We Are Harlot - We Are Harlot | Album Review

Without a doubt, 2015 has been a great year for music so far and it's about to get a whole lot better. We Are Harlot, formed of ex-Asking Alexandria frontman Danny Worsnop and guitarist Jeff George of Sebastian Bach fame have teamed up and have released their debut album, also entitled We Are Harlot.

Seeing Danny Worsnop's name in the mix, you would expect the sound to be similar to Asking's, however this is completely not the case with We Are Harlot. They are kept as two separate entities and there's a clear reason for this.

It was a bold move for Worsnop to ditch his metalcore roots to embark upon an adventure into the hard rock world. But luckily it has completely paid off. Worsnop's voice was meant for bigger things than Asking. His gritty, yet melodic tones make the album stand out amongst those in a similar category. It is something like M. Shadows meeting Steven Tyler and it's an incredible blend.

The vocals are just the icing on the cake for We Are Harlot. The overall sound is huge, with crisp and ambitious riffs scattered around the main frame of the album, as well as a vibrant drum sound which resembles hard rock direct from the 80s.

Denial is a prime example of the mixture between the antiquated blues and hard rock influences and the nuances of metalcore. One More Night also follows in the same vein, the tempo is upbeat and the band enter at full force, with the occasional growl and convoluted guitar solo to back up the ferocity of the track.

The majority of the album has that "American Radio Rock" vibe that is immediately associated with festival season and it is evident that We Are Harlot will be the ideal band to rock out to during the summer.

Second single The One is a fun-filled track that is based on pure sexual desire, a topic most familiar to any glam metal or hard rock group. It is one of the best tracks on the album in terms of demonstrating the equal spread of talent amongst the band's members.

The album is not all a crazy riff-athon though, as We Are Harlot venture into their softer side, producing the likes of Someday and album closer I Tried, which are reminiscent of the pioneers of the genre, such as Aerosmith and to an extent, Led Zeppelin.

The only downside to We Are Harlot is some of the songs sound extremely similar and seem to be put in the album as filler and background music. Luckily there are very few of these songs and they certainly make the stronger tracks stand out further.

It is an ambitious debut album which has worked out incredibly well and have given We Are Harlot the kickstart they so deservedly needed. It's going to be a difficult album to top this year and only a true rock classic will overtake this brilliant record.

Rating: 9/10