Album Review: From Death to Destiny by Asking Alexandria

Photo from Wikipedia

Words by: Savanah Ruiz

Now, it's with a heavy heart that I write this album review knowing that Danny Worsnop is no longer the vocalist of Asking Alexandria, but considering they are another Warped 2015 band and that Asking Alexandria is still a great band, I thought it was time to review one of their albums. From Death To Destiny is the third full length album from Asking Alexandria, titled From Death to Destiny due to Asking Alexandria's rocky past of drug use and extreme alcoholism, and how they got through it (at least the drug part that is). This album is a matured version of Asking Alexandria, and shifts more hard rock instead of metal core along with showing the improvement of the band member's individual skills and songwriting. Overall, this album is a great album that features a variety of heavy tracks and softer (I use that term lightly) tracks, as well as taking advantage of Danny Worsnop's voice and the amazing skills of the band. Even if you didn't like Asking Alexandria's previous albums, I strongly recommend checking this one out. Asking Alexandria is currently working on their new album with their new vocalist, which they have yet to reveal the identity of, and will be playing Warped as previously mentioned. Lastly, I have to say I love this band and will continue to support whatever they do.

Track List & Comments:

1. Don't Pray For Me- This song is one of my favorites from this album. It's good, it has screaming, the lyrics are beautiful, and you can just feel the anguish in the vocals. Also, the audio clips of Danny's drunken stage mishap was a nice touch to add to the feel of the song and as Asking Alexandria mentioned, show that they aren't trying to cover up their mistakes. It's a perfect example of how they changed, going from the lyrics of Someone Somewhere which has lyrics about finding comfort in someone praying for them to saying that they don't care if they die tomorrow, and that they don't want to be prayed for.
2. Killing You- Again, amazing vocals and lyrics. I also really love the drum work in this song. I don't know why, but I feel like this is similar to "To The Stage" from their album Reckless & Relentless. This song sticks to the theme of the album so far, and flows nicely with the other tracks. Overall, this track is great if you want a theatrical and "screamy" track.
3. Death of Me- Before I review this song I just have to say that if you check out the video for this single, they use the rock mix, so it's not the same version. This song fits with the recurring theme of feeling terrible while also staying strong with lyrics such as "I've lost my mind before but now I'm back and I'm better than ever." Overall, another great track with awesome drums. This song is the perfect mix of uplifting and sad to me.
4. Run Free- This song is the first single from this album, and is one of the best songs to hear live from my point of view, and this, like all the other songs, are just great. Danny said he made this song when he was newly sober and determined, and it shows in this song. The chorus is touching, and the slower part is just beautiful. When I hear this song, I always end up stopping whatever I'm doing to just listen to it because I admire this song so much.
5. Break Down The Walls- This song is not the best in the album, although it's still good. This is another single from the album, and it's sort of repetitive. It just isn't my thing if I'm being honest.
6. Poison- This song is definitely an angry track, and was very well thought out in my eyes. I like that the chorus is a bit slower and softer than the verses, and the guitar and bass catch my attention in this song. This song has a lot of screaming, so I'd avoid it if screaming isn't your thing. The plus side to this song is guitarist Ben Bruce does vocals on this track, which highly contrasts Danny's vocals since Danny's voice is sort of raspy and Ben's isn't. This is yet another great track.
7. Believe- This song is about trying to overcome obstacles, and believing in someone (obviously). It is very heartfelt, and the chorus is beautiful along with the rest of the song. This is another song where the drums catch my attention. The echo effect at the end is also an interesting touch to the song.
8. Creature- I like this song because it definitely fits the personality of Asking Alexandria as a whole. It's about having something inside of you that you want to hide because it isn't necessarily good but at the end of the day is still inside of you and a part of you.
9. White Line Fever- As you can probably tell by the title, this song is about addiction and sin. With lyrics like "I don't want this I just need this to carry on" and "I sold my soul so long ago" you can tell that whoever this song is about (cough Danny cough) feels trapped by their addiction but accepts it and the fate that comes with it. Although the lyrics may be a bit sad, the song is far from that, and to me has a hard rock sound that makes me gravitate towards the song.
10. Moving On- This song is definitely another sad song. It's about questioning your life and realizing you don't want to live it anywhere. This song just has a lot of raw emotion about feeling that you have to leave all you know and feeling torn about whether or not to do so. To me, this was Danny's way of saying goodbye before actually leaving the band, which may just be me reading into it too much. Either way, this song always brings me to the brink of tears, and is definitely a beautiful song to experience.
11. The Road- This song is about feeling home sick, which is something traveling artists feel at some point during each tour. Being away from home can become extremely difficult, and sometimes you get consumed by the loneliness of being away from your home. This song captures those feelings and puts it in a rock song.
12. Until The End (feat. Howard Jones)- This song is another song that expresses the conflict of being an artist. It speaks of changing as an artist and wanting to evolve, as well as being different than you were. As an artist, people can get caught up in the person you used to be and the songs you used to make. This song is Asking Alexandria's way of saying they aren't those people anymore, and towards the end goes on to say that they feel they don't want to be admired, which to me ties in with the fact that with admiration, comes expectations. It's just a beautiful song with great guest vocals.
13. The Death Of Me (Rock Mix)- As the title portrays, this is the rock version of Death of Me. It's less "screamy" but just as good. It's puts a new take on this song, and some (my twin) will say it's better than the original. To me, it's all about taste, and although I prefer the original version, I can still say I love hearing this version when it comes on. This song is a good way to end the album because this song has lyrics that fit the themes of the beginning of the album, while having the rock sound of the second half of the album.