Benjamin Paul Bruce (born 31 October 1988) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Asking Alexandria Asking Alexandria are a British rock band from York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley. Initially formed in 2006 by Ben Bruce ...

and has also performed as a solo artist. Bruce founded the band while he was living in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

but the band split and he moved back to the United Kingdom, where he then started the band again under the same name with

Danny Worsnop Danny Robert Worsnop (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer most prominently known as the lead vocalist of rock bands Asking Alexandria and We Are Harlot. He has worked with several artists including I See Stars, With One Last Breath, ...

Biography

Early life

Bruce was born in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

, South London on 31 October 1988. At the age of six he and his family moved to

. He would later move back to England in 2006 at age 17 in order to gain recognition in the music industry, which he would gain after forming

. Bruce started playing the electric guitar at the age of 12 after being inspired by

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitarists such as

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

and

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...

he then started listening to

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

groups such as

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...

Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...

and

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

and later,

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

bands like

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

. He insisted on learning to play electric guitar and would learn songs by ear. Bruce has stated that some of his favourite records consist of:

's ''

Kill 'Em All ''Kill 'Em All'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several ...

'' for its raw and aggressive sounds,

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

' ''

Appetite for Destruction ''Appetite for Destruction'' is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following ...

'', and Slipknot's debut album which influenced him into more extreme metal genres.

2006–present: Asking Alexandria

Bruce originally formed his first band in

, United Arab Emirates in 2006. The band's original line-up consisted of completely different members compared to that of the band's lineup from 2008. The band released their debut album titled 'The Irony of Your Perfection'. Bruce moved back to England,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

in 2006 at the age of 17 and the band followed only to leave after a month due to not being fully committed but Bruce wasn't willing to stop anytime soon. He then reassembled his second band with new members from the local area, including lead singer

, of which he had moved into his flat apartment in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. He carried the name 'Asking Alexandria' over to the new lineup due to not wanting to bother to come up with a brand new name, so he stuck with the old one. When asked why he chose that particular name, he explained that "Most bands have a pretty shit band name, so I just came up with something. I came up with Alexandria as a human name, because people relate to humans." although the reason for using the word 'asking' is not explained. The band released their first official debut album titled ''

Stand Up and Scream ''Stand Up and Scream'' is the debut studio album by British rock band Asking Alexandria. It was released on 15 September 2009 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Joey Sturgis. The album has charted at number 170 on the ''Billboard'' 2 ...

'' in 2009 via Sumerian and

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

records, produced by

Joey Sturgis Joey Sturgis (born January 3, 1985) is an American record producer and owner of The Foundation Recording Studio in Connersville, Indiana. Sturgis started recording in 2004 including producing the Asking Alexandria single "The Final Episode" whic ...

. Although it didn't chart in the UK, it did chart in the US, peaking at; 4 in the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

, 24 in the

Top Hard Rock Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

and 29 in the

Top Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by ''Billboard'' magaz ...

. The band's second album, titled ''

Reckless & Relentless ''Reckless & Relentless'' is the second studio album by British rock band Asking Alexandria. It was released on 5 April 2011 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Joey Sturgis. Announced on 22 December 2009, recording for the album began ...

'', was released in 2011 via Sumerian records, which again featured Joey Sturgis. This time, the album did chart in the UK, peaking at 7 on the

UK Rock Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The ...

, and also charted in Australia at 30 on the

Australian Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. They released their third album, titled ''

From Death to Destiny ''From Death to Destiny'' is the third studio album by British rock band Asking Alexandria. It was released on 6 August 2013 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Joey Sturgis. The band released the first single titled "Run Free" on 13 ...

'' in 2013 via Sumerian Records and peaked in the US at 5 and the Top Hard Rock Albums at 1, and also charted in the UK at 28 and in Australia at 11, making it their most commercially successful album to date.

2014–present: Solo

Bruce announced that he would start recording his first album as a solo artist on 6 January 2014, after

's open involvement with both

, his solo album, and his latest project

We Are Harlot We Are Harlot, often shortened to just Harlot, is a hard rock supergroup organized by singer Danny Worsnop, of Asking Alexandria and Jeff George who was formerly Sebastian Bach's guitarist. The lineup also includes bassist Brian Weaver from S ...

. When interviewed by

Artistdirect ARTISTdirect is an American online digital media entertainment company. Overview Founded in 1994, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affiliate websites offering mul ...

's Rick Florino, Bruce stated that he had recorded his solo album when asked about the direction it is leaning into he responded with "There's nothing really heavy about it. There are a few classic rock 'n' roll tunes on there. Really, it's a lot of softer rock stuff." and compared it to Keane or

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

, going on to say that it is a more of a chilled rock album, he also stated that he is the primary vocalist of the album and has eased off the guitar duties for this particular album. In January 2015, Danny Worsnop stated that Bruce has completed his album and will be releasing it that same year. In March 2014, Bruce was revealed as a featured artist on the

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Florence + The Machine Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, released by

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Shake It Out "Shake It Out" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released as the first official single from their second studio album, ''Ceremonials'' (2011). It was written by Florence Welch and Paul Epworth, while production was ...

. When Rocksound queried on the sound of the solo album, Bruce stated that he'd describe it as "Chilled out. I'd honestly liken it to Keane,

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

and Oasis." and further stated that he finds Robbie Williams to be his main influence. It was also revealed that the album will be released through

Sumerian Records Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen. Since then he has stated that he has written more material for his solo project and intends to record new songs along with re-recording his older ones once he has some time off from touring.

Other ventures

2011–present: BB Clothing

Bruce started his own clothing line originally in 2011 and existed as an online business, separated from official merchandise associated with

. Bruce remained inactive on the project after 27 June 2013, the last date which he added new designs to his brand, but released a statement that more designs will be released in the following year.

2014–present: KBB Records

In March 2014, it was announced that Bruce, along with

's manager, Kyle Borman, had launched a record label called 'KBB', and had signed a

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early ...

band called 'Scare Don't Fear'. The band themselves decided to sign with KBB due to other record labels requesting them to change their style of music, while Ben Bruce expressed that he didn't want anything to change in their sound and to maintain it instead, giving the band more freedom in their creativity. It was revealed later that month that

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

will be in a distribution partnership with KBB Records. The label's first release and the band's debut album, 'From the Ground Up', was released on 17 June the same year. In May the same year, it was revealed that metal band 'The Family Ruin' had also been signed and added to the roster and will be releasing an album later the same year. When he was asked why he created the label in the first place, he explained that he loved every aspect of music and wanted to be further involved in the music industry whether it's writing it, performing it, or helping other bands, and explained that it initially started with "groups of my friends starting bands and asking for my help to manage them. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if I could actually help bands that I think are worthy of being helped and deserve to be somewhere more than just giving them advice?'" ;Current roster *Scare Don't Fear (2014–present) *The Family Ruin (2014–present) *Run 2 Cover (2015–present) *A Fall To Break (2015–present)

Filmography

Released on 13 October 2017, Ben Bruce was featured in the film '' American Satan''. Bruce plays the character 'Leo Donovan'. Ben has also done filming the spin-off series of American Satan called ''

Paradise City "Paradise City" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). Released as a single in January 1989, it is the only song on the album to feature a synthesizer. The song pea ...

'' in 2019, the series was later released on 25 March 2021.

Discography

Asking Alexandria * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2013) * '' The Black'' (2016) * ''

'' (2017) * ''

Like a House on Fire ''Like a House on Fire'' is the sixth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Asking Alexandria. It was released on 15 May 2020 through Sumerian Records. It was produced by Matt Good. The album shows the group's continuity of a more straig ...

'' (2020) * ''

See What's on the Inside ''See What's on the Inside'' is the seventh studio album by British rock band Asking Alexandria. The album was released on 1 October 2021 through Better Noise Music and was produced by Matt Good. The album is the first release from the band unde ...

'' (2021)

Collaborations and other songs

Accolades

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Ben English heavy metal guitarists English heavy metal singers Musicians from London Musicians from Dubai Kerrang! Awards winners Asking Alexandria members 21st-century English singers 21st-century British guitarists 1988 births Living people