Review: Reckless & Relentless by Asking Alexandria

Written by Xochitl Hansen

Asking Alexandria is that one band to me that just tell you like it is, from the sex infused, drug laced, angry night moments to the downfall of music. Asking Alexandria has your back.  With the way the world is turning out and every event – good or bad- that comes your way, Asking Alexandria’s music won’t sit there and tell you it will be okay as long as you wait it out or that this feeling inside will be a onetime occurrence. No, their music tells you to get up, dust yourself off, and grab whatever is thrown your way by the horns and ride the wave of (pardon my French) s**t and see it through till the end. Because, hey, not everything in life is perfect and that is where Asking Alexandria’s second album Reckless and Relentless comes into play.  Being the sound track of sin and self-destruction, Reckless and Relentless covers any emotion albeit in the melodies, riffs, or just lyrics.  Telling the tale of Asking Alexandria’s ‘wild ride of 2010’ as they dubbed it in the mentions booklet that comes with the CD, you can get a vivid picture of what it’s like to have your head in the clouds for a year with the myriad of emotions and consequences it brings.

Tracks

Welcome- With an eerie intro, the song breaks straight into a nice beat that comes a sudden pause that contrasts former vocalist Danny Worsnop’s voice, the quick song welcomes to anyone who stuck around since Asking Alexandria’s first full length album Stand Up and Scream.

Dear Insanity- With the words “Oh sweet insanity” screamed right off the bat as the song starts, you get the feeling that once you go down the slippery slope that is self-destruction it becomes a refuge from the real world. With the lines “Now you've seen what I've become, now you see what I can do, now you see what I’m capable of.” Dear Insanity is the song that helps the listener understand once you've been messed up for so long it can morph you into someone else.

Closure- One of my personal favorites on the album, Closure definitely isn't a song you’ll hate. With a raw vocals and a catchy beat the whole song makes you want to get up and start a riot. Talking about how people see the music industry and the fortunate human beings able to be part of it, the lyrics “They say that I can't last a day in the real world, I say you wouldn't survive one night in mine” say a lot. Now as much as people like to think playing much and travel is not a real job, they are wrong. Being a musician is such so much more than what the media makes it out to be, so once again with the song and the whole album Asking Alexandria is showing the world a glimpse of what music in general truly is.

A Lesson Never Learned- As the song starts you are greeted someone begging for help. As the lyrics continue the message become clear, everything he’s done (drugs and alcohol) has changed him into someone he doesn't want to be.  The lyrics “Could be the end of the world, I’d still be laid here on my own wasting my life away” help further convey the message ‘I’m not who I once was’ by saying he is fully aware of the path he has gone down hence ‘A Lesson Never Learned’.

To The Stage- With the heavy message self-destruction is quite tempting; the song portrays the down falling of innocence. The song begins with a strong emphasis on the drums, as the lyrics paint a picture of a single person’s reckless and relentless nocturnal routine. As the song continues a muse is introduced. Starting with the perhaps purest intentions, actions deteriorate into self-destruction. With the lyrics “Turn the f***ing table” the song continues to portray the muse with the once purest intentions turning into the demon she befriended. Once the song is nearing the end the words “Just like before, I should've told you again, that I'm so sorry, I’m so sorry” come out as the demon  realizes what he’s created and beings to feel sinners remorse for his creation given he was the downfall of her.

Dedication- Now, this song brings both strength and pain to the table. Playing to a common theme of pain the song is an obvious allegiance to anyone who has lost someone close to them. Without beating around the bush Asking Alexandria gets straight to the point by saying  “ They deserve more than just one single moment of sadness” and “ Don’t ever let go of that smile”, which means to me that even though your loved one has passed they wouldn't want to see the happiness go away, so “Hold on forever.”

Someone, Somewhere- One of the calmer songs on the record, this song shows the more meaningful side of Asking Alexandria. With “I wish I'd been a better kid” you can tell there is an obvious apology laced within the song. Now apologizing for their childhood isn't the only thing they are saying sorry for, the lyrics “I'm trying to slow down, I’m sorry for letting you down” -while running with the theme of the album- show once again them level awareness towards their “Reckless & Relentless” life style. Yet, to a point the band knows that no matter how low they get there will always be someone, somewhere, praying they make it home.

Breathless- With sinners’ guilt, he realizes he’s on a bad path and will never change; yet there is someone in his life he is trying to warn ‘stay away’. The lyrics “I know that I am on a fast track to the grave and I'm headed there alone” and “Save yourself for a man with a conscience” help establish the fact that he stopped caring about the outcome of himself and only cares about the outcome of the ones he has affected. Continuing on with “You're better off to walk away, I am corruption, I am sin, forget my name, and forget my face” the lyrics flat state the reasons he pushes away others, and this time it’s not self-centered.

The Match- Home is where you’re happy, not where you’re from, and this is one of many songs in the world that help prove the point. Lyrics “I think it's time I make my own way” and “you’re all designed to die” bring the light the fact he doesn't want to conform to way the ways of his city and be just another cookie cutter person. Accompanying the lyrics is a wonderful mix of rhythm guitar and bass that help fuel the anger goes along with the song.

Another Bottle Down- Touching on the subject of a broken heart, the song goes straight into the pain that coincides with it.  The a steady beat and catchy rhythm that help portray the thoughts that roll through your mind as you go over every detail seeing where you went wrong. As the lyrics become darker, you can practically imagine the walls that were built around whoever went through this pain along with the recklessness of giving up on love. Though the painful meaning behind the song, it’s a wonderful break up song!

Reckless & Relentless- Once again playing on the stereotype that all rock and roll is drug and alcohol laced, this song is an obvious call out to certain bands in this day and age. Knowing the past history of the band and former vocalists Danny Worsnop’s opinions on the music industry and the people in it, the song obviously references the his opinions. For example, with the lyrics “I've spent the last two years tearing apart my soul I'll put the next two in to kick-start the good old days of rock and roll” you can tell Asking Alexandria means with all the “sin and self-destruction” they funnel their experiences into the music they create unlike other bands, which causes Asking Alexandria’s songs to have more emotion. This also rounds back to the subject of calling out other “fake, righteous, undeserving bands.”

Morte et Dabo – Once you've had so many things in your life turn out bad, you start to believe to believe someone or something is out to get you and this song defiantly shows that opinion to full length.  With obvious anger and resentment to the big man upstairs, this is one of the heavier songs of the record. The heavier bass and drums allow the resentment and anger created by a poor life to flow with such ease. As you get further into the song, you can realize the lyrics become less of resentment and more on the aspect of acceptance. Acceptance that one’s life is the way it is and might as well go along for the ride.