ASKING ALEXANDRIA

Like A House On Fire

SUMERIAN

UK metalcore mavens smooth out their years of turbulence

THERE WAS A lot riding on Asking Alexandria’s previous two albums. 2016’s The Black introduced interim frontman Denis Stoff and proved the metalcore mob could survive without ex-frontman Danny Worsnop. Then just over a year later, 2017’s polarising self-titled album marked Danny’s return to the fold, presenting a band reasserting and reinventing themselves in the wake of years of upheaval, with a polished, stadium-ready sound that made their mainstream intentions clear. As a result, Like A House On Fire feels even more consequential, the defining moment where many Asking Alexandria fans will either decide if they’re still onboard or to abandon ship for good.

Anyone hoping for a return to heavier climes is going to and aim unashamedly for the ground currently occupied by Fall Out Boy, with fat, sleazy grooves and excellent gang-chant choruses.