Review Summary: Old issues still remain, despite the stylistic shift.
The 20-month period between the release of
The Black and
Asking Alexandria was nothing short of eventful. Former vocalist Denis Stoff had left, allegedly due to being unable to handle the stress of touring. After that news broke, it was reported that founding vocalist Danny Worsnop had returned, exclaiming that “this is something [he] can embrace again” in a social media post in late 2016. Although things did get quieter between them bringing Worsnop back into the helm and the release of lead single “Into the Fire” on September 21st, 2017, the anticipation of their apparent stylistic shift was noticeable. While some lamented the move to a style more reminiscent of arena-rock, others remained optimistic. Worsnop’s clean vocals had been gradually improving for the past four or so years, despite a clear abundance of well-documented vocal issues. His more matured clean singing had become more tuneful than whiny, which was a common complaint on albums such as
Stand Up and Scream and even
Reckless & Relentless. The instrumentation took a clear step back, but perhaps Danny could have stolen the show with this shift in focus.
To what’s most likely no one’s surprise, the arena-rock foundation set forth by singles “Into the Fire” and “Where Did It Go?” ended up tagging along for the rest of the 44-minute ride. Every song has a big, anthemic chorus that will easily get the crowd riled up at shows. Whether it’s the ode to live performance “When the Lights Come On” or the introspective “Alone In a Room”, there is no shortage of hook-driven material. Even when you consider the band’s more familiar heavier style of writing that’s on this album, notably in the form of “Rise Up” and “Eve”, the intention of creating a moving anthem is present within. For the most part, this approach works; while it’s sure to alienate hardcore fans who were more into their original style, its ability to recruit newcomers is on par with pretty much any other metalcore-turned-arena-rock act in recent memory. Even when the band slows down, ala “Under Denver” or “Vultures”, the added maturity in its presentation works to its benefit. Not every song sticks its landing, as everything after “Eve” reeks of complacency and mediocrity. Regardless, this isn’t the type of calamitous travesty that’s worth displaying on the front page. The worst this album is truly capable of being is bland and pretentious; these two negative qualities are evident, yet not all-consuming.
The production, on the other hand, is not so strong. Remnants of the Loudness War are still in full effect, as many songs start sounding digitally clipped beyond comprehension once the hook comes in; this is most notable on sophomore single “Where Did It Go?”. It’s not quite
Death Magnetic levels of clipping, but it’s very noticeable. The drums on the entire album have such an artificial feel that you’d be surprised it wasn’t Kevin Churko who produced. Very little on
Asking Alexandria feels natural in the slightest due to the techniques that Matt Good (From First to Last, D.R.U.G.S, among other acts) had used in the process. There are points on this record where it genuinely feels like Worsnop’s vocals are its only saving grace, as he drives ballad “Vultures” and hard-hitting “Eve” with relative ease. Other times, he’s just as washed up as the rest of the band; the overwhelming sense of arrogance he presents on the lyrics of the aforementioned “Where Did It Go?” certainly doesn’t help his case. Danny’s newfound verbosity and self-confidence almost adds a sense of pretension; it seems as if he’s caught some ego from Ronnie Radke, a man who’s been claiming to be “King of the Music Scene” for years now.
Asking Alexandria have never really been virtuosic instrumentally; while some riffs on their sophomore release were notable enough in their own right (see “Morte Et Dabo”), they have always been very easy to mirror, as they often resorted to simplistic structures to a truly astonishing degree. Unsurprisingly so, this album’s instrumentation further proves that statement true, as the writing here is even less intricate than in the past. They largely eschew the boilerplate breakdowns that marred
The Black and albums before it, but what they put in place surely won’t change the minds of anyone who has been critical of this band beforehand. The bridge of “Into the Fire” could have been cut out entirely and not much would be lost; in fact, the “radio edit” on Spotify removes the bridge. As an overall release,
Asking Alexandria is enjoyable enough, albeit marred by questionable production decisions and pretentious lyricism. It won’t win over those who were already critical, and it isn’t quite the commercial hit
From Death to Destiny was (it was a whole 22 spots lower on the Billboard 200), but if you’re into arena rock in any form, you might have some fun with this.
