Review Summary: AILD are crawling out of a homogenous shell.
As a seasoned metal fan, I'm very aware of what somehow strikes a chord with me and what, as an informed listener, I should or should not buy into. But as a seasoned music fan, I’m always looking to fumble in the dark of new genres. Not long ago, I decided to look into a highly acclaimed band called The Mars Volta, and, even then, my impressions just bore testament to the fact that this wasn't where I belonged. But with time, I came to love their magnum opus "De-Loused in the Comatorium" and what I saw potientially likeable in the first place was growing on me. So how does an As I Lay Dying album relate to such an experience? Truth be told, unlike such albums as "De-Loused" it’s nothing that will have some kind of sustainable impact. I think I speak for a good number of listeners when I say As I Lay Dying are one of those bands that aren't very interesting. Don't get me wrong, it's not because of their musical pursuit or because they're Christian, but simply because there is a lack of polarity in the listening process.
I know what you're thinking; this would be a perfect time to slip the 2.5 rating, but saying As I Lay Dying are average is saying too little. As musicians they're constantly improving, yet, even though I don't favour this album over their predecessor very drastically, it's a significant turnabout when it comes to the bands career. An Ocean Between Us can be correctly classified as just a more straight-forward, and "brutal" Shadows Are Security, even though this latter was never brutal to start with. As I Lay Dying is back, still formulaic, but this time, with a whole new array of musical styles present, each featured throughout the album in small doses. Well into the album, Within Destruction plays tribute to the bands prominent thrash influences, while Departed features redundant tap harmonics which just seems to show the troupe have slipped where others have.
So what, apart from originality you ask, stops An Ocean Between Us going from just okay to something undeniably excellent. There are a few flaws that I can spot instantly, most of which to do with songwriting. The bottom line is this is an album which suffers from very one-dimensional and successive songwriting, rather than utilizing several instrumental dimensions, and introducing something that has not already been emulated. Another weak point of the album is noticable; the lack of dynamic tempo shifts. In lieu the band delivers chords that are generally basic and riffs that are fairly uninspired, all topped with time signatures that are rather straightforward.
The album really begins at Nothing Left which features a very basic riff played repeatedly only to jump back after the verse. The verse goes from a staccato to a quarter note, to and fro. Tim Lambesis himself sings the chorus to this song, having never done anything on the clean vocal end previously. Where significant changes in musicianship were promised, As I Lay Dying eclipse everything they did before, more or less elaborately. However, most of their promises are empty. Instantly, accusant fingers point to Josh Gilbert's vocal work. Fans of former Shadows Are Security will have enjoyed Clint’s harmonic singing, but with him out of the picture, Josh takes the stage with bass work that is hardly commendable, let alone detectable throughout. The most laudable feature on the album is probably Jordan's drumming, which has steadily improved from the start of their career.
Other than having some steadfast tracks, not much can be said about the first half of the album. To be quite honest, there isn't alot to say about the whole album, being a myriad of tracks which merely show development in the twist of sound that As I Lay Dying possessed from the start. The title track plainly showcases Josh's abysmal singing and Phil's lead work which seems like it was just left on 'repeat'. Everything follows through to the chorus, the deficiency of the whole song being highlighted by the strained genericore singing. Nevertheless, the album gets a thumbs-up for a nearly perfect production and the variation of song. Destruction Within and Comfort Betrays both reak of very thrashy influences, while the latter holds the edge, with typically ominous thrash riffs, accompanied by Tim's stellar growling skills.
Yet, many would agree that Sound of Truth must be one of the troupe's most accomplished songs up to date, and probably the most 'AILD-esque' as well. This time the tables have turned, as the track kicks in with the catchy chorus, and guitars that are very melodically-oriented. What's this? A different formula? Or is it simply a hollow attempt at sounding progressive and riskily straying away from As I Lay Dyings refined formula? With a blatant unease in transitions from verse to chorus, the song remains as generic as any other As I Lay Dying song. In terms of originality, the song sounds like something Still Remains deemed too good for themselves. But, when the band isn't using rejected tracks or overusing their own song titles (Separation/The Pain of Separation), they're still writing rehashed song material, and shaping them into the likes of This Is Who We Are. Painful vocal work and uninspired arpeggiating concludes the album, with a little bit of dignity.
All subjectivity aside, An Ocean Between Us is subject to the most unenigmatic songwriting, just like most of it's contemporaries. Sure it's an enjoyable listen, and yes, the quintet are taking baby-steps in what can only be the right direction, but as far as the sound goes, it’s bound to go from a scowl to a frown, meaning zilch. Nor, again, will it have any considerable impact on anyone's sentiment for music. This is nothing more than an on par and fairly decent effort from one of the most seminal metalcore groups of today. For now they’ve only gained a bigger fanbase, with a similar regard from existing ones.
Recommended Tracks:- Within Destruction
- Comfort Betrays
- The Sound of Truth
Final Rating: 3.1/5
