Asking Alexandria - Asking Alexandria

The Guardian 60

(Sumerian)

Metal bands sometimes seem to behave like Premier League clubs, swapping members at will, condemning each other then being the best of friends. So think of Asking Alexandria as like Chelsea, and singer Danny Worsnop as their José Mourinho – back at the helm after what had seemed to be a not terribly amicable departure three years ago.

The York quintet are the model of an If-You-Like-This-Sort-of-Thing band – huge, monolithic sheets of sound, precision-tooled to get large crowds putting their hands in the air. The formula is shaken up – a furious Slipknot-esque break is put in the middle of Into the Air; Hopelessly Hopeful and When the Lights Come On dial down the metal and ramp up the pop – but you’re never more than a couple of minutes away from some preposterous chorus. It doesn’t sound like Def Leppard, but it is reminiscent of that band’s willingness to smooth off metal’s rough edges and boost the melodies.