Asking Alexandria’s new single ‘Undivided’ brings back the attitude and furiousity that earlier mass-hit ‘I Won’t Give In’ (that has consistently been in the top 15 on Sirius XM Octane’s weekly Big Un’s countdown) lacked. Whereas ‘I Won’t Give In’ was an ambient post-rock anthem of desperation and persistence ‘Undivided’ is a defiant statement made over energetic metalcore and well-timed gang-chants. The screams are back, Denis Stoff successfully channeling his influence taken from a younger Danny Worsnop. A few punk flourishes in James Cassell’s drumming, Sam Bettley’s bass plucking and Ben Bruce’s/Cameron Liddell’s riffs exist this time around, something simultaneously youthful and more mature for the band’s style of doing things.
The song begins with a faster pace accompanied by an opening shriek from Denis and from there only slightly slows down periodically, specifically in the chorus. As a result the chorus feels darker than anything else heard in the song, but offers an interesting duality by Denis’ higher-pitched singing. Even the plentiful breakdowns (complete with all of those ‘F’ words the kids love!) are relatively faster. The one thing that falls flat in ‘Undivided’ is the forced speech in the middle of the song that attempts to further convey the self-empowering message that only disrupts the flow. The electronics that open the song aren’t exactly substantial either, but it’s worth paying attention to the backing components of the song, if only to hear the catchier than sin-and-self-destruction ‘na na na’s that run behind the final reprise of the chorus.
All in all Asking Alexandria fans will smile when they hear how nostalgic ‘Undivided’ is. It’s not a stretch to say that it could fit directly between the ‘Stand Up And Scream’ and ‘Reckless And Relentless’ eras. This isn’t the heaviest song AA have released, but it is one of their most definitive and fun.
