Asking Alexandria Gives Its All

Out of the gates York, England's Asking Alexandria unloads a psychotic barrage of heady metalcore hooks. Luckily we don't get to the Cookie Monster vocals in "I Won't Give In" until we've hit the 3 minute mark. Denis Stoff surprises with how melodic his pipes really are. Not only that he wrenches as much life out of the drama as he can possibly muster up. Sam Bettley cooks up bass to its finest froth. It's no small reason why the opening installment of the song brings inferno sized fire. What a knockout attention grabber. James Cassells lets his presence be known also. That's not faint of heart drumming he's hinting at. There's this true sense that, if ever there was a recording session where he'd be pre-programmed to sail right off the rocky ledge then here's that example. Ben's despair proves sinking Hindenburg weighty. How could it not with opening lyrics like "With every breath you take I watch you slip away. You're slowly killing yourself. Asking Alexandria demonstrates it's adept at not letting Cookie Monster overshadow the raw emotion that doesn't need hyperactivity to make its mark. Ben's got brass in spades. He asks those uncomfortable hard to reach questions. One fine Exhibit A would be "If my soul was torn, would you help? Would you try and fix me? Would you help un-break me?" You get room to breathe during much of the song. That's a nice plus. Allows the instrumentation to shine through on multiple levels. The keyboards glisten resoundingly, like pixies sprinkling just enough magic dust to illuminate the song's core messages. Cameron Liddell comes to the action armed for bear with a rhythm guitar that's locked in on the unrelenting setting. This track gives us a video demonstrating how much the gents love tattoos, not to mention the rapid-fire pace their lives run on. Somehow allowing the ton of bricks to fall on you delivers a sick satisfaction that tamer bands would not allow to come to fruition. How best to describe Ben's conflicted head. As he wails "You're slowly killing yourself, you gather that the hurt doesn't die off easily. You'd like to be at that same bedside as he is, keeping him from letting the darkness assume a permanent posture. James yields the floor to Ben after his eye-opening salvo. If intensity serves as the true measure of a band's worth, Asking Alexandria elevates itself to priceless scale. The band can surely milk definite market value out of the chorus. It's hinted at from square one. You see the unity in video form, the band getting ready for a show, then letting it rip after the boys hit the stage. Also, they can mix high power and dialed back equally well. From what the video demonstrates Asking Alexandria has a substantial following that voices its unanimous approval at song's closure. "I Won't Give In" gives metalcore fans everything they could possibly desire, then adds a dollop extra to ensure what you taste is every bit as delicious as it sounds.