Asking Alexandria’s Ben Bruce Details Band’s Evolution on New Album — Exclusive Interview
As bands go through different stages in their careers, things change. Their style and attitude adapts as they gain popularity and tour around the world. Fans aren't always happy when bands modify their sound, but Asking Alexandria guitarist Ben Bruce argues that it's essential for artists to evolve and that fans who complain about it just aren't listening.
"We're not the same people that we were when we were 17 and 18 years old when we were doing Stand Up and Scream," Bruce explained in a new interview with Loudwire Nights. "We have changed and we have matured. We've got different life experiences, we have different things we want to address. And that's the beautiful thing about music! You can go back and listen to it — it lives forever."
The guitarist added that the band has always been honest in their music and biographical about their experiences. He reflected on the time period when they were writing their debut album — they were riddled with drug and alcohol addictions, which translated into a dark record.
"I'm not gonna go and get myself a drug addiction again so I can play music that's up to your standards," he said laughing. Their upcoming album Like a House on Fire is representative of where the members are in their lives now, and one of the songs, titled "What's It Gonna Be," narrates the journey the band has been through from the beginning up until this point.
"It's been a steady evolution. We haven't [changed] overnight," Bruce assured. "You can always go back to the record before and hear similarities. And with this one, I will even go as far as to say that you can go and listen to Stand Up and Scream and hear similarities."
"So when people say bands have changed, they're just not listening."
For more details on the upcoming album, the status of their 2020 tour and more, listen to the full interview above. Like a House on Fire will be out Friday, May 15 and can be pre-ordered here.
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