Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

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The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Asking Alexandria
Title
From Death to Destiny
Type
LP/EP
Company
Sumerian
YOR
2013
Style
Metalcore/Hardcore
9/12/2013 - Review by: Greg Watson
Missing some of the heart and heaviness
Evolution in metal evokes many responses. Most of them are responses of fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown. When bands state that their album is a new sound or a departure from the norm, the first thing that comes to mind is Metallica's infamous "St. Anger" album. When Asking Alexandria said that this album was going to be different from anything they had ever recorded before, my nerves and heart immediately leapt to my throat.

From the opening track, "Don't Pray For Me", things sound like what fans of the band come to expect. Heavy dub/techno beats overlaid with crushing, monstrous riffs. The vocals kick in and the familiar growl of Danny Worsnop fills my ears. As the song progresses, the riffs minimize a little and the techno amps back up. The vocals are a mix of clean and death and the song somewhat bottoms out. It ends with a riff that feels out of place and should have been throughout the song rather than placed at the end. This is the theme of the album.

For the remainder, the vocals are majorly clean, reminiscent of Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. The dance beats are a constant throughout as part of the bands formula, but sadly absent are the crushing, groove-filled riffs that have dominated the prior two releases. After multiple listens, I was left wanting a little more and feeling as though the album I had listened to wasn't the album I was hoping for. Longtime fans of AA will no doubt be puzzled at the new sound while new fans may enjoy the album altogether.

However, for this reviewer I feel that the album was missing some of the heart and heaviness that had endeared this band to me for a good while. Hopefully the next album will be a similar return to form but if they continue to go in the direction they are headed, the next album could possibly be the album where it clicks in my head. Until then though, I'll set this one on the shelf for a revisit later and see if maybe I have a better appreciation for the album after some time away.
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    3.5 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: ASKING ALEXANDRIA
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
From Death to Destiny
2013
Sumerian
Greg Watson9/12/2013
3.5
The Black
2016
Sumerian
Greg Watson6/1/2016
4

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: ASKING ALEXANDRIA
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


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