Review by Billy Geary
Remix albums for any band, be it a full blown electronic act or a big metal band are risky business. Rarely is a remix album put together that actually improves a bands sound or even adds a worthwhile extra dimension to the group’s music. In fact, with the exception of a couple of select releaseas (such as Gotye’s stunning Mixed Blood), most remix albums follow the general formula where there are a couple of great tracks, a couple of terrible tracks and a whole bunch of filler.
Much maligned metalcore band Asking Alexandria are the latest of a growing trend of metal bands going down the remix path, with a collection of remixes of tracks taken from their two albums to date. Unsurprisingly, Stepped Up and Scratched can be summarised in much the same way as any other remix album; there’s a couple of impressive interpretations mixed in with plenty of filler.
Perhaps the most notable thing about Stepped Up and Scratched is that the more memorable tracks to be found are those that retain many of the qualities of the original track. This is odd though, given the whole point of the album was to quite literally remix the originals. The main track that comes to mind is Celldweller’s remix of ‘A Lesson Never Learned,’ where its slick pop intro falls away very quickly into a very dirty, typically heavy drop. Elsewhere, Mecha’s industrial remix of ‘Closure,’ also stays true to the original in some respects, resulting in one of the album’s other strong tracks. Similarly, both of Sol Invicto’s tracks succeed in that they are quite heavy and fast paced interpretations, making for some of the more memorable moments on the record.
Elsewhere, there are some quite awful sections to be found, with some remix artists seemingly having stepped straight out of the ‘Skrillex School for First Time Dubsteppers.’ For example, the Tomba remix of ‘Another Bottle Down’ sounds like it’s been put together by a teenager and their MacBook, with the generic bass effects ruining what was originally one of the band’s better songs. Similarly, the remixes od ‘Dear Insanity’ and Big Chocolate’s take on ‘A Prophecy’ are downright difficult to listen to, as they are so grating on the ears.
As with most remix albums, Stepped Up and Scratched is nothing if not inconsistent. By releasing an entire album full of remixes, there’s no question that Asking Alexandria have gone out on a limb, so they get points for trying. However, the main conclusion to be drawn from Stepped Up and Scratched is that perhaps remixes should be left as bonus tracks as opposed to full-blown albums.
Review by Billy Geary