The UK is very well known for breaking some of rock's most influential acts of all-time and as of 2011 you can add ASKING ALEXANDRIA's name to this already illustrious list. In Sept. 2009, this British sensation unleashed their debut album, Stand Up and Scream, upon North America and the disc quickly sent shockwaves throughout the metal/hard rock underground scene. This was a propulsive blend of aggressive music with hints of European Trance, soft catchy melodies resulting in a sound more mature than just your average play by numbers hardcore outfit. This was just the refreshing new sound that people have been waiting for.
ASKING ALEXANDRIA soon embarked on an unrelenting world tour that saw them cover North America a few times over. However, upon testing the waters on their “Welcome To The Circus” headlining U.S. tour the group quickly realized that they were indeed becoming a headlining act. The live arena is where the band excels most as their overly energetic performance and “rock star” look is nothing short of captivating. This is a frenzy of unabashed aggression and intensity that will quickly hook you in and never let up.
The summer of 2010 saw them headline the annual “Thrash and Burn” festival tour and their hype and success following this run quickly afforded them the opportunity to be direct support for All That Remains that fall. This sold-out tour proved that ASKING ALEXANDRIA has truly come of age and are ready to take it to the next level as Stand Up and Scream also broke an astounding 70K copies scanned. Everything is now firing on all cylinders going into the setup for the next album as in late 2010 the band put a huge exclamation point on their worldwide Stand Up and Scream touring cycle with a massive, sold-out headlining UK tour
In April, 2011 ASKING ALEXANDRIA will release their much anticipated sophomore full-length effort, Reckless & Relentless, which is destined to become one of the year's most ground-breaking and heralded offerings. The band's growth and maturity in just a year's time in astonishing and they will kick off the worldwide touring cycle for this new release with a massive Revolver Magazine sponsored North American headlining run throughout March/April with Emmure, Chiodos, Miss May I and Evergreen Terrace in the support slots. Reckless and Relentless was already hailed by Alternative Press as "One of The Most Anticipated Releases of 2011."
Ben Bruce (guitars) states: “ASKING ALEXANDRIA started only a few short years ago. We formed in York, England just hoping to play some shows and have a good time. Since our formation, we have toured all over the world, released an album and made the most amazing friends and fans along the way. We have absolutely no intentions of slowing down and our new album, Reckless & Relentless, will prove that. Evolution is a crazy thing. It's scary. Especially when it comes to a band. People always complain and moan when a band evolves, but we are still ASKING ALEXANDRIA. We still have our original sound and we just improved it greatly. We want to be a band that lasts for years to come and be something that everyone can enjoy.
“Reckless & Relentless has all of the best parts that Stand up and Scream had to offer and has intensified them tenfold. We have also introduced some new elements that we feel really work for us as a band. Musically, Reckless & Relentless is a far more competent effort and lyrically it is far more mature and meaningful to us as people and what we have been through over the last year. We realized that touring had a lot of negative effects on all of us as people, and we have really addressed those issues in this album with the hopes of turning our lives around and really proving ourselves to our friends, families and fans. We are confident that fans of our band will really love what we have to offer on this new disc and we can't wait to share it with them.”
In 2011, ASKING ALEXANDRIA look to become a household name and ultimately redefine the landscape of the hard rock genre. The future of rock has never looked so bright.
Band Members:
- Danny Worsnop - Vocals
- Ben Bruce - Guitar / Vocals
- Cameron Liddell - Guitar
- Sam Bettley - Bass
- James Cassells - Drums
