A Prophecy

''Stand Up and Scream'' is the second studio album by English rock band Asking Alexandria. It was released on 15 September 2009 through Sumerian Records. The album has charted at number 170 on the ''Billboard'' 200, number 29 on Top Independent albums, and number 4 on Top Heatseekers. The record managed to remain at the Top Heatseekers chart at position number 36 until the end of July 2010.

Background

The title of the album is chosen from a lyric in the second track "Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)", where the relevant line within the chorus reads "Just stand up and scream, the tainted clock is counting down".

Six of the tracks featured on the album have previously been released digitally through the band's MySpace and PureVolume accounts. These include, "Nobody Don't Dance No More", "Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)", "A Candlelit Dinner with Inamorta", "Not the American Average", "A Single Moment of Sincerity", and "I Was Once, Possibly, Maybe, Perhaps, a Cowboy King". When downloaded, the ID3 tags displayed ''Demo'' or ''Demo 2008'' as the songs relevant album. There are both minor and more noticeable alterations in all of the songs released on the album in comparison to those released digitally in 2008.

The song "Hey There Mr. Brooks" is written as a homage to the film, ''Mr. Brooks''. Its lyrics feature many references to scenes in the film.

Musical style

''Stand Up and Scream'' incorporates elements of melodic metalcore, trance, techno, and pop music. The album employs death growls, clean vocals, staccato guitar riffs, open-note drop-tuned breakdowns, and synthesizer leads. The album drew comparisons to Bring Me the Horizon.

Music videos

In September 2009, Asking Alexandria shot their debut music video for the song "Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)". In the video, the musicians play in a dark room, dressed in black. Also shown is a table, on which stands the glass with water. Throughout the video, the glass gradually shifts to the edge of the table and finally falls down and breaks in the end.

In 2010, the music video for "A Prophecy" was released. It was filmed in Los Angeles in its entirety during the band's headlining tour, "Welcome to the Circus", in between tour dates. It features the band playing in a dark alley during a storm, and cuts between shots of the band and a woman falling through the ocean. There is also a shot of James Cassells spitting fire towards the end before the last breakdown.

In 2010, Asking Alexandria shot a performance video of "If You Can't Ride Two Horses at Once... You Should Get Out of the Circus" at Chain Reaction in Long Beach, California. It is included on their EP, ''Life Gone Wild''.

During the Epicenter 2011, Asking Alexandria shot a performance video for "Not the American Average".

Critical reception

Phil Freeman of AllMusic criticized the album's tracks as "faceless and unmemorable" and did not believe fans of the genre would enjoy the album's electronic breaks.

Track listing

Personnel

;Asking Alexandria
* Danny Worsnop – lead vocals, keyboards, programming
* Ben Bruce – lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, programming, co-lead vocals on tracks 8 and 9
* Cameron Liddell – rhythm guitar
* Sam Bettley – bass
* James Cassells – drums

;Additional musicians
* Shawn Milke of Alesana – guest vocals on "Hey There Mr. Brooks"

;Additional personnel
* Joey Sturgis – production, engineering, mixing, mastering
* Nick Sampson – additional editing
* Sons of Nero – artwork
* Phill Mamula – photography
* Amanda Fiore and Ash Avildsen – art conception
* RED Distribution – distribution

Charts

References

{{Authority control

2009 debut albums
Asking Alexandria albums
Sumerian Records albums
Albums produced by Joey Sturgis