Band: Asking Alexandria
Album: Like A House on Fire
VÖ: 15.05.2020
Label/Vertrieb: Sumerian Records / ADA Warner
Website: https://www.askingalexandria.com/
The rockiest road reaps the richest rewards.
It also makes for the best stories…
Since 2008, Asking Alexandria have paved a path of their own, distilling danger and excess into an equally dangerous hybrid of stadium rock ambition, metallic energy, and electronic ecstasy. Against all odds, they achieved unprecedented success earmarked by two gold-certified singles (namely, “Final Episode (Let’s Change The Channel)” and “Not The American Average”), over a billion cumulative streams and views, and three consecutive top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200—Reckless & Relentless [2011], From Death to Destiny [2013], and The Black [2016]. In addition to headlining packed gigs on five continents, they destroyed stages alongside Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Alice In Chains, and Slipknot, to name a few. Meanwhile, 2017’s self-titled Asking Alexandria spawned two of the group’s biggest singles to date: “Alone In A Room” (40 million Spotify streams) and “Into the Fire” (30 million Spotify streams).
Fanning the flame like never before, the quintet—Ben Bruce [guitar, backing vocals], Danny Worsnop [lead vocals], James Cassells [drums], Cameron Liddell [guitar], and Sam Bettley [bass]—burn even brighter on their 2020 sixth full-length, Like A House On Fire [Sumerian Records].
“We don’t take the easy road,” exclaims Ben. “We take the difficult road that leads to something spectacular. That’s how we’ve always been. When we were kids, we moved to America with no money and lived in a carpark to make this happen. Obviously, we’ve had a turbulent past and history, from drugs and alcohol to Danny’s departure and return. So, it feels like every album we hear the same thing, ‘You guys need to prove yourselves again!’ We spent ten years growing the most insane fan base though. We did this album for us and our fans. That’s it. We’re still here. We’re not going anywhere. We don’t have anything to prove. This time, we said, ‘Fuck you. We’re doing this our way’.”
Throughout 2019, the musicians did just that. In between a high-profile arena tour supporting Shinedown and a direct support slot on the road with Papa Roach, they recorded with Asking Alexandria producer Matt Good [Hollywood Undead, From First To Last] once more. The intermittent sessions allowed them to tap into the energy of touring.
“We don’t like to just go to the studio for four weeks and make a record anymore,” Ben elaborates. “We write on a whim. Since we were playing in front of these great crowds, what people go to a rock show for was fresh in our minds. They’re there to forget about their worries and have a good time. We brought the energy from the stage straight back into the studio. We found our footing on the last record. Now, we could make something special.”
The opening track “House On Fire” introduces this chapter with a bang. Worsnop struts through stark verses towards a swaggering bridge. A sweeping and soaring chant takes hold on the chorus as guitars rage in the background.
“Instead of dwelling on the past, the song is about what we’ve got going on now and what we’re sharing,” the guitarist continues. “This band is getting on like a house on fire right now. The album is the most fun we’ve had since Stand Up and Scream. We’re at the top of our game. Greatness arises from the ashes. This is a self-realization. We’ve had ups and downs. We could’ve ruined everything with drugs. We had nowhere to go but rebuild. It’s a reminder not to get in your own way, believe in yourself, and follow your own path.”
A ticking clock sets off “They Don't Want What We Want (And They Don't Care)” as Danny’s screams seesaw back-and-forth with guttural guitars. The music capitalizes on caustic intensity. Ben adds, “It’s about following your own dreams even when other people try to steer you in a different direction.”
On “Antisocialist,” hypnotic electronics pulsate through thick distortion. Airy verses give way to a warning from frontman, “Please stay away from me, ‘cause I don’t fucking like you.” At its heart, the song raises “a massive middle finger in the air,” according to Ben.
Handclaps and piano entwine in vulnerable harmony during “I Don’t Need You” [feat. Grace Grundy]. Amidst this backdrop, Danny’s voice takes flight to unparalleled heights as Grace balances his grit with a soulful and spirited counterpoint. Ben goes on, “It’s a beautiful song, because you hear both sides of a relationship. It tugs on the heartstrings for anyone who has been through a nasty breakup.”
By blazing their own trail, Asking Alexandria might ultimately encourage others to do the same.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care who you are, no one wants to be told what to do , where to go, what to think, or what job to have,” he leaves off. “Everyone wants to live life to the fullest. The album touches on that. We wrote the record we wanted to write and had a fucking blast doing it. I hope this can be inspiring. We’re brothers playing for our lives. That doesn’t go away. It can get bigger or smaller, but we’re here forever. We’re super thankful.”
Infos zum vorherigen Album:
Band: Asking Alexandria
Album: s/t
VÖ: 15.12.2017
Label: Sumerian Records / ADA Warner
Website: www.askingalexandria.com
Rock is dead? That’s fake news. Asking Alexandria is all the evidence we need.
ASKING ALEXANDRIA, alive with vibrant potency and empowering authenticity, stand in joyous defiance of the tired cynicism that would declare the death of rock.
Asking Alexandria have earned a place among the most streamed, downloaded, watched, and altogether listened to bands in a generation, combining the innovation of modern active rock with the traditional attitude of the culture’s trailblazers.
No matter what the pundits proclaim, clearly the real fans are onto something else. The social media accounts representing Danny Worsnop (vocals), Ben Bruce (guitar), Cameron Liddell (guitar), Sam Bettley (bass), James Cassells (drums), and the band overall constitute a combined follower count well over 10 million strong.
They’ve shared the stage with Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Alice In Chains, and Avenged Sevenfold; toured in support of Slipknot, Korn and Bullet For My Valentine; co-headlined with Black Veil Brides; joined Warped Tour and Rockstar Mayhem; played every major rock festival in the world; and headlined sold out theater tours.
Asking Anthems “The Final Episode” and “Not the American Average” were both certified gold by the RIAA for single sales in excess of 500,000 each. The music videos for those two singles alone amassed over 100 million views on YouTube. “The Death of Me,” “Moving On,” and “A Prophecy” together account for over 100 million more. The videos from The Black were viewed 70 million times.
The amount of ink spilled in cover stories splashed across Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, Alternative Press, Revolver; the massive plays on satellite and an increasing number of terrestrial radio stations; the number of Tumblr blogs, Reddit threads, and Snapchat stories revolving around the band’s antics; all of it tells a story about passion, dedication, and what’s possible when destiny beats back death.
Made with producer Matt Good, Asking Alexandria’s self-titled fifth album is an unbridled celebration of acceptance, of the strength of diversity and the freedom of “leaning into the crazy” (as Worsnop puts it), instead of struggling for conformity.
“I’ve been away a little while,” Worsnop sings in “Alone in a Room,” with the kind of urgency, reflection, self-confession, and authenticity the band’s fans have come to rely upon. Tracks like “Hopelessly Hopeful” and “Rise Up” follow suit, traveling through powerful extremes of big verses and bigger choruses, with confident force.
The hard rock, heavy metal, post-grunge, punk angst, and stadium worthy grandeur that has become Asking Alexandria’s signature sound remained in full effect on The Black, which featured a replacement vocalist yet maintained a connection to diverse rock audiences weaned on everything from Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold to Van Halen and Guns N’ Roses, while giving Asking Alexandria another Top 10 US debut.
The five albums in the Asking Alexandria catalog are chapters in an ever-evolving tale of devastation, renewal, and survival. Scrappy upstarts surviving on Ramen noodles and booze in an RV parked outside a Walmart made the modern metalcore classic Stand Up and Scream (2009), surpassed in bravado and ambition by the melodic and chaotic fury of Reckless & Relentless (2011) and the career-redefining From Death to Destiny (2013), which shot to #1 on the Rock and Metal charts in the U.K. and cracked the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 in the United States upon its release.
The band’s fifth and most incendiary album marks the full-length return of the underground’s own Mick n’ Keith, Axl n’ Slash, Roth n’ Hagar; the long-awaited recorded reunion of this generation’s own toxic twins, Worsnop and Bruce. They’ve been mates since their teens. Every bit of history, swagger, and tumult is brilliantly mined to full throttle extent on the band’s most ambitious album yet. The record boils with the unique combustible chemistry all five of them share. By the same turn, it is tangibly shot through with newfound freedom, camaraderie, and revelry.
Asking Alexandria comes full circle with a new lease on life that’s respectful of their past while charging forward into the future, reverent of the prominence the band maintains in each of their lives while allowing breathing room for its members.
The endurance of the greatest British band to call the United States home is testament to the strength of timeless perseverance and stamina. These five young men are proud torchbearers, leading a worldwide audience whose devotion demonstrates a simple truth revered by generations of fans: nevermind the bollocks.
“Into the Fire” offers a beautifully combative, contradictory, and unrelentingly powerful message to the true believers who have stood by this band through thick and thin. “I wouldn’t take back a moment / Not one miserable moment / I’ll give it all ‘till there’s nothing left,” Worsnop sings. It’s most assuredly a genuine promise.
ASKING ALEXANDRIA are:
Danny Worsnop – Vocals
Ben Bruce – Lead Guitar
Cameron Liddell – Rhythm Guitar
Sam Bettley – Bass
James Cassells – Drums
