Alkaline Trio, “Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs.”

Pop-punk rockers Alkaline Trio capture lightning in a bottle on their latest full-length set, Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs, their 10th album. From the opening guitar riff of the forceful “Hot For Preacher,” the 11-song record captures a performance energy that keeps the aesthetics sonically simple while dialing in on raw urgency.

No longer splitting his time between Alkaline Trio and Blink-182, singer-guitarist Matt Skiba brings his signature warm delivery and punchy lyrics. The album also includes the final recorded takes by former drummer Derek Grant, who departed the band in mid-2023. The record casually blends alt-rock with brash punk and an earnest emo spirit.

Some of the song titles on Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs come from the original placeholders. The record’s unusual title is a reference to Skiba’s mother, a triage nurse. That helps set the scene.

“We lost our way so long ago/ Chopping things down before they grow,” Skiba declares on the upbeat opener, the group blasting out fiery precision.

The band tackles the dark and challenging spaces of our world, but in a way that injects life rather than leaning in to the doom and gloom. As Skiba sings of the sky falling on “Meet Me,” the band delivers memorable riffage and powerful rhythm.

Bassist Dan Andriano sings lead on the bouncy “Versions of You.” Producer Cameron Webb clearly understood what the band does well and brought it to the forefront here and throughout the album.

“Bad Time” details a pair of real-life instances where Skiba was witness to gun violence. His words are poignant and the subject matter heavy, but again the band delivers with a ferocity that never drags.

“It’s hard to call you up so many times/ I heard gunfire in the dead of the night,” Skiba sings.

Atmospheric rocker “Scars” is sonically simple, tailor-made for waving your arms back and forth during the bridge. Apocalyptic and biting “Break” welcomes a doomsday scenario as the world’s litany of challenges all come to a head. As with the rest of the album, Matt Skiba takes the tough circumstances in stride. The lively “Shake With Me” flips the gloomy script quickly to a more positive outlook.

One-minute interlude “Hinterlude’ is a melodic gut punch, naturally transitioning into the no-nonsense rock of the zombie-themed love song/title track.

The record concludes with fist-pumping, pogoing anthems “Broken Down in a Dream” and “Teenage Heart,” the latter of which sounds a lot like The Killers’ “Smile Like You Mean It.” Despite Akiba’s Blink detour, Alkaline Trio sounds as brash as ever, navigating through weighty topics on a spirited album. If there were any lingering questions about the singer’s double duties, this record proves he’s still got plenty to say with little sign of slowing down.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.