Title: The Black
Artist: Asking Alexandria
Genre: Metalcore
Year: 2016
Now I know, if you want to torture me lock me in a room for 24hrs while playing this album on a loop. Don’t leave me with anything sharp because I’m sure I would end myself within the first hour.
It genuinely feels like Asking Alexandria has an identity crisis now. They might as well have just losed the name and called themselves Hand Like Houses 2.0 (or some other Rise/Fearless Records bands’ name). Not one song stands out, except for Sometimes It Ends which stands out for negative reasons. This album is filled with the most boring, predictable electronics. The implementation of group vocals just feels forced and overdone. When Bring Me The Horizon does them it is tasty but when Asking Alexandria does them it just sounds misplaced because it so uninspired and generic. And that is the other thing, it is like they saw the success of Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album and went, “If we do that too we will sell. Kids today just want a bunch of electronics, processed vocals and group vocals layered on some shit.” They wouldn’t be awfully wrong, but that is not the point. The point is that a band that could have potentially been one of the best has melted into the mold of mediocrity.
Then there is Denis’ vocals. I’m not comparing him to Danny, I am just saying his singing and screaming doesn’t bring much to the table. It struggles to carry a wider array of emotions efficiently. If you aren’t paying attention he sounds like he is singing one long song. It is underwhelming, to say the least. He isn’t a bad singer, don’t get me wrong, it is just that the execution here couldn’t have been more generic.
In short, The Black is a generic album that you going have to buy for your teenage boy/girl because it is what is cool now and everyone loves it.
To clarify
I wasn’t implying that Rise/Fearless Records bands suck. I have my favorites like The Color Moral and Dangerkids.
Secondly, when Bring me The Horizon changed their sound it was actually good. Granted, it was disappointing in the sense that it didn’t sound like them but it was still musically clever. Not deathcore/metalcore but still great.
For the record, Danny is just a better singer. I did not compare them in the review but here I am. Denis is stagnant, Danny is dynamic. Danny has the ability to sound like a dragon breathing fire and the next second make your heartache like Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart then when he is done inspire you like Journey. He is a talent. It sucks he had to leave.
Thanks for reading
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