ASKING ALEXANDRIA

‘Welcome’ opens the album in a slightly anthemic manner before the inevitable break in the calm as Danny Worsnop’s guttural vocals kick in. These vocals are short lived in ‘Dear Insanity’ as we hear some absolutely brilliant soft singing coming through with the catchy guitar work courtesy of Cameron Lidell and Ben Bruce. ‘Reckless And Relentless’ is already sounding like a more mature release from English 5-piece Asking Alexandria compared to debut album ‘Stand Up And Scream’. Little hints of an English accent come through on these tracks but, for the most part, this band sound 100% American, which is slightly disappointing in the ever so diluted music scene. ‘Closure’ is a synth fuelled head slammer, whilst ‘A Lesson Never Learned’ is a fast paced manic tune, with some excellent guitar work and steady bass lines. ‘To The Stage’ contains a nice mix of soft and harsh vocals, with nice melody alongside it. Following spoken interlude ‘Dedication’ comes ‘Someone, Somewhere’ a slightly lighter effort, more aligned to a pop-punk influence than hardcore. There’s even a nice guitar solo in there; definitely a more mature rock based track, a nice (if somewhat obscure) side-step from the breakdowns and screaming. Whilst the initial opinion of this album may have been that it is a step in the right direction from ‘Stand Up And Scream’, it seems that from ‘Breathless’ onwards, it’s more of the same which is slightly disappointing considering the standard which has been displayed. The synth used in ‘Morte et Dabo’ as well as the fast pace and higher vocal pitch however, save the final handful of songs. All in all, a band fond of their breakdowns but Asking Alexandria are good at what they do. Sadly, though, it’s still nothing groundbreaking…yet.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Sumerian

Album

RECKLESS & RELENTLESS

Review by Siobhan Hogarty

RUNNING TIME:

42:25

RELEASE DATE:

4th April 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Welcome; 2) Dear Insanity
3) Closure
4) A Lesson Never Learned
5) To the Stage; 6) Dedication
7) Someone, Somewhere
8) Breathless
9) The Match
10) Another Bottle Down
11) Reckless & Relentless
12) Morte et Dabo

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"All in all, a band fond of their breakdowns but Asking Alexandria are good at what they do. Sadly, though, it’s still nothing groundbreaking…yet."