REVIEW: Asking Alexandria – ‘From Death To Destiny’

Artist: Asking Alexandria
Album: From Death To Destiny
Genre: Metal
Label: Sumerian Records

I have been a fan of Asking Alexandria for a long time. People tend to love or hate them, and I can definitely say that I love them. They’ve been going through a lot of changes over the years, and their music has always been a reflection of who they are. From Death To Destiny is no exception, and anyone who’s listened to their music before can tell they sound more mature than their last album.

I was a huge fan of Reckless And Relentless; it wasn’t what I expected, or even hoped for as the follow-up to Stand Up And Scream, but I liked it for what it was. I even put it on my top 10 list for 2011. I heard the band was working on a new album, and I couldn’t wait to hear more about it. I read or heard somewhere that the band was going to make their new album more “radio friendly,” and that confused me a bit at first. Were they intentionally trying to make radio friendly music? Is this a sign that the band is growing up, or does it mean they are growing to be that much more commercialized? Is this about money or music? All of these questions have been running through my head since I heard that statement.

From Death To Destiny opens up with “Don’t Pray For Me.” You can immediately hear the rock/old school metal influence. Danny’s voice has changed over the years, and his raspy singing voice fits perfectly. They focus a lot more on the intricate guitar parts, and that’s what really makes this album feel like it came from the 80s. Well, parts of it anyway.

“The Death Of Me” is easily the best song on the album. It’s one of the heaviest tracks, but the clean vocals are plenty, and they sound great for this particular track. If every song was set up like this one, they’d have a great album. After that, there really aren’t that many tracks that stand out. Though the next track, “Killing You,” is a catchy and well-written song, they could have done without the intro, or at least changed it a bit. It does not fit well with the rest of the song.

“White Line Fever” has a little bit more of the old AA feel to it. While the beat itself sounds like a typical metal song, the lyrics are really what makes it stand out. I’ve got a white line fever with an appetite for sin // If there’s a black hole headed for hell, then baby count me in. These guys know how to write some clever hooks, there’s no doubt about that.

When it’s all said and done, there are only a handful of really good songs. Though the guitar parts are expertly played, this just sounds like a generic metal album. There’s no doubt that Danny and Ben have great singing voices, even with the vocal problems Danny’s had and his on and off issues with alcoholism. That man can sing. I don’t think this is a bad album, and I can’t hate a band for developing their sound. We can’t except them to stay the same forever, if they did, we’d hate that too.

I’d like to think the band is growing, and that’s why they’ve taken their new album in this direction. If you like the idea of Asking Alexandria toning their sound down a bit, and dig that old school metal sound mixed with new school electronic/metalcore, then you will love this album. If you want more of Reckless And Relentless then I don’t recommend picking up From Death To Destiny.

SCORE: 7.0
Review written by Kriston McConnell

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7 Responses to “REVIEW: Asking Alexandria – ‘From Death To Destiny’”

  1. Gunnar Graver says:

    Fantastic album. White line fever is easily the best song, but that is my opinion;)

  2. JKautz89 says:

    I really dont like this album. They pulled an A7X after danny screwed up his vocal chords. He doesnt have the range he used to and it seems they just used that as an excuse to be more “radio friendly”. Well on the other hand, if they wanted to sound like a radio butt rock band they did a damn good job. Id give the album a 2/10 and thats being generous.

  3. Kriston McConnell says:

    I definitely agree with the vocal chords part. He didn’t take care of himself, and his alleged alcoholism hasn’t helped I’m sure. I don’t like it, but it has some great parts to it and there are a couple of songs that are worth listening to. Overall though it’s not the same, and they probably won’t ever be the same again. I think they’re heading for a short career if they continue on their path.

  4. Kriston McConnell says:

    I like the song, it’s definitely catchy. I wish more of the songs on the album had the same sort of sound to them. That track or “The Death Of Me.”

  5. JKautz89 says:

    I wouldnt say it was alleged, more like a fact. Ive seen him perform more completely piss drunk than sober and he had a bad nose candy problem too which makes things worse. I will admit there are a couple songs that I could listen to again that were catchy but I really dislike much of this new album.

  6. Kriston McConnell says:

    Yeah I’ve seen him piss drunk too. It was pretty bad. Very disappointing to see as a fan.

  7. JKautz89 says:

    Yeah, its really bad considering how good they sound when he’s coherent.