### As I Lay Dying: The powerless rise

#### 21/07/10 || HailandKill

What’s a powerless rise? Erectile dysfunction? The meaning behind the album title may forever be a head-scratcher, but there’s certainly no guess work involved with As I Lay Dying. They’re christian metalcore. Everything the staff here at GD loath and despise. As for HailandKill, despite the fearsome name, he’s quite the charitable fellow willing to hear whomever makes an effort to occupy our musical craving.

For its opening salvo of music the band give us a positive message wrapped in a br00tal cheeseburger, which is basically As I Lay Dying’s entire career in a nutshell. But the ferocity of “Beyond Our Suffering” no longer packs the expected bite after five albums of the same songs from the quintet. Despite selling in the millions, and perhaps because they sell in the millions, the As I Lay Dying sound has become a predictable beast and makes no apologies about it. But then again, that’s how you make it in the biz. HailandKill is no expert, and never will be, but it does help (a LOT) when your band occupies it’s own niche. The niche becomes a platform you use to build an audience, blahblahblah… Just take this website’s ‘mascot’ band, The Project Hate MCMCXIX. It’s christian hating sonic artillery with everything on it. Attractive, right? Now look at As I Lay Dying. Melodic thrash with death metal tidbits and emo-clean singing multiplied by five albums, each with skulls on the cover. Boys and girls, this is exactly what Brian Posehn was complaining about on his “Metal By Numbers” parody video.

So does “The Powerless Rise” suck? HailandKill actually enjoyed a lot of the songs here. His faves are the ones that blend thrash grit, a considerable amount of heft, and enough energy to get the kids in hoodies at the shows to start doing their flying kicks. “Anodyne Sea” is priceless, so is the cheesy “Parallels”, the vibrant “Anger And Apathy”, the no holds barred “Condemned” that kicks you right in the cunt, plus the epic “The Only Constant is Change”. All the rest are filler of different shades. You can also forget the guitar solos, Tim Lambesis’ vocals, and simply stick to the riffs, which the band are experts at. The drums too. HailandKill thinks Jordan Mancino’s relentless seismic beats will make your balls tingle.

On the cover: Skulls. HailandKill hates seeing skulls on albums.

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Metal Blade
- Website: As I Lay Dying MySpace
- Band
- Tim Lambesis: vocals
- Nick Hippa: guitars
- Phil Sgross: guitars
- Josh Gilbert: bass
- Jordan Mancino: drums

- Tracklist
- 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