ASKING ALEXANDRIA Parts Ways With Singer DANNY WORSNOP

ASKING ALEXANDRIA frontman Danny Worsnop has released the following statement:

"To all of my friends and fans: I would like to let you know that ASKING ALEXANDRIA and I are moving forward in separate ways.

"Over the last eight years together, we've done some amazing things and created something truly special. I now, same as then, want what's best for the band and at this point in time, that isn't me.

"ASKING ALEXANDRIA will continue to tour throughout the year and will be working on a new album.

"I will always support and love ASKING ALEXANDRIA and cannot wait to see what the future holds for them.

"I am excited for the next chapter of my life with WE ARE HARLOT and will see you all on the road!"

Danny told Kerrang! magazine in an interview last year that when he first started talking about his then-side project WE ARE HARLOT in interviews, it did initially cause some friction within his main band.

"Back when it started, there were maybe concerns and stress and bitterness from the guys," Danny said. "But over time they've realized that it's not detrimental to ASKING in any way. Everyone's calmed down, everyone's friends, and we'll hang out and drink and get stupid."

He added: "Both bands are getting my equal attention. Both bands are getting 100 percent of my efforts when I'm with them. In terms of physical time on the road and stuff, it's gonna be right down the middle. ASKING ALEXANDRIA always pretty much tours a set amount anyway, so it's not going to take anything away from that, and then the other half of my year is filled with the HARLOT shenanigans."

ASKING ALEXANDRIA guitarist Ben Bruce told RichardThinks last year that the band had begun working on the follow-up to 2013's "From Death To Destiny" CD. "We're actually writing our new album," he said. "Having a studio on tour with us, it's nice. We don't have to sit down with a laptop and make bullshit demos. I mean, I was listening to the demos we wrote — I was listening just like yesterday — and I was thinking, 'Man, these demos actually sound a lot better than some bands' albums that come out. Not the songs — they do too — but I just mean the quality; it's studio quality already, and they're just demos. So it's exciting."

On the direction of the new ASKING ALEXANDRIA material, Ben said: "This, to me, is the best stuff we've ever written. Musically, it's far, far superior to any of the previous albums. All of us have really practiced our instruments, and we're making a record now where each of us can shine individually as musicians. There's a lot more lead guitar, the bass lines are more intricate. There's a lot less relying on breakdowns. Even if we wanna keep a song heavy, we're not just automatically going, 'Let's write a breakdown to make it heavy.' We're thinking of other ways and other aspects to incorporate into songwriting that will make a song heavy rather than just taking the easy route and writing a breakdown, you know."

"From Death To Destiny" sold 38,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

WE ARE HARLOT will release its self-titled debut album on March 31 via Roadrunner.

WE ARE HARLOT is set to make its return to stage in 2015 following their stellar live debut at Rock On The Range last year. The group is officially set to perform at an array of North American spring festivals, including such eagerly awaited events as Ft. Myers, Florida's Fort Rock (slated for April 25),Jacksonville, Florida's Welcome To Rockville (April 26),Concord, North Carolina's Carolina Rebellion (May 3),Somerset, Wisconsin's Northern Invasion (May 9),and Columbus, Ohio's Rock On The Range (May 15-17) with additional dates to be announced soon.