By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Asking Alexandria has had an interesting history with their fans. Most everyone loved their first two albums, as they appealed to their largely metalcore fanbase. Those albums were what ultimately made them famous. "From Death to Destiny" (my personal favorite AA album) was a complete 180 for the band, with Danny making his classic rock influences known. Then, Danny left the band due to having to go to rehab, because drugs were destroying him and his relationships with his band mates. For only about two years Denis Stoff took over vocals, and the band released their weakest album as well as one of my least favorite albums of 2016 in "The Black". With such bad reception, Denis ended up leaving the band, and Danny came out of rehab and became the lead vocalist again. Now they're looking to totally redefine their sound, as this new self-titled release is full of experimentation of all types. How does it fare for AA? For me, this self-titled album has a lot of excellent songs. However, the excess of experimentation makes it a very mixed and confusing listen, especially in its second half.
The first half of this album, for the most part, is great. It sounds totally different for the band, but that is not at all a bad thing. I'm glad that Danny wants to stay ahead of the curve and not always be known as a scene metalcore band, which is the direction the band was going with yet again on "The Black". AA immediately establishes their new sound with one of the best songs on the album, "Alone in a Room". This song does a great job at combining an interesting pop sound in its verses with a soaring hard rock chorus. It seems like these two disparate elements couldn't possibly go together, but they do in a surprising yet effective way. Holding this song together- and honestly, making this album stand out more than it would've with a different vocalist- is Danny Worsnop. His talent is undeniable, as he effortlessly shifts his voice from a more smooth pop style, to a gritty, passionate rock style. We see even more talent in Danny's voice in another one of my favorite tracks, the lead single "Into The Fire". Man, this song is killer. Right from the opening thunderous guitar riffs, you know that you're in for a treat. The chorus of this song sounds like it could be on a classic rock record, and Danny's vocals naturally evoke that classic rock tendency. I also love his screams in the bridge. He just lets loose on this song, and it's a real delight to behold. "Hopelessly Hopeful" is another masterful track, really making the first three tracks pack a masterful punch as a whole. I like how Danny discusses the contradictions inside of himself in this song, and the chorus of this song hits hard and makes the track even more memorable. Even though I'm not usually a fan of pump-up songs, "Rise Up" is undeniably fun, especially in its chorus which has an epic sound to it.
There are several other great tracks here that deserve mention as well. "When the Lights Come On" emphasizes on electronics, and Danny puts his vocals into a more higher register. It's definitely another very experimental move, but I think it works. "Vultures" is easily my favorite on the whole album. This song is a straight up acoustic ballad, something that Asking Alexandria has never done before. I love the lyrical content of this song as well: "It's hard to see what's underneath, is it me?
Where do I turn? Everywhere I look these vultures burn the life right outta me/Do I run, or lay down and die?/Is it time to close my eyes?". The lyrical content of this song really helps to make it powerful and emotive. But the real shining star here is Danny, as his vocals sound beautiful. He lets his voice sound raspy, but at the same time, you get to see just how naturally talented he is. This song gives the listener a true insight of what exactly Danny is capable of. The heights his vocals can reach are seemingly limitless. The song "Eve" brings back AA's more standard metalcore sound while combining it with the hard rock edge of the new album. Because of that, this song really does bring the best of both worlds to the listener. The lyrical content of this song cleverly alludes to the Adam and Eve story, using it as a metaphor for a fatally flawed relationship. This release ends off well with the emotive "Room 138", in which Danny pours his heart out about the aftermath of his drug overdose. This song hits hard musically as well, with some impressive screaming. It makes for a powerful end to the album.
There are plenty of great tracks on this album. But there are also many tracks that don't work for me. As a whole, this album can be a bit disorienting. While I love songs like "Vultures" and "Eve", for example, it is a weird choice to shift from an acoustic ballad immediately to a song which has a lot of metalcore influence. I get that the band wanted to try a lot of new stuff on this album, but it could've been put together a little more cohesively. I know a lot of people liked the single "Where Did It Go?", but this one just didn't work for me. It reflected on the band's history in a bit of a cheesy way, and unlike "Alone in a Room", the combination of pop verses with a rock chorus didn't flow very well here. "Under Denver" oddly chooses to have these synth effects that sound like they belong on an early 2000s Attack Attack record. This song just sounds dated, and it also has a forgettable and repetitive chorus. "Empire" is easily the worst song on the record. Although the rest of the bad songs on here aren't always cohesive, none of them compare to the outright idiocy of this one. This track "features" a rapper named Bingx, but he practically controls this song as he raps (yes, raps) on the verses, and Danny only sings in the chorus. I have no clue what AA was thinking with this song, as it is awful and sounds absolutely nothing like what they were trying to do on the rest of the album. It doesn't even seem like they're contributing to the song very much as it's dominated by electronics rather than real instrumentation. "I Am One" is very forgettable, and one of the only tracks where I would say Danny didn't sound very passionate in his vocal delivery. Finally, I know the bonus track "Explicit" is supposed to be making fun of metalcore tropes, but the song is still cringeworthy, and the lyrics are not funny.
I've always appreciated Asking Alexandria for their willingness to experiment. Many bands on Sumerian Records stay in the rut of chugging out the same metalcore releases with nothing too unique about them. AA could do the same, as they have a fanbase who eats that stuff up. But, thankfully they don't. Even though I'm ultimately middle of the road about this album, I still would recommend some of it, especially the good songs I named, because those tracks make this album worth checking out. I think I'll be staying on board if this is the road the band is going down. With time, I see this style of music working for them. As of right now, though, this self-titled release is a bit of a mixed bag, not great, but not horrible either.
Favorite Songs: "Vultures", "Alone in a Room", "Into the Fire", "Eve", "Hopelessly Hopeful"
Least Favorite Songs: "Empire", "Under Denver", "Where Did It Go?"
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