Asking Alexandria - Stand up and Scream Review

WARNING! The video embedded in this article contains profanity. Reader discretion is advised.

The year is 2009. The new trend on the block is straightening your hair, wearing an excessive amount of headbands, and listening to bands like The Devil Wears Prada, Bring me the Horizon, and A Day to Remember. These metalcore bands were characterized by their frequent breakdowns, unclean vocals (screaming, to a layman), and a whole lot of attitude in the lyrics. While these bands all still exist today, they have grown out of this bubble and have fleshed out their sound to something quite different.

However, on September 15th, 2009, Asking Alexandria released their debut album, Stand up and Scream. At 13 songs spanning 48 minutes, this record was a long listen compared to similar releases from other acts, such as Attack Attack!’s 30-minute Someday Came Suddenly. Fronted by Danny Worsnop, who sang both clean and unclean vocals on every track, Asking Alexandria stood out in the scene with their brash lyricism, crushing breakdowns, and choruses where you couldn’t help but sing along.

How has Stand up and Scream aged, though? It is easy to have a gut reaction that differs from a long-term opinion, and my view on this album is different than it was when I first saw the music video for the lead single, “The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel.)” As this was one of my first forays into heavier music, I was eager to discover how this band differed from the more laid-back metal that I was raised on.

My current issue with the album is how formulaic each song is. Apart from the Intro “Alerion”, which is essentially one giant breakdown, and the Instrumental interlude “Hiatus” every song follows mostly the same structure. They open with a riff/breakdown, then a verse of unclean vocals/the instruments gravitate around the same note, then a clean chorus and a bridge after two choruses, etc.

It is also important to note that seemingly every band in this genre had an instrumental interlude around this time, ie Attack Attack!’s “Interlude” and I See Stars’ “The Ocean”. This wouldn’t be an issue if almost every song wasn’t in the same exact key. This causes every track to sound boringly similar, as the entire record could just be one long song if not for the intro/interlude.

This is not to say that the musicianship is at fault. Countless albums suffer from a lack of originality between songs and that is why singles are chosen to separate themselves from the filler. An album truly shines when every song sounds like it could be a single, and that is not the case with Stand up and Scream. Later efforts from Asking Alexandria, especially their self-titled release in 2017, show serious growth from the members. This is especially true for Worsnop, who took time off from the band in the middle of the decade to release a country album (I’m not kidding.) This was a weak debut that the fans, myself included, ate up like candy as this was an early foray into a newer genre.

Sumerian Records has held on to Asking Alexandria for a decade. Progression from the band was positive, as they are a household name for fans of the genre, and have branched out to a more mature, realized sound. Their newest track, “The Violence”, released on July 11th, 2019, and is a far cry from the generic nature of Stand up and Scream. From metalcore to arena rock, Asking Alexandria’s tonal shift is finalized and is proof that, from rocky beginnings, a band can have lasting power after a decade of hard work and growth.