As I Lay Dying – Shadows Are Security
Metal Blade Records – 3984-14522-2 – June 14th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I can’t tell you how many e-mails I’ve received, begging me to review the latest from As I Lay Dying. Well, over the past 10 months my resistance has been slowly corroding, and thus here we are at the UltimateMetal review of Shadows Are Security. So it follows that, if you’re reading this, then you love metalcore more than your family, friends, and pets. I know the feeling – I do, too. But before I relay just how great this record is for someone who actually likes metalcore or someone who can even just stomach it, let me say to all the haters out there: I can do just fine without the bullshit.
Everything I’ve seen from this California-based group has climbed past the average mark with little to no effort. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, their full-length debut, was good, though I never heard the Split with American Tragedy, and Frail Words Collapse – their sophomore long-player for Metal Blade – was very good. Shadows Are Security improves upon everything they’ve laid down previously, except for one small little detail, and I’ll get to that detail later on. For now, though, this 12-track, 44-minute disc furthers all they set into motion earlier: Gothenburg melodies, hardcore rhythms, and gigantic breakdowns. Much of As I Lay Dying’s current batch is extremely melodic, yet when the time comes to swivel towards utter heaviness, the movements are fluid, smooth as a patch of ice. An example of this diametrically opposed relationship is most conspicuous in “Empty Hearts,” which is sandwiched between two melodious numbers in “The Darkest Nights” and “Reflection.” Not to be outdone by “Empty Hearts,” however, is guttural closer “Illusions” – utilizing a high-end jackhammer approach that features dark melody and conflicted structure, choosing a veritable smorgasbord of ammo in the end. Also, gone is the shitty double-bass drum sound. The production of Shadows Are Security, all around, is thick and essentially about as good as it gets, even measuring up to Jack Nicholson’s standards.
Plus, though As I Lay Dying’s collective chops more than suffice, they enlisted guest vocalists from acts such as No Innocent Victim, Zao, Throwdown, and Please Mr. Gravedigger, which should entice others to comb through Shadows Are Security searching for those vocal parts, much like the Where’s Waldo? craze of the ‘90s. Oh, that one detail. Right. Unlike Frail Words Collapse, the newest collection fails to deliver a song or two that stands out as much as “94 Hours” or “Forever.” Still, as a whole, this one is stronger. At times capable of hurling more melody than In Flames or putting fellow metalcore players Unearth in a chokehold, this quintet have proven their reliability time and time again, and that’s the reason they’re one of the best, if not the undisputed pinnacle outright. Even so, I donned blinders when I tallied the score – thinking of Shadows Are Security in relation to metalcore only – and as you can see, it’s top-notch for what it is. So if you feel like it, flame away, but remember that this is the tr00 first post.
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official As I Lay Dying Website
Official Metal Blade Website
Metal Blade Records – 3984-14522-2 – June 14th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I can’t tell you how many e-mails I’ve received, begging me to review the latest from As I Lay Dying. Well, over the past 10 months my resistance has been slowly corroding, and thus here we are at the UltimateMetal review of Shadows Are Security. So it follows that, if you’re reading this, then you love metalcore more than your family, friends, and pets. I know the feeling – I do, too. But before I relay just how great this record is for someone who actually likes metalcore or someone who can even just stomach it, let me say to all the haters out there: I can do just fine without the bullshit.
Everything I’ve seen from this California-based group has climbed past the average mark with little to no effort. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, their full-length debut, was good, though I never heard the Split with American Tragedy, and Frail Words Collapse – their sophomore long-player for Metal Blade – was very good. Shadows Are Security improves upon everything they’ve laid down previously, except for one small little detail, and I’ll get to that detail later on. For now, though, this 12-track, 44-minute disc furthers all they set into motion earlier: Gothenburg melodies, hardcore rhythms, and gigantic breakdowns. Much of As I Lay Dying’s current batch is extremely melodic, yet when the time comes to swivel towards utter heaviness, the movements are fluid, smooth as a patch of ice. An example of this diametrically opposed relationship is most conspicuous in “Empty Hearts,” which is sandwiched between two melodious numbers in “The Darkest Nights” and “Reflection.” Not to be outdone by “Empty Hearts,” however, is guttural closer “Illusions” – utilizing a high-end jackhammer approach that features dark melody and conflicted structure, choosing a veritable smorgasbord of ammo in the end. Also, gone is the shitty double-bass drum sound. The production of Shadows Are Security, all around, is thick and essentially about as good as it gets, even measuring up to Jack Nicholson’s standards.
Plus, though As I Lay Dying’s collective chops more than suffice, they enlisted guest vocalists from acts such as No Innocent Victim, Zao, Throwdown, and Please Mr. Gravedigger, which should entice others to comb through Shadows Are Security searching for those vocal parts, much like the Where’s Waldo? craze of the ‘90s. Oh, that one detail. Right. Unlike Frail Words Collapse, the newest collection fails to deliver a song or two that stands out as much as “94 Hours” or “Forever.” Still, as a whole, this one is stronger. At times capable of hurling more melody than In Flames or putting fellow metalcore players Unearth in a chokehold, this quintet have proven their reliability time and time again, and that’s the reason they’re one of the best, if not the undisputed pinnacle outright. Even so, I donned blinders when I tallied the score – thinking of Shadows Are Security in relation to metalcore only – and as you can see, it’s top-notch for what it is. So if you feel like it, flame away, but remember that this is the tr00 first post.
8.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official As I Lay Dying Website
Official Metal Blade Website
