Asking Alexandria - The Black (2016)Release ID: 20384

Asking Alexandria - The Black (2016) Cover
Shadowdoom9 (Andi) Shadowdoom9 (Andi) / July 26, 2020 / Comments 0 / 0

Change can be jarring, and the only way to feel comfortable with the change is to be able to understand the band's ideal vision. Throughout most of Asking Alexandria's career they've had singer Danny Worsnop by their side, but in 2015, Worsnop took a one-year break right before they were ready to record another album. Fortunately, the band found an easy one-off replacement, Denis Stoff, known for covering many of the band's songs. This was a different era for the band...

If you're one of those metal elitists who think Asking Alexandria is not "real" metal, then I suggest not proceeding to this review. The open-minded can read on. Whether you like the band or not, they've raised the flag for the larger younger metal audience.

Track #1 "Let It Sleep" blasts right in with pummeling riffs and high-gear drums, all head together by dense production. The title track continues the killer components while having a brilliantly catchy chorus which has vocals by guitarist Ben Bruce while still displaying Stoff's vocals nonetheless. The dark ages of the band's career are translated into "I Won’t Give In" with defiant choruses. The unorthodox "Sometimes It Ends" has sampled extracts from Ben Bruce's interview about Worsnop's temporary departure.

The symphonic "The Lost Souls" has perfectly delicate reflections of the band's past. The notably Attila-esque "Just a Slave to Rock n' Roll" doesn't sit very well. Symphonic anthem "Send Me Home" can please the crowd with chants that should work well live. "We'll Be OK" has charging riffs to the delight of long-time fans of their earlier material.

"Here I Am" sees the band trying a less heavy power ballad where the chorus is hook-laden even at its most distorted. Another ballad "Gone" is a solo song by Ben Bruce with only his vocals and synthesizers. The growling and aggression continues its triumphant quest in the vicious "Undivided". The closing "Circled by the Wolves" continues the breath-taking energy once more as a final farewell to the band's metalcore that they would drop for the most part in the next album.

A band's members departure can be difficult to get used to. With temporary singer Denis Stoff, The Black is a quite different album staring into adversity. The Black may be bleak from the band's cathartic period, but it reminds of anything that can go wrong, kinda like Murphy's Law. The songs are well-written enough to keep fans hooked and allow the band to keep rising. Stoff has pleased over thousands of fans in his first concert with the band, and this album would please many more. Asking Alexandria might not be for everyone, but their undeniable passion is still put into their catchy songs. The Black is a fresh destiny!

Favorites: "Let It Sleep", "The Black", "The Lost Souls", "Send Me Home", "We'll Be OK", "Circled by the Wolves"

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Release info

Release Site Rating

Ratings: 2 | Reviews: 1

2.8

Release Clan Rating

Ratings: 2 | Reviews: 1

2.8

Cover Site Rating

Ratings: 2

3.5

Cover Clan Rating

Ratings: 1

4.5
Release
The Black
Year
2016
Format
Album
Clans
The Revolution
Genres
Metalcore
Sub-Genres

Metalcore (conventional)

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