Список групп Metalcore Asking Alexandria Reckless & Relentless

Reckless and Relentless is Asking Alexandria’s third studio album which was released in 2011. In the “core” genre, Asking Alexandria is considered to be one of the giants that dominate the genre. And for good reason, not many post-hardcore bands out there today can match these guys in terms of innovation. Their album Stand Up and Scream was one of the greatest post-hardcore albums to come out from the last decade. It was heavy, emotional and energetic, which is what every single core fan could have wanted in an album. Now the question remains, how does this album compare to Stand Up and Scream?

Asking Alexandria a one of the biggest if not, the biggest “core” band in the 21st century. Many people would agree that these guys blow all the competition out of the water and this is the main reason why these guys are mainstream. Their album Stand Up and Scream is arguably their signature album and is the one that is responsible for all this success and many people were wondering how this would stand up against their 2009 album. To say in short, it is pretty good, but Stand Up and Scream was much better.

The most evident difference between Stand Up and Scream and this album is the song writing and structure. For some reason, the song writing wasn’t as clean as what we saw in Stand Up and Scream. It is good to see the foundation of their music still there and that was the scheme/patten of the tracks which went repeated from unmelodic and screaming to and melodic with clean vocals. This is what Asking Alexandria does well and it is great to see (hear) that they have kept this vital part to their music.

There is a lot more emotion going on in their music, and I’m not sure if this is the product of them easing back. And another thing I’m not sure is weather the fans who enjoyed the heavier side to their music will welcome the change. Either way they have changed the vocals according to their music. They have utilized a lot more clean vocals and the screams are more of a generic style of fry scream.

I think that biggest thing that has suffered in their music would have to be their song writing. Stand Up and Scream was commended for it’s song writing and it was this that made it so successful. Now for some reason, it isn’t as polished or as well rounded. The transitions are rough and aren’t as subtle. Also, the structure of the music is a lot less organised and feels like has just been thrown in random places and I don’t think that it should sound like this. I think that less care music have been taken with the creation of the song structure because there would have to be no other reason for this. But don’t get me wrong though, the wrong writing might be a little dirty, but it’s not a mess and it still surpasses what many bands put out today.

I’m not sure if this is just me, but they have seemed to have “eased back” a little from their last album. They used to have a crazy combination of super heavy breakdowns and deathcore style riffs. Now, the music doesn’t seem as filling or as satisfying as before. The heavy atmosphere that was apparent in Stand Up and Scream has almost completely vanished, although there are a couple of snapshots or blasts from the past that can be scavenged from the music. But the music is nowhere near as heavy or satisfying as before.

Another and final aspect to their music which I thought withstood the test of time are the vocals. There is no doubt that Asking Alexandria has some of the best vocals out of whole “core” scene. The combination of extremely deep, gutturally deathcore style growls and beautiful clean vocals works really well together and coincides with their music. So yeah, fans can be relieved that these are still there. The clean vocals still have that “juvenile” feel to them, these guys aren’t old so I think these guys still have a few miles on their vocals. Although I did pick up something a little intriguing with the clean vocals. There are times where I thought that the vocals sounded like OLiver Sykes’s (Bring Me The Horizon) vocals in his second album Suicide Season. For all who don’t know, the vocals on Suicide Season were a lot different from Bring Me The Horizon’s debut album Count Your Blessings. This was due to the lead singer (OLiver Sykes) having issues with his vocals. Now, because I’ve heard little snapshots here, I’m a little worried that this could be the last time that we hear his amazing voice. I hope not…

Overall, I’m not sure if Reckless And Relentless has stood up to everyone’s expectations. But people need to understand that Stand Up and Scream was one of the best post-hardcore albums ever and to top and progress from like that is bloody hard to do. Although there might have been a little hints of progression in their music from their last album, I don’t think that this will turn as may heads a before. I think that this album isn’t something to be disappointed about because it is something that Asking Alexandria should be proud of. This is still a respectable album which I recommend to all “core” fans out there and this is something that every single Asking Alexandria fan should have a go at. I would also like to recommend the track To the Stage because it is the track that I think seals the deal as far as this album is concerned. But for people who would like more “emotion” in the music, you cannot go past the track Someone, Somewhere because there aren’t any screamed/distorted vocals in this track. Also, have a go at listening to the track before Someone, Somewhere… Dedication because who know, it could spark some extra emotion. Overall, this is still a highly respectable album and carries on Asking Alexandria’s important traditions. I give this a 15/20.