As I Lay Dying

The return of As I Lay Dying with An Ocean Between Us is at hand and it bears similarities to Shadows Are Security. Its preface provides a soft guitar melody that’s joined by a tamed dual guitar solo. Immediately AILD start the shredder with incinerating drum lines, metal guitars riffing, big chorus growls and double bass action. "An Ocean Between Us” follows suit but features superior clean vocals. A mincing guitar wrenches the beginning of "Within Destruction” and triggers vivid Slayer memories. A bout of spastic tech inserts itself towards the climax of this track, giving some range to the song. "Comfort Betrays” features a guitar sound akin to a saw burning through bone. It’s an eerie sound on a devastatingly metal track, with a solo to get fingers tapping. An Ocean Between Us is a superior album than its predecessor, with a high density of metal throughout. There’s no real style change musically; it’s loud, fast and hard. You can’t really ask for much more from a band named AILD, except: did author William Faulkner’s novel get mingled into this glorious mess?