Is True".
On August 31st, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "Is This Thing Cursed?".
On June 8th, 2023, longtime drummer Derek Grant left the band due to mental health reasons and intentions to pursue music production as well as graphic design. He was replaced by Atom Willard, formerly of bands such as Rocket from the Crypt and Against Me!. The band then released the single, "Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs" on October 17th, 2023, and announced an album of the same name due for a release date of January 26th, 2024.
Fall Victim
Alkaline Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cutting like a red hot knife of surgical steel
We're all fresh from the auto play
She came, she came with sterile warnings
Screaming from her place
Singing "I want to make you bleed"
I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim
We heard our records backwards too many times
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our time
Wasting our time
Down on my knees, but not to pray
Hit so hard across the skull, it hurt through my legs
They told me I had hell to pay
I came, I came too close to heaven
Had nothing to say from myself
I had to walk away
I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim
To double suicide on your television
We heard our records backwards too many times
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our time
Wasting our time
Time
Wasting our time
Wasting our time
I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim
To double suicide on your television
We heard our records backwards too many times
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our
time
The lyrics of Alkaline Trio’s Fall Victim seem to deal with the themes of mental illness and suicide. The lines “Not sure how this is supposed to feel/Cutting like a red hot knife of surgical steel” portrays the feeling of being unsure and uncomfortable, cutting deep like a sharp knife. The line “She came, she came with sterile warnings/Screaming from her place/Singing 'I want to make you bleed'” suggests the possibility of a personification of mental illness or a person who is suicidal themselves.
The lyrics depict the struggles of the singer in coming to terms with their own mental illness or suicidal thoughts. The lines “I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim/To double suicide on your television/We heard our records backwards too many times/I’m wasting my breath, we’re wasting our time” portrays the singer feeling like a victim of their own mind and how they are constantly battling their own thoughts. The reference to “double suicide on your television” can also be interpreted as the media sensationalizing the act of suicide and portraying it as something desirable or glamorous.
In addition to this, the song also speaks to the struggle between wanting to live and wanting to die, which is again shown in the line “I came, I came too close to heaven/Had nothing to say from myself/I had to walk away.” This line portrays the battle between the desire to live a good life, represented by heaven, and the desire to give up on life entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
Not sure how this is supposed to feel
Feeling uncertain and lost about the current situation
Cutting like a red hot knife of surgical steel
The pain being felt is intense and sharp like a surgical knife
We're all fresh from the auto play
Feeling like robots, just going through the motions without any control
She came, she came with sterile warnings
The person causing harm or pain came with clear warnings, but ignored them
Screaming from her place
The person causing harm or pain was loud and aggressive
Singing "I want to make you bleed"
The person causing harm or pain expressed a desire to cause physical harm
I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim
Feeling powerless as others follow along and also become victims
To double suicide on your television
Watching others self-destruct on TV and becoming engrossed in it
We heard our records backwards too many times
Feeling like everything is going backwards or not making sense
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our time
Feeling like there is no point in trying to communicate or make progress
Down on my knees, but not to pray
Feeling defeated and helpless, but not seeking solace in religion
Hit so hard across the skull, it hurt through my legs
Being physically hurt in a way that felt all-encompassing
They told me I had hell to pay
Being warned of the consequences of one's actions
I came, I came too close to heaven
Having a close call with death or enlightenment
Had nothing to say from myself
Being speechless and unable to express oneself
I had to walk away
Leaving a situation that was harmful or damaging
Time
The passage of time and its impact on the situation
Wasting our time
Feeling like time is being wasted without any progress or improvement
Wasting our time
Repeating the feeling of wasting time to further emphasize its impact
I watched them fall in line, as I fell victim
Repeating the feeling of powerlessness and being dragged into harm's way with others
To double suicide on your television
Repeating the feeling of becoming engrossed in self-destructive behavior seen on TV
We heard our records backwards too many times
Repeating the feeling of confusion and disorientation
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our time
Repeating the feeling of hopelessness and futility in communication and progress
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL MICHAEL ANDRIANO, DEREK R. GRANT, MATTHEW THOMAS SKIBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind