By Hannah Reid
‘See What’s On The Inside’ is Asking Alexandria’s seventh full length album and the first one under Better Noise Music. According to lead guitarist Ben Bruce, this album is the result of them “reconnecting and falling back in love with” why they started the band in the first place.
‘Alone Again’ is so far the only single to be released from the album and is the opening track to the album. It was written by the entire band together and seems a great way to emphasise their journey to get to this album. While listening to it there was something that transported me back to my high school days and such a strong sense of nostalgia from hearing new Asking Alexandria came over me so quickly. The song starts off with a nice crescendo and builds up before kicking into the lyrics, continuing with this powerful sense throughout. It’s such a punchy, catchy song that is full of meaning and just makes you want to belt along with it. As an opening song to the album I am only expecting great things from the rest of the tracks.
There is a wonderful fast paced vocal interlude near the end of the second song ‘Faded Out’ which really hooks you into the song. It sounds different to other songs I’ve previously heard and it sounds like the band are allowing themselves to play around with new and exciting sounds that really enhance and bring out their music even more. While all of the song is good and catchy, this part of the song is definitely my favourite and the different beat change and pace fit perfectly in with the rest of the song.
‘Never Gonna Learn’ takes a slightly different tone compared to the previous two when starting, having a bit of a slower tempo but the lyrics are still punchy and, as always, full of meaning. There’s a little bit of whistling throughout the song which is another nice interlude to the song which keeps you on your toes for what’s still to come. I feel like there are strong inspirations from Aerosmith and Metallica coming through in this song as well, with different tempos and lead singer Danny’s vocal range is really impressive and stands out all through this track. The fourth song on the album ‘If I Could Erase It’ once again changes up the tempo and continues to show how the band are playing around with sounds and not being afraid to try new things. This song itself feels very classic rock and then brings in older Asking Alexandria sounds and combines the two in pretty much a perfect harmony that has you moving your head and feet to the beat. Again, there’s quite a nostalgic feel to this song that I really enjoy.
‘Find Myself’ has such a gorgeous and powerful chorus that really does take your breath away the first time you’re listening to it. The lyrics and the instruments match up perfectly to create such a lovely dynamic throughout the song that keeps you hooked on every word being sung and each chord being played. The song talks about trying to find yourself and your way in the world when still not understanding fully which I think is something that a lot of people can resonate with. It’s an extremely truthful and personal song and really feels as though it’s coming from the heart. We go out at the end of the song with a beautiful violin piece which just ties in the whole song together as one.
The next song, ‘You’ve Made It This Far’ continues this really personal storytelling and has some beautifully sad lyrics that once again keep you entranced into the song. It’s another song that I feel will be a standout on the album for people because of how much they’ll relate to it and find reasons to connect with the lyrics that are being sung such as ‘You’re not the only one who feels like they’re alone. Against all the odds you’ve made it this far’. Asking Alexandria I think are very good at putting their struggles and the hard times they’ve gone through personally and together into their songs and because they’re open and honest about it all, people connect on such a strong level to what’s being said and sung. For me while I was listening to this song in particular, there were tears in my eyes.
The album’s title track, ‘See What’s On The Inside’, is next and we are still continuing this personal and heartfelt messages through the band’s songs. Danny’s vocals are a particular stand out once again for this song, there is so much emotion and strength behind them. The conjunction of the vocals at the end of the song I think really work well in showing how the band are coming together and putting their all into their music and this album in particular. ‘Misery Loves Company’ is next up and from the starting point it seems we’ve moved back into their heavier sounding stuff but when Danny’s vocals come in it also seems we’re sticking with a slightly sadder, still that personal and heartfelt tone. For this song they’ve combined the two, mashing up everything that we’ve heard from this album so far and it works really well and keeps the flow of the album going on.
‘Fame’ continues from this harder tone being built from the previous song and takes it a bit further as we move away from sadder tones and lyrics to ones that almost sounds angry and trying to prove a point. It’s a really nice flow to it and doesn’t feel overly forced for the album. This one has really strong reminders of previous Asking Alexandria sounds but also continuing to take some musical inspirations from other rock bands. The final song on the album is called ‘The Grey’ is quite a quick, fast paced track which keeps the same building vibe that has been going throughout the whole album. It’s a really fun track to finish on, bringing in those truthful and heartfelt lyrics that have been a constant, impressive vocals and really strong instrumentals.
I’ve been a massive Asking Alexandria fan for years; they were one of the bands that got me through my high school years, and I was so excited for some new music, and as expected, they have not disappointed whatsoever. There wasn’t a song on the album that I didn’t like or didn’t make me excited to be hearing new music and ideas from the band. I felt connected in what was being sung and played, and it reached a part of me – that little high school kid that was scared and lost – and seemed to speak directly to her.
There seems to be a new burst of energy that is coming in throughout all the songs that make them all stand out in their own way. They really have gone into this thinking about what makes them happy and what kind of music they enjoy playing and making, and that really shows in this album. Lead guitarist Ben Bruce spoke about their musical inspirations from the rock and metal scene, bands such as Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Nirvana and Soundgarden being bands they all fell in love with growing up and you can hear bits from each of these bands throughout their sound playing their own parts and I really enjoyed that. There was a little bit of something for everyone in this album.
- ‘See What’s On The Inside’ is released on 1 October. You can get your copy HERE.
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