As I Lay Dying released their debut "Beneath The Encasing of Ashes" a while before this, and soon after, their EP, "American Tragedy." A little while later, they were signed by Metal Blade records and this was their first album. In many cases, this is their debut since Beneath The Encasing of Ashes was and still is fairly hard to find. The album opens up with 94 Hours. A weird sound that almost sounds similar to a wind blowing starts up and then a neat fast guitar riff opens up the song. Tims anger filled screams come in a little while later. This is considered by many to be AILD's best song. With an insane drummer kicking the double bass at insane speeds, Tim's vocals, smooth guitar throughout the song, this is a standpoint for what AILD is about. "Falling Upon Deaf Ears" opens up with a slower sound, but Tims screams still sound as brutal and loud as they did before. The drums still remain clear and the guitarists still play with a smooth sound. The albums first guitar solo comes in at 1:35 and it is a fairly well made solo. The song slows down again and keeps the "chugga" kind of beat until the end of the song. "Forever" starts off with a quick drum beat, then the rest of the band comes in. Tims vocals have softened softly and the backup vocals show up for the first time with clean vocals and back up screaming. Forever is another song that is considered to be AILD's best song. The lyrics are borderlining emo, but don't let that make you hate this song. It keeps the slow beats of "Falling Upon Deaf Ears," and can also retain some speed. another short guitar solo comes in around 2:17. The song slows down at 3:00 in. Then at 3:26, everything comes back in and comes in for one last emotional breakthrough.
"Collision" is a well made song, but not quite as good as the first three songs that came before. It opens up with a quick guitar riff and a nice beat from the drums. Everything retains the same sound throughout most of the song and it closes with a final scream and a quick drum beat. "Distance is Darkness" opens up with a chaotic riff and a quick scream. The drum beats come in and the song opens up. Unlike the other songs, this is all about brutality and chaos. Tim is hitting some low and almost death metal type screams. At 1:30, everything stops, then Tim breaths in and unleashes a five second long scream. Then more clean backup vocals come in. The song ends off with a final scream and a fadeout. "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier" starts off with a slow riff and continues through most of the beginning of the song. This song is a big change from every song that came before. When the drums come in the slow riff stops and starts the song. Someone in the background is talking. (I think it's Tim.) The band's emo influences show in this song. Tims screams still sound very angry which is a plus for this song, since most everything else is mediocre.
"Undefined" picks up where the album left off with "Distance is Darkness" with a fast guitar riff. This song sounds similar to "94 Hours" in song structure. The songs do sound fairly similar. The drums hit a fast speed, the guitars sound very smooth and well done.. If this song sounded more origional, this would be a much better song. "A Thousand Steps" Opens with a neat sounding feedback then opens ups with the song. Like "Distance is Darkness" the song is brutal and chaotic. This song would be much better if it was longer. 1:48 is not a place to end a song. Of course, the last 14 seconds of the song is nothing but chaos, and sounds great. "The Beginning" opens up with a nice guitar solo and drums. This song hints at the end of the album. It is a heavy yet melodic song and is easily one of the better tracks. It has a few "chugga" style riffs to it, but other than that, the song is very well done.
"Song 10" opens up with a very slow riff which is even slower than "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier." A slow drum beat follows the riff and continues until more whispering is heard in the background. The song finally picks up at 2:25, and only leaves a 1:50 left for a song. Despite the very slow beginning, it does pick up a little speed and does prove to be a great improvement over "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier." Tim's screams hit a pretty high sound in this song. Around 3:50, the song slows back down agin and it fades out. "The Pain of Separation" opens up without a second to waste. Fast guitars, fast drums, and a death metal growl from Tim open up this great song. The drums sound great and are easily heard and the guitars keep the chaotic sound from "Distance is Darkness" Tim does a lot of death type growls in this song and keeps the chaotic sound throuoght even when the song slows down. This is a very well made song and is sadly overlooked by a few.
At long last... "Elegy" The song is a masterpiece. It easily is up their with the best AILD song ever. It contains a beautiful melody and keeps a hevy sound with Tims vocals. At 2:00 the entire band comes in and the guitarists come in with an awesome riff that cant not help you remind of Reign in Blood. The song loses its bass sound and everything is thrown into a small sounding blast beat. It regains its normal sound and the guitars come in with a slow and melodic riff leading out to the end of the song.
Frail Words Collapse... Pros and Cons:
Pros:
+great guitar and drums
+Tim's vocals are great and brutal, yet still contain passion and emotion
+Some great individual songs
+Has slow songs, normal metlacore songs, and chaotic songs.
Cons:
-Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier
-Was there a bass?
-Tims vocals sound can sound whiny but not often.
A huge improvement over "Beneath the Encasing of Ashes" and holds some great songs. Probably the best in metalcore. Its hard to pick if this or their next album, Shadows Are Security, is better.
