The British are coming, the British are coming! Indeed they are, and with full guns blazing. With Bullet For My Valentine’s recent revival, While She Sleeps’ massive album drop and now Asking Alexandria’s rebound, the UK is certainly seeing a massive amount of hype currently.
The hype surrounding Asking Alexandria’s announcement that would reveal their new vocalist has been an event so tense that you could cut the nerves felt through a computer screen with a virtual knife. For weeks fans clamored and worried that their favorite band would simply drop or call it quits.
And they couldn’t be more wrong. Today AA collectively broke the silence (and possibly the entire internet) by revealing that Denis Stoff formerly of Make Me Famous/Down & Dirty fame (both bands having coincidentally been signed to Sumerian along with AA) has now taken the vocal reins and we were gifted with a brand new single that is just much a powerful statement as it is a new jam: “I Won’t Give In.”
Perhaps most intriguing about the song, aside from the blunt titling, is the exploration that it portrays. This is a very dialed back, coherent, post-rock Asking Alexandria. A somber, yet uplifting anthem for the band, the fans and the world. The message is relatable but simultaneously personal. It’s clear that the song was written about the events that transpired when previous vocalist Danny Worsnop departed, and coated with a shade of black despair because of it. Never in recent memory has a song been so dark aesthetically but sounding so triumphant sonically. For this reason, “I Won’t Give In” is worth looking into. It depicts the emotions of a band who nearly faced their end but came out stronger because they stuck it out. And what better cause for raised fists and crowd chants?
“I Won’t Give In” is 1 of the only Asking Alexandria songs to prominently feature the clean vocals at the fore-front of the music. Denis’ emotive, tastefully high-pitched melodies are full of life and promise, the ambient textures and Ben Bruce’s catchy lead guitar parts along with Cameron Liddell’s galloping rhythms flowing just as well behind him. This isn’t the raw glam metal meets KoRn style the band were playing on the last record. The mix is clean and crisp. Notably Sam Bettley’s bass tone is bigger than it’s ever been, evident as soon as the song kicks in – Just as evident as James Cassell’s massively atmospheric drumming, a completely new avenue for his playing. The song flows quite naturally, so much so that the breakdown accompanied by wonderfully shrill high shrieks that comes in the bridge of the song was entirely unexpected. For a band who are accused of breaking down more than breaking out this truly is a shocker, perhaps more tongue-in-cheek than anything. I’d fit the composition of this song alongside “Someone, Somewhere” from Reckless & Relentless.
Overall, “I Won’t Give In” features a more mature Asking Alexandria and not only does it hint at growth, it shows it in spades. Many bands in this same scene are guilty of attempting a radio rock sound, but Asking Alexandria just might be the ones to shift the trend once again, despite sounding just a bit similar here to their peers’ recent efforts (BMTH & OM&M come to mind.) However, I never thought I’d be able to say that an Asking Alexandria song reminded me of 30 Seconds To Mars. Big things are in store for this band and congratulations are in order. Only one question remains: Will the Vans Warped Tour this Summer be able to handle these Brits?
