Asking Alexandria (album)

Asking Alexandria is the sixth studio album by English rock band Asking Alexandria.^[2] It was released on 15 December 2017 through Sumerian Records. This is their first album since the return of original lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, as well as their first album working with producers Matt Good and Jonathan Davis instead of longtime producer Joey Sturgis. It also marks the group's slight departure from their heavier metalcore roots and towards a more straight forward and melodic hard rock sound.^[3] On 27 December 2019, the deluxe version of the album titled LP5 DLX was released.^[4]

Asking Alexandria
Studio album by Asking Alexandria
Released	15 December 2017
Recorded	2017
Studio	Good Sounds Studio, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.[1]
Genre	Hard rock metalcore post-hardcore
Length	44:07
Label	Sumerian
Producer	Matt Good Jonathan Davis
Asking Alexandria chronology
The Black (2016) Asking Alexandria (2017) Like a House on Fire (2020)
Singles from Asking Alexandria
"Into the Fire" Released: 21 September 2017 "Where Did It Go?" Released: 25 October 2017 "Alone in a Room" Released: 25 May 2018 "Vultures" Released: 15 December 2018

Composition

Style

This album has been described as hard rock,^[5][6][7] metalcore,^[1][7] and post-hardcore,^[1] with elements of pop.^[8]

Release and promotion

On 21 September 2017, the band released the lead single "Into the Fire" from the album.^[9][10] The band released a second single from the album, entitled "Where Did It Go?", on 25 October 2017.^[11] On 25 May 2018, the band released the third single "Alone in a Room" alongside an accompanying lyric video.^[12] On 15 December, the band released their fourth single "Vultures" and its corresponding animated music video.^[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Guardian	[8]
Louder Sound	[15]

Asking Alexandria received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 73 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[14] AllMusic gave the album a positive review saying, "Overall, Asking Alexandria is a worthy return from the classic lineup, retaining the best aspects of its past and taking steps into its future. Regardless of a stumble or two, Asking Alexandria is well worth a listen. While The Black was a passable offering at a time when it seemed like it would be a permanent arrangement, this reunion simply feels right."^[1]

Michacel Hann at The Guardian stating, "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."^[8] Louder Sound gave the album a positive review and stated: "Ultimately, then, Asking Alexandria isn't a throwback or a sidestep – it's a whole new animal, and it's gonna need a bigger zoo."^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Alone in a Room"	Danny Worsnop, Ben Bruce, Matt Good	4:05
2.	"Into the Fire"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, James Cassells	3:57
3.	"Hopelessly Hopeful"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	3:13
4.	"Where Did It Go?"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:13
5.	"Rise Up"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:07
6.	"When the Lights Come On"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	3:23
7.	"Under Denver"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	4:05
8.	"Vultures"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:28
9.	"Eve"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	3:58
10.	"I Am One"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:32
11.	"Empire" (featuring Bingx)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells, Chanler Hendrickson	4:16
12.	"Room 138"	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	3:44
Total length:			44:07

Hidden track^[16]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Into the Fire" (radio edit) / "Xplicit" (latter starts at 3:30 into the track)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	5:40
Total length:			49:47

LP5 DLX^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Into the Fire" (radio edit)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good, Cassells	3:30
14.	"Vultures" (rock version)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:26
15.	"Where Did It Go?" (Hyro the Hero mash-up)	Worsnop, Bruce, Hyron Fenton	2:17
16.	"Perfect" (Ed Sheeran cover; live from Sirius XM)	Ed Sheeran	4:31
17.	"Rise Up" (original demo)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:19
18.	"Alone in a Room" (acoustic)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	4:25
19.	"Alone in a Room" (Dex Luthor remix)	Worsnop, Bruce, Good	3:17
Total length:			68:00

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[1]

Asking Alexandria Danny Worsnop – lead vocals, additional guitar Ben Bruce – lead guitar, backing vocals, vocals on track 11 Cameron Liddell – rhythm guitar Sam Bettley – bass James Cassells – drums Additional musicians Bingx – guest vocals on track 11 Hyro the Hero – guest vocals on track 15

Additional personnel Matt Good – production, engineering, keyboards, programming Jonathan Davis – production Will Beasley and Ryan Daminson – engineering Taylor Larson – mixing Ted Jensen – mastering Don Sepulveda – management Ash Avildsen and Nick Walters – A&R Daniel McBride – artwork, layout Sanjay Parikh – band photo Steven Contreras – photography

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17]	53
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18]	53
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19]	71
Latvian Albums (LaIPA)[20]	93
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[21]	5
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22]	200
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	63
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	86
US Billboard 200[25]	27