Danny Worsnop
The Long Road Home

Release Date: 2017 | Tracklist

Danny Worsnop is undoubtedly one of the most varied musicians to come out of the mainstream metalcore scene. His musical decisions continued to surprise with each passing year; with his less than humble beginnings as an alcoholic scene kid playing catchy trancecore, to his less than humble transition into an alcoholic rock star gruff man, all leading up to where we’re at now, a country debut. Initially, I was expecting just some mindless fun “bro-country” with some good vocals, mediocre instrumentation, and terrible beer chuggin’ and truck bumpin’ lyrics to keep me entertained for a little while. What we actually got was an unexpectedly sincere, and introspective look on a man who’s continuously managed to fuck up numerous facets of his life again and again, only to realize that it wasn’t even his lowest point at any of those times. The Long Road Home is a heartfelt country debut; with competent and varied musical arrangements, beautiful vocal performances, and unexpectedly (for the most part) sincere lyricism.

As a vocalist, Danny has pushed himself to new heights, and fits better in the country genre than on any of his other musical endeavors. His now very gravelly vocal tone and more extensive range amalgamate well with the finger-picked acoustics and soprano vocal choirs that help to form the backbone of this record’s overall sound, as evidenced in album opener and highlight “Prozac.” He takes a lot more risks here as well, such as his chill-inducing falsetto in the chorus of “High”, or his lung-busting vocal shrieks during the bridge of “The Man.” It’s clear that this was easily Danny’s most personal effort to date. Lyrically the record mostly centers around his many regrets, the biggest of which being leaving Asking Alexandria for the pleasures of love, lust, and the alcohol fueled rampages that inspired the two. It wouldn’t be a country record without having a fair share of tracks revolved around general rambunctious tomfoolery, such as the vacation drinking / Budweiser endorsed song “Mexico”, or the upbeat hangover anthem “I Feel Like Shit.”

Instrumentally you’re going to get three main qualities with this album; backing female choir lines, substantial guitar variety, and sprinkles of banjos, keys, organs, and other instrumentals used sparsely at just the right moments to keep things interesting. The songwriting on display here is mostly top-notch, bar tracks where the instrumentals just feel like filler to display Danny’s vocal chops, such as on the Matchbox Twenty inspired “Anyone But Me.” The strength in the faster songs lies in the momentum that only serves to boost up Danny’s vocals further, again referring to album closer “The Man” which has an engaging drum line that leads into the perfectly intertwined banjo plucking in the chorus.

Danny Worsnop is a talented musician, and his ability to branch into multiple genres effortlessly shows here. However, The Long Road Home is arguably Danny’s most personal and serious album to date, and shows a side of him that he couldn’t have possibly expressed in either Asking Alexandria or We Are Harlot. Hopefully this isn’t the last that we see of Danny’s country work, as it shows an insane amount of potential to create a masterpiece down the road, and is a perfect example of his progression as an individual, and a musician.

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