Since 2009, Asking Alexandria has undoubtedly become one of the most popular metalcore bands of its generation. With their debut album, “Stand Up and Scream,” released in September 2009, AA skyrocketed in terms of popularity. The band released an EP titled “Life Gone Wild” this past December, and to be honest, I think it had the opposite effect of their debut album.
The 6-song record starts off with two Skid Row covers: “Youth Gone Wild” and “18 And Life.” I was very disappointed with these two tracks. Fans like to hear bands cover songs because they want to hear old hits with modern twists. Both of these covers sound like vocalist Danny Worsnop sang karaoke to a Skid Row instrumental track. There is no difference between the original and the cover: no added drum fills, no breakdowns and no heavy vocals. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for Skid Row, and I am not saying that the original songs were bad. I am disappointed, however, that AA did not add any of their own “flare” at all.
The next two tracks are AA’s attempt at remixing two of their hits from “Stand Up and Scream” into dubstep. The first song is a remix of “A Single Moment of Sincerity,” which is arguably the most popular song on the band’s first album. While the intro to the song was pretty catchy, the rest of the song got really old really quick. I only made it through the whole song once without pressing the next button.
The next “remix” is more of a drum and bass remix than it is dubstep. The track is based on the song “Not The American Average,” one of my favorite songs off the first record. The remix, however, was a real letdown. The remix was based solely on one small section of the original song. This track also got old really fast because all you hear is the same 30 second clip remixed over and over again.
The next song on the EP makes no sense to me at all. “I Was Once Possibly, Maybe Perhaps a Cowboy King” was another one of my favorite songs on “Stand Up and Scream.” It combined some awesome breakdowns along with Worsnop’s iconic vocals and even a synth riff. I’m not sure who decided this was a good idea, but track 5 on this EP is the demo version of “Cowboy King.”
Music fans like to hear demos of their favorite songs because they want to see how far the artist/band has come since writing it. This “demo,” however, was exactly the same as the finished track. Other than the quality of the song, which sounds like it was recorded in a garage, there is no difference from the track on “Stand Up and Scream.” Every instrument part is the same. I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea, but this song seems like it was only put in as a filler.
The final track of the EP is a preview to AA’s sophomore album, “Reckless and Relentless,” which will be dropping in April. The song, called “Breathless,” has both good and bad qualities.
This song sounds similar to the tracks on “Stand Up and Scream,” which shows that the new upcoming album will not be very far off from the first. The chorus is very catchy, but the vocals are not what I was expecting.
One of the best things about “Stand Up and Scream” was Worsnop’s vocals. The voice that fans once described as “legendary” seems to be dying out. Worsnop recorded “Stand Up and Scream” with full, skilled vocals and an amazing range of high and low screams. When you listen to “Breathless,” you hear nothing but low screams that get old after the first verse.
Aside from the vocals, the song itself is pretty good and has one of the best breakdowns I’ve ever heard. I can only hope that “Reckless and Relentless” will have the same instrumental quality with less monotonous vocals.
After a year of success in their first album, tours and music videos, Asking Alexandria seems to have really let their fans down with the release of “Life Gone Wild EP.” The record earns a 1 out of 5 for the sole reason that “Breathless” saved it from a 0.
While this EP may have been a dud in my book, I still have not lost faith in AA. I’m hoping that the upcoming full-length “Reckless and Relentless” will be as iconic as the first, and hopefully it will make-up for this EP. Until then, AA will be releasing a remixed version of “Stand Up and Scream” called “Stepped Up and Scratched,” in March.
Check out Asking Alexandria on MySpace and iTunes, and be on the lookout for “Reckless and Relentless,” which will be released and reviewed in April.
