Reckless and relentless --- Asking Alexandria --- 2011 (Sumerian)
A band formed in Dubai in, uh, sometime before 2008, they reformed -- that is to say, re-formed not reunited: this is a new band with only the founder Ben Bruce remaining from the original lineup, and he is at pains apparently to make it clear this is NOT the same band --- back in good old Blightly in 2008 and have so far released three albums, the most recent of which came out this year. They're described as both Metalcore and Electronicore, which is intriguing if not a little confusing. Let's see if we can solve the mystery.
With a sound like marimba or vibraphone or something, "Welcome" is a short, gothic-sounding little instrumental moving at mid-pace with what sounds like strings of some sort, but of course it's an introduction to the album and things get going properly with "Dear insanity". The guitars are hard, the drumming powerful, the pace pretty frenetic and the vocals, well, completley indecipherable, somewhere between a scream and a growl, sometimes with both. Oh, and then clean vocals too, so that I can at least hear that the guy can sing. Whether this is the same guy singing all the vocals or not I don't know: Danny Worsnop, who also plays the synths, seems to be the main vocalist with Bruce providing backing, so maybe it's he that's growling and/or screaming?
As ever, it's a pity because when the vocals are sung properly the songs seem quite decent, but when those growls, howls, screams and roars cut in it just ruins it for me. Yes I know: don't you have a pretty dress to put on?
Look, I just hate vocals I can't make out, all right? "Closure" starts out with sort of an industrial, mechanical feel on the synth, hard churning guitars and more growls, though my copy says Ben Bruce takes the main vocal here. Doesn't sound that much different I have to say. Lots of power, anger and energy with some fine guitar riffs and a sense that this could be almost commercial if it wasn't for the, ah, unorthodox vocals.
Beautiful atmospheric synth with bubbly sparkly keys jumping along it and a drumbeat that would surely be more comfortable in a trance or techno record --- guess this is where the "electronicore" tag comes in --- which makes it a little confusing as to whether this band can really be taken to be metal at all. "A lesson never learned" has some very orchestral synth, and too much ragged growling for my liking, but quite a decent hook, with a sort of vocoder part that wouldn't be out of place in a song by one of these modern boybands. Wow. Confusing it certainly is.
That confusion grows with the onset of "To the stage", which has so many different elements in it that it's just hard to pin down, and then "Dedication" is, well exactly that: a spoken dedication backed by a heavy synth line and slow thumping percussion. Short, but it's actually very good. It's some guy called James Murray speaking. Then "Someone, somewhere" is a good rocker with still quite a bit of electro in it, and "Breathless" kicks up the tempo a little more. Ah yes, there are the growls. Why don't these guys just get a job on "Dr. Who" and be done with it?
Growls and vocals kick off "The match", with a galloping drumbeat, then it slows down into something of a --- well, not quite a grinder, but slower certainly. Uh, yeah. Then it speeds up again and kind of metamorphoses into a trance track? Um. Great metal guitar work as "Another bottle down" gets going, then it goes into a kind of indie/post-rock vibe, throw in some orchestral synth and neoclassical piano, and I'm just about swamped by influences here. Powering on into the title track which has a good rock/metal feel though a little too much screaming and "Whoa-oh-oh!"s for me, to finish on "Morte et dabo", which goes all gothic again, with a choir opening it then descending into a breakneck metal track with screaming, growling and shouting. Yeah, okay: I'm done.
TRACKLISTING
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 and relentless
12. Morte et dabo
Problem as I see it with this band is that they're trying to be all things to all men. Maybe they have a huge following, but to me the mix of electronic, pop, rock, metal, punk, indie, gothic, semi-classical and even more is just too bewildering to sort out. I mean, in the same song they're singing like a boyband, blasting beats and screaming and yelling then bringing in a choir! It's just too much for this girl's brain. Maybe I'll just go try on that dress after all. Maybe I don't have what it takes to sort it out and enjoy them, which is a pity because behind all the growls and screams and the confusion over genre influences I think there's a pretty decent band there.
It's just not worth all the time and effort digging down through the crap to get to the gold, in my opinion.
Read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asking_Alexandria