Review Summary: A good example on how metalcore is done. Heaviness. Melody. Screams. Growls. Breakdowns (in moderation). Sung Choruses. Fast drumming. You name it all! All of those elements are packed into this 43-minute album entitled “Shadows Are Security”.
Although the mix of metal and hardcore, also known as metalcore, has always been a genre that appealed me and a great deal of people, it has always come under fire by many, most notably metal purists claiming that the genre recently has been plagued by so many unoriginal bands copying off each other that listing all of them would be near-impossible. Now, I am an open minded person musically and in general and I can safely say that I agree with them to a certain extent. Sure, they never seem to stray away from the use of the now overly famous Gothenburg-type riff and yes, it’s true that the typical and overly used breakdowns (or bridge if you want to call it like that) do get repetitive… But wait a minute! If it’s done fairly correctly, why try to fix it? This is where As I Lay Dying comes in. This recent (well they did form after the millennium began) Christian metalcore quintet hailing from San Diego, California is in my opinion, a good example on how metalcore is done. Heaviness. Melody. Screams. Growls. Breakdowns (in moderation). Sung Choruses. Fast drumming. You name it all! All of those elements are packed into this 43-minute album entitled “Shadows Are Security”.
Tim Lambesis: Vocals
Nick Hipa: Guitar
Jordan Mancino: Drums
Phil Sgrosso: Guitar
Clint Norris: Bass/Vocals
Now the vocals are really an acquired taste, like for any other rock/metal bands really. Let’s, just say that although it’s not very unique nor original, Tim’s growls and screams are powerful. Since this is a Christian band, don’t expect to hear any f-bombs. The lyrics although hard to understand are quite intelligent and they focus from relationships expanding to life’s struggles. So on to…. But wait! What about the sung choruses? Does he sing as well? Ermmm No. This is where bassist Clint Norris comes in. Quite frankly, I think he has a wonderful voice and his clean vocals are perfect for the choruses. Sadly, on the other hand, his bass is practically inaudible and does nothing but compliment the guitar lines. Did I talk about the most important part, the guitars? Well no I haven’t so let’s continue. Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso are talented musicians. No doubt about that. They perfectly exploit the harmonised leads and the riffs are truly brutal at times. However, there is sadly very little soloing which is fairly unusual seeing as the one in
“Empty Hearts” does bring out a lot of their talent. Well I guess it’s like a Killswitch Engage-thing; if it’s good enough, then let it be. Perhaps on their next album (Evolution in summer 2007), they’ll think about it.
Another highlight of the album is the drumming. The almost perfect production of the album really brings out the intensity of the machine. While it may not be as creative as let’s say, Chris Adler’s style, Jordan’s drumming is fast when it needs to be and he’s really a beast behind the drum kit (don’t believe me? Check out 94 hours from their previous album). On songs like
“Losing Sight” ,
“Confined” and
“Empty Hearts” , his double bass is relentless and it really does give a tougher feel to them.
Well since I’ve been ranting all along on how good the album is, it’s surely perfect, non? Well actually no. Just like what everyone’s says, nobody’s perfect and this album does not escape it. As a whole, the albums flows in a coherent way and none of the songs are bad respectively. However, none of them are perfect in my eyes and songs like
“Control Is Dead” seem as if they were forcibly made just to be brutal. And for some people I can imagine that the replay value might seem a bit low for them (this isn’t Opeth-quality people) as AILD isn’t entirely reinventing the wheel here.
I would recommend this album to most metal core listeners, that is, those who listen to bands like All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, Shadow Falls etc… But I know people who listen to children of bodom, burzum, decapitated and absolutely dig this band so for all you death metal freaks (just kidding =p), those who like black metal shrieks, and those in love with metal and technique, just check out this band! Who knows? Maybe you’ll like them. Remember I never said that this is a masterpiece! This is in my opinion, a good release from a band still trying to progress.
A fairly accessible song is
“The Darkest Nights” . The chorus will probably stick to your head for a while. You want a heavier song but with a ***ing catchy chorus as well? You got
“Confined” . Now how about an absolutely beastly song just to bang your head to? Just skip to
“Empty Hearts” . Other tracks worth mentioning are
“Meaning in Tragedy” and
“Through Struggle” . Just because I didn’t list the other tracks doesn’t mean that I didn’t recommend them as well. Go to listen to the album as a whole.
Rating: 4/5 (My mind was set apart between a 4 and 4.5, who knows… maybe later I’ll change it)
Hope you enjoyed my review! I haven’t reviewed in a while so this may look a bit rusty! Remember: Rate, Comment, and Feedback.
