Reckless & Relentless (Asking Alexandria)

Reckless & Relentless is the second studio album by English metalcore band Asking Alexandria. It was released on April 5, 2011 through Sumerian Records. Announced on December 22, 2009, recording for the album began in June 2010 at the Foundation Recording Studios in Connersville, Indiana and ended in the fall of that year. Musically, Reckless & Relentless is a metalcore album that includes elements of Euro-trance and has influences of metal from the 1980s. The album received generally positive reviews, which commended its loud guitars and drums and Danny Worsnop's vocals, however, criticized its use of electronics instruments. It debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 31,000 copies in its first week.

Background and Release[]

Reckless & Relentless was recorded during the summer and autumn of 2010 at the Foundation Recording Studios in Connersville, Indiana. The first official confirmation of the sophomore full-length was on December 22, 2009, wherein Asking Alexandria announced that they were to start the works on a second album in January. They informed that they were to be streaming parts of the writing process through a webcam feed via the service Stickam. It was also announced that they will be entering the studio on September 1, 2010, again with producer Joey Sturgis, who produced the band's debut album Stand Up and Scream. The band later announced that they were scheduled to begin recording on June 22, 2010. Asking Alexandria has, as well, confirmed through an interview with Shred News that the album would be released on April 5 featuring 12 tracks. However, the original album was supposed to contain 13 tracks and 3 bonus iTunes tracks. This didn't make it because they didn't wish to delay the album release date. In the same interview, the band informed that a title was not yet established. One song, "Breathless" was played live to promote the album, and was released with their Life Gone Wild EP.

During an interview with Fallen Blue, Danny Worsnop said of the album cover, "We wanted something shocking, so we had the famous porn actress, Belladonna, just sitting in The Dirty Room." Danny further discussed, 'Someone, Somewhere', a song off the new album as the first one "that I wrote the lyrics to using my emotions as a backdrop.

The first official single from the album entitled "Morte et Dabo" was released on February 15, 2011, as announced beforehand by the band. Pre-orders for Reckless & Relentless were made available on March 3, 2011. A music video for "Closure" was released July 5, 2011 and a music video for "To the Stage" was released on July 12, 2011.

Reception[]

Critical Response[]

Reckless & Relentless received generally positive reviews from music critics. Phil Freeman from Allmusic gave the album a positive review, saying, "What separates Asking Alexandria from most of their peers is an awareness of classic rock & roll dynamics -- some of the riffs they write are straightforward updates of Guns N' Roses or Skid Row (two of whose songs they covered on their Life Gone Wild EP), and they're as interested in getting listeners singing along as moshing." Alternative Press also gave the album a positive review, saying, "Asking Alexandria haven’t radically changed their sound, but there’s enough evolution on Reckless & Relentless to convince any listener that they’re more than metalcore also-rans or one-trick ponies".

Commercial Performance[]

Reckless & Relentless debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 31,000 copies within its first week. It spent 7 weeks on the chart whilst also debuting within the top 5 of the Billboard Rock Albums, Hard Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. It also peaked at number 30 and 98 in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Track Listing[]

Track List[]

Best Buy Bonus Tracks[]

"When Everyday's the Weekend" (Big Chocolate Remix)
"Nobody Don't Dance No More" (Noah D Remix)
"If You Can't Ride Two Horses At Once... You Shouldn't Be in the Circus" (Noah D Remix)
"I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps a Cowboy King" (Robotsonics Remix)
"A Prophecy" (Big Chocolate Remix)

Hot Topic Bonus Tracks[]

"The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)" (Bogore's Die Bitch Remix)
"A Candlelit Dinner with Inamorta" (Run DMT Remix)
"A Prophecy" (Big Chocolate Remix)

Personnel[]

Asking Alexandria[]

Danny Worsnop - lead vocals and keyboards
Ben Bruce - lead guitar and backing vocals
Sam Bettley - bass guitar
Cameron Liddell - rhythm guitar
James Cassells - drums

Additional Musicians[]

James Murray - spoken lyrics on track 6

Production[]

Produced, Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Joey Sturgis
Additional Engineering and Editing by Nick Sampson
Recorded at the Foundation Recording Studios
Photography by Paul Harries
Logo by Daniel Wagner
Layout by Daniel McBride
A&R by Shawn Keith and Nick Walters
Publicity by George Vallee