As I Lay Dying

Album: The Powerless Rise

Release Date: May 11, 2010

Label: Metal Blade Records

 

Track Listing

01. Beyond our Suffering

02. Anodyne Sea

03. Without Conclusion

04. Parallels

05. The Plague

06. Anger and Apathy

07. Condemned

08. Upside Down Kingdom

09. Vacancy

10. The Only Constant is Change

11. The Blinding of False Light


Reviewer: Eric

 

When one hears metalcore they cringe. This is the sort of genre that makes it difficult going into Hot Topic and FYE. These stores plague their walls with either the next, new metalcore bands release or an old favorite has something new to take up space. As I Lay Dying has a lot to prove since they are a metalcore band that is going to be on those very store shelves that most of us are avoiding any more.

 

The fifth studio album from As I Lay Dying, if you choose to believe it, is the best one from As I Lay Dying. I do not know what As I Lay Dying does but anytime they bring out a new album it gets better than the last one. The Powerless Rise is one of those metalcore albums that you will see on store shelves everyone and don’t worry picking it up.

 

The highlight on the album has to be the very harsh opening track Beyond Our Suffering. From the vocals of Tim Lambesis to the amazing team effort from the instrumental side of things, Josh Glibert , Nick Hipa , Jordan Mancino , and Phil Sgrosso .

 

Hipa and Sgrosso dominate on this record with their guitar work. Their perfect mixture of everything lives in the next forty of so minutes on here. I want to go as far as saying that this is the best sounding, guitar wise, metalcore album.

 

I think the strongest aspect on the whole album has to be Tim Lambesis’s vocals. They have never sounded so strong before with his vicious growling vocals. Lambesis growling vocals go real well with bassist Josh Gilbert’s clean vocals. At times Gilbert might go too far with his range, but it shouldn’t make you want to cut off your balls. Still brutal do not worry.

 

Final Verdict

The Powerless Rise stands out as the best release from As I Lay Dying. This could be the best album from a metalcore act since the genre first came to the States. Fans of the genre should pick this one up if you haven’t done so already. There really isn’t much more to say, just buy this damn album before it’s too late.

 

Rating

9 out of 10