Asking Alexandria

Asking Alexandria are an amalgamation of metal's most mainstream strains: metalcore, hair metal and nu metal. The first of these is obvious: the British band built their career on metalcore. The hair metal is predictable: Asking Alexandria have performed with Sebastian Bach and covered his former group, Skid Row, amongst others. And nu metal? Well, the dumbed down metalcore of late — heavy on low strings and breakdowns — isn't that far removed from metal's most intellectually challenged varieties. The aforementioned subgenres are the most accessible because they resonate the most with people. They're accessible, catchy and (gasp) radio-friendly, and so is From Death to Destiny, which is no doubt the group's most well written and catchy release to date. Unfortunately, the "heavy" parts sound forced due to preconceived notions of what the group should be. Ultimately, Asking Alexandria need to follow the Avenged Sevenfold path and let their songwriting catapult them to greater success, rather than being held back by their past.