To even the most casual observer, news of Danny Worsnop’s exodus from Asking Alexandria will have packed the same jolt of astonishment as the sun rising and setting. It’s not that the British metallers were floundering; it’s just that Danny’s been having so much damned fun lately, pillaging the Sunset Strip and gleefully diving headlong into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll clichés as if 1987 had never ended.
So when Danny and shred technician Jeff George conceived We Are Harlot as a vehicle for celebrating the riff-and-swagger of Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi, it had all the markings of a full-time gig. The obvious trap, of course, would be to conjure the more vapid indulgences of those bands too reverentially — like an irony-free Steel Panther.
Thankfully, behind the chest-beating muscularity of tracks like Denial and Flying Too Close To The Sun, and sleazy stripper-pole numbers like Dancing On Nails, We Are Harlot showcases a fiery amalgam of monster riffs, full-throttle tempos and arena-friendly choruses that erupt with blood-pumping vitality.
Sprinkled among the bruisers are sugary bits of pop (Easier To Leave) and some whiskey-soaked balladry (I Tried) that showcase ambitions far beyond rote revivalism. Ladies and gentlemen, your summer party album has arrived./o:p
