Nowadays metalcore seems to be a hit or miss genre. I suppose we all expect something a little different out of this genre. If you are looking for an over-produced and bland record with lyrics seemingly written by a twelve year old, I'd look the other way very quickly. If you are looking for possibly one of the biggest improvements in a span of two years by a metalcore band, than search no further.
Shadows Are Security shows just exactly what As I Lay Dying is capable of and this record is without a doubt in my top three metalcore albums released in 2005; I'll admit I picked this up a little late, around mid November to be exact and it took me months to realize how long I had been missing out.
As I Lay Dying is...
Jordan Machino - drums
Tim Lambesis - vocals
Phil Sgrosso - guitar
Clint Norris - bass, vocals
Nick Hipa - guitar
Upon having the explosion of
Meaning In Tragedy the first thing one notices is the superb production. For an album of this genre the production is darn near perfect; the atmosphere created is the perfect balance between rawness and actual production. Everything is heard very clearly for the most part and you can still imagine the intensity of the music outside of the studio. The bass is not heard very much at all, not because it is low in the mix necessarily, but because Jordan Machino is an absolute mad man with his fantastic use of double bass. His drum playing is the true gem of this album, I mean it's not often that the drummer gets listed first on the band lineup inside the CD. There is just so much to rave about his playing, his fills are flawless, his double bass is never used in excess but makes its presence felt, and he covers more beats in this one album than some drummers do in a decade. Phil and Nick execute very precise riffs throughout the album, and it's no easy task to compliment Jordan but they are both up for the task of creating a solid rhythm section when necessary. While there are only two solos on the CD, they are very well written and add a lot to their respective songs. Personally, I would rather this be the case than for a solo to be on every song just for the heck of it. The band chooses to focus more on songs as a whole, not just as a part and in turn create very memorable songs.
Now that we all know that instruments are outstanding comes so ever so important vocals. Tim has a very good scream and it is exercised a great deal throughout the album. I am very picky about growlers and Tim is without a doubt one of my favorite so there is no problem with his amount of screaming present on the record. The backing vocals are sung by bassist Clint, who shapes the choruses on the singles
Confined as well as
The Darkest Nights into very catchy tracks. The vocals definitely allow for a more melodic feel to come into play.
Confined builds up to an earth shattering blast beat and heavy riff, while the chorus keep the same aggression going with a different feel. One thing very noteworthy about As I Lay Dying and their clean vocals is the vocals seem to fit the songs extremely well, thus similar to the guitar solos the part time use. Compared to other bands, AILD's clean choruses flow with the rest of the song much more fluently. Now regarding this melodic feel, the second single
The Darkest Nights is a very memorable track and good example. The riffs themselves are catchy and between that and the chorus, your head will have this running through it for weeks. It is very enjoyable to be able to find a mixture of music throughout a CD and As I Lay Dying does not disappoint.
Now it seems these days that as the amount of screaming increases, the quality of the lyrics decrease; As I Lay Dying will prove this to be completely wrong. That little booklet you get inside the CD is definitely worth opening up and reading. The lyrics can often times make you think in the case of
Meaning In Tragedy
What if everything
I have been taught is a lie
And all of my teachers
Have been wrong this whole time
This is a very nice break from what seems to be infiltrating the mainstream these days, yet another redeeming quality found in this CD, the lyrics. Another very nice factor is the fact that as the disk goes on, the attention of the listener stays at a peak. The riffs seem just as spot on as they were at the commencement of the record. The intro to
The Truth Of My Perception contains an excellent riff and as the song progresses the riffs keep on coming. This along with an extremely strong vocal presentation and a superbly done melodic solo make this track incredibly outstanding. This album does not let up for a minute, right from the start is grabs a hold of the listener and does not let go. Its energy is consistent throughout, filler is not present, and for the most part memorable songs are created in their own individual ways, as the tracks do not blend together, once again solving a common problem found in metalcore. In the end, As I Lay Dying has created a very memorable album, all 12 tracks have something to offer and this album sure does not disappoint.
Pros...
-fantastic drumming
-great riffs
-when used the guitar solos are executed terrifically
-well presented vocals on both ends
-nicely written lyrics
-songs as a whole are very exceptional
Cons...
-often times bass drums over power bass guitar
-lack of solos might turn some away
-at 43 minutes calling it short is debatable
With this album, As I Lay Dying should be getting the attention they deserve and will most likely change the opinions of many who disliked their previous efforts. This being my first album picked up by the band I have no previous material to compare them to, but they sure have left a great impression on me. And out of the shadows they shall come!
Final Rating: 4
