This Day In Music History: April 5th, 2011 – Asking Alexandria hits the mainstream with ‘Reckless & Relentless’

Few bands of the post-hardcore/metalcore boom of the last 10+ years are as popular – and as infamous – as Asking Alexandria. One of producer Joey Sturgis’s most successful albums, Asking Alexandria’s Reckless & Relentless – released on this day in 2011 – cemented the band as a commercially successful metalcore act.

Released as the successor to 2009’s Stand Up And Scream and buoyed by experimenting with less abrasive, more melodic song structures (especially mid-album cut “Someone, Somewhere”), Reckless & Relentless nailed down a top 10 Billboard Top 200 debut. It also launched the band into the commercial spotlight, but don’t let that make you think this is where they explored a pop-rock sound (you know, the one that fans mostly hate today). In fact, there’s some pretty heavy cuts here – just listen to the over the top “Morte Et Dabo”, which also sports a massive chorus. Cuts like “A Lesson Never Learned” and “To The Stage” are also notable here, as vocalist Danny Worsnop’s vocals are arguably the best they’ve sounded to date.