I've hear much praise and granduer about As I Lay Dying, especially with their Web site proclaiming them to be the biggest sellers on Metal Blade but i must be honest and say that this, while being a solid metal album, was nothing special to me.

For starters, the Enegry levels doesn't always seem to be that high. I was expecting blast beats and some real crushing riffage going on, but the band mostly plods along a a semi-fast pace. Ah, and on to the riffs. Guitar-wise, i found very little on here that i hardn't heard before better. Its pretty much the standard USA metalcore-meets-thrash/melodeath stuff that bands have been doing to death for the last decade. I must say that AILD are probably better then most of their peers, like Unearth and Bleeding Through, and a bit more American sounding, but is that really something to boast about? I did enjoy a lot of the melodies, and some of the leads are really cool, but i found that mostly they stick to chunky three chord progressions and minor scale tremelo picking... nothing wrong with that but it's not very original. And like so many bands of this style, there is a huge over reliance on stattaco open chord riffs. Yeah, AILD have moments of greatness, like the leads on 'Sound of Truth' but nothing to really send shivers down my spine or getting me banging like a maniac. And then the vocals... well the vocals are pretty cool, somewhere between a hardcore shout and a metal roar, but they're by no means brutal. Just don't get me started on the melodic chorus singing.

So, the story is basically good but not that great if you ask me. It is pretty generic, and they don't have anything to break free of the crowd. Sure, they're a step above most other American bands of this style, but then again there's nothing monumental or revolutionairy on this album. The main problem is i'm too busy listening to Portals to Uphobia by Detonation to really take much notice of As I Lay Dying.

Okay. >Imagine< a band with extremely melodic guitars, breathtaking speed, the most abrasive and brutal roars you could ever commit to music, clean vocals that sound like they come from men instead of whiny teenagers, songs overcharged with aggression but retaining and promoting that essential emotional atmosphere, with thought-provoking positive lyrics about life and a few of atmospheric instrumentals. Now...stop imagining. The CD is right in front of you. Click Buy. This album has about it a forceful power of pure aggression combined with a beauty and completeness rarely applicable to music these days. Oh, and when the guitars feedback at the end of a song, prepare yourself...the track that follows will undoubtedly jolt the heart of the unwary listener!

AS I LAY DYING are back with their follow up album to the superb 'Shadows Are Security' with 'An Ocean Between Us'. At first listen, this album is more diverse than any other As I Lay Dying opus to date and is a new chapter in the evolution of this superb band. The intro slowly builds up into the the opener entitled 'Nothing Left'. This is a brilliant track and well worthy of starting off this album.

Next is the title track, 'An Ocean Between Us' and this is another superb track on this album with its very catchy chorus. Both these opening two tracks are classic As I Lay Dying tunes. These two tracks have more clean lyrics (even though the majority are rough) in them than I have heard in a while from As I Lay Dying and it works extremely well especially when it changes all of a sudden from clean to rough.

'Within Destruction' is for the majority a fast and heavy paced number which will definitely have those circle pits that frontman Tim Lambesis loves so much from the crowd going. 'Forsaken' has a brilliant intro to the song, slowly building up to some outstanding guitar work with some crunching riffs. Another catchy clean chorus is shown in this track and its good to hear that the vocals are not so one dimensional as sometimes they are in an As I Lay Dying track.

As usual, the production is excellent, but what would you expect from one of the best bands on the heavier side of the metal scene today. Guitars, bass, drums, vocals. All are set at the right levels and can be distinguished from one another. This is shown in a typical As I Lay Dying track entitled 'Comfort Betrays'. 'I Never Wanted' is a slower than usual track we are used to from these, but it maintains that heavy atmosphere throughout. More use of the clean vocals are also portrayed within this track. Soon enough we get back to the norm with 'Bury Us All'. As the shortest proper track on album at nearly two and half minutes, this is heavy, fast paced in parts and brutal with its riffs. A song perfect for moshing to.

'The Sound of Truth' is an absolutely brilliant track, with some outstanding riffs, and lyrics as well. The flow of the song is awesome. It is so smooth the way it changes between the chorus and verses that it is a fine example of how to write a brilliant tune. Now recently, there have been a few albums I have listened to with instrumental interludes on, and every single one was pointless as it added nothing to the album. When i first heard this, I thought, 'Oh no, not another pointless waste of time on an album', but I was glad to hear that it actually built up into the next song which none of the others did, therefore giving it meaning to the album. And with that the album comes to a close with two more very good tracks entitled 'Wrath Upon Ourselves' (which has a really good choral section to it) and 'This Is Who We Are'.

'An Ocean Between Us' is a solid album throughout, and shows that As I Lay Dying are still one of the best new age metal outfits out there. The album is more diverse than previous efforts, and it is nice to hear as well as more clean vocals than usual. The tracks flow very well and the energy is never lost on this album from start to finish. Any As I Lay Dying fan will be more than happy with this album, and hopefully they should gain more support on these shores from this release and make them more well known in the UK as they are in their homeland of the USA.

The power of this album lies in the doubtles commitment that comes from hard work and a cause, that reaches beyond mere profit and the lords of this world. The track "Bury us all" has the immense power of a steamroller and the speed of a Hummer. When you add the christian truth from the chorus: "this is our chance - our time to stand" - the spirit of the old days rises from the ashes. Thank you guys - Gods speed!

This album has a different feal to it than the last as i lay dying ones. The album seems more solid and it show the bands progression, probably because there is only one member change since the last album, which for this band, is quite an achievement. It's very fast paced, even the ballad type songs are mental. Tims lead vocals are really strong and the addition of more back up vocals than the last albums, adds another dimension to the band, and leads to catchy chorus' too. As always with AILD, you get the wickedly fast drums and guitar rifts that never cease to disapoint.
I haven't got a favorite , or least favourite song yet, just beware when first listening (really loudly) when you go from the chilled out instrumental, Departed, into Wrath Upon Ourselves. Nearly had a bloody heartache!! LOL!! Once i got over that, the CD has hardly been out of the player.
This album is REALLY GOOD. Buy it and you won't regret it.