Asking Alexandrian kitaristi Ben Bruce: ”Kiersimme kaksi vuotta vokalistin kanssa jota ei kiinnostanut enää paskan vertaa”

Englantilainen metalcore-yhtye Asking Alexandria julkaisi juuri uuden ”The Black” -nimisen albuminsa Sumerian Recordsin kautta. Albumi oli yhtyeen uudelle vokalistille Denis Stoffille ensimmäinen bändin riveissä ja arvosteluista päätellen mies on suoriutunut tulikasteestaan loistavasti. Yhtyeen kitaristi ja pääasiallinen kappaleiden kirjoittaja Ben Bruce on antanut uuden albumin tiimoilta haastattelun australialaiselle The Rockpitille, jossa Beniä on käsketty hieman kertomaan haasteista, jotka liittyivät entisen vokalistin Danny Worsnopin olemiseen yhtyeessä sekä yhtyeen päätöksestä valita uusi vokalisti Denis Stoff riveihinsä. Kysyttäessä millaista elämä oli Dannyn kanssa viimeisinä aikoina ennen miehen lähtöä yhtyeestä kertoo Ben seuraavaa:

”It was actually awesome; we had a really good time. For the last few years of Danny being in the band, things actually got really difficult; even getting him into the studio to record vocals was a huge nightmare. So this time around, everyone was excited to be there, everyone was stoked to be in the studio and work together as a team. Denis [Stoff, new ASKING ALEXANDRIA vocalist] was just so excited to be recording his first album with us. He put so much effort in and it was just a lot more fun than we’ve had in the studio for years now, and I definitely think that shows as well when you listen to the album. Just the effort we put into it, you can tell just by listening to it.”

Kysyttäessä millaista keikkailu uuden vokalistin kanssa on ollut tähän asti kertoo Ben seuraavaa:

It’s amazing, actually! We hadn’t really rehearsed or hung out that much before we even hit the stage together, but I think the first show we did together, we headlined a festival in Austria, I believe, and there was thirty thousand people there. Before we went on stage, it was, like, ”Fuck, what’s going to happen? Are they going to bottle us off the stage because they miss our old vocalist? Is he going to be booed off stage? What the hell is going to happen?” But everyone was just excited; everyone welcomed him with open arms. It was good for us, as we spent the last few years touring with a vocalist that didn’t give a shit anymore, so we lost all drive and all passion for touring, because it was a nightmare being up on stage with someone like that who didn’t give a shit. When Denis came along, here’s this young kid who is stoked to be up there and he’s smiling. You look over to him and he’s got a huge smile on his face and he’s energetic, he’s giving it a hundred percent, and that gave all of us a kick in the arse and it was like I remember why we loved doing this so much. So it really just gave us a lot more energy and just made us feel a lot more youthful and really enjoy what we’re doing again.