“i Was convinced i Was going to die”
DANNY’S WRITTEN ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE OF A NEAR-FATAL OVERDOSE
Asking Alexandria IS OUT DECEMBER 15 VIA SUMERIAN. THEY TOUR WITH BVB IN JANUARY – SEE DATES ON P.107
Then there’s Empire, a bold pop anthem featuring hip hop verses from Bingx, an up-and-coming rapper whom Danny describes as “a fucking genius. He’s incredible and he’s a very nice kid and it just made sense. He worked super-quick and blew us away.” It’s the kind of track that has the potential to sit in the Number One slot for many weeks while simultaneously infuriating longtime metal fans who were hoping for a return to Stand Up And Scream.
Jamming the album in full, it’s clear that the Yorkshire metallers have set out to conquer the mainstream, but at what cost? Linkin Park offer an apt comparison; their third record, 2007’s Minutes To Midnight, saw the megastars step beyond their heavy roots with a radio-friendly clutch of hyperpolished pop. It sold millions of copies, but at the expense of some of their oldest fans, who saw the change as a form of betrayal. We raise this parallel with the band, who are more than happy with the comparison.
“I’m sure Linkin Park didn’t notice three empty seats in the back when they were playing Wembley! Ha ha ha!” cracks Danny. Taking a more serious tack, he continues, “We know we could disappoint some people. But our other albums still exist – they haven’t been pulled off of the shelves!”
Ben adds, “We created a record that we love and if people want to come on that journey with us, great, because they’re going to have an incredible time listening to it. But like Danny said, if you prefer Stand Up And Scream or Reckless & Relentless, they’re still on your fucking iPhone.”
If Asking Alexandria does bring them massive success, then everything that has happened to them, both good and bad, will have played a vital role. With all that’s transpired, however, AA fans might be forgiven for wondering if or when the other shoe’s going to drop. Both guys insist, however, that in setting aside time for outside pursuits, they’ve positioned Asking Alexandria for a long and successful run.
“To me, Asking never takes a backseat,” says Ben. “But what we’ve learned is that it’s important to not just push and push and push. We’ve figured out that it’s important to give
Asking time to breathe. right now we’re in Asking mode, and we’re taking it very seriously and doing everything we can and we’re enjoying it, but we know that there will come a time when we’ve been on tour for a year or two in support of this record where instead of forcing another one, we’ll be able to sort of step back and concentrate on other things that we enjoy doing as well, and incorporate those things into our lives without damaging Asking Alexandria.”
Danny points out that smarter touring and more time off will not only pay rich dividends for the band, but for the fans, too.
“The way that the band is set up now, everybody has time to do everything they want to do. We’ll go out for a month, then take a couple months at home. Then we’ll go back out, then take a couple of months at home. We can make it so that every time we set foot onstage we’re fresh, we have energy and we want to be there and we’re able to put on the best performance we can because we’re not fucking exhausted.”
Five albums in, AA now feel like they’ve only just begun. “It’s a new chapter,” Danny says. Ben agrees. “For all intents and purposes, this is Asking Alexandria – the five core members back together creating music together again for all the right reasons, just like when we started.”
Which is why they’ve titled the new album Asking Alexandria — because after nine years, they can finally answer the question about who they are. “It just makes sense to start our new journey with our name,” says Ben. “We’re Asking Alexandria.”