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Track Listings
| 1. Cauterize |
| 2. A Greater Foundation |
| 3. Resilience |
| 4. Wasted Words |
| 5. Whispering Silence |
| 6. Overcome |
| 7. No Lungs to Breathe |
| 8. Defender |
| 9. Washed Away |
| 10. My Only Home |
| 11. Tear Out My Eyes |
Editorial Reviews
2012 release, the sixth studio album from the San Diego-based Metal band. The album was produced by Bill Stevenson (the drummer of the Descendents) and recorded at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado and Lambesis Studios in San Diego, California. Features the single 'Cauterize'.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
So I've been listening to AILD since An Ocean Between Us (favorite album by the way), and I must say. This is an awesome album. I would say this album is the brutal breakdowns and thrash of Shadows are Security with the technicality of Powerless Rise. The album production is awesome, which I was worried it wasn't going to be with Adam D. not doing it. Nick solo's have DRASTICALLY improved, and the breakdowns are not the same as every other band. Overall, awesome album, quickly becoming my second favorite on just a few listens.
NOTE: There is alot more singing in this album, almost to the point of Killswitch Engage's level a couple times. I don't mind it, but some people might.
NOTE: There is alot more singing in this album, almost to the point of Killswitch Engage's level a couple times. I don't mind it, but some people might.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Awakened is one of the most surprising and difficult to explain of the 2012 releases so far. In a few words, it's a confusing and over stimulating album first listen through. Imagine As I Lay Dying meets punk rock and rock & roll. Since I figured you'd want me to cut to the chase, I'll list the pros and cons before my review and you can decide if I'm credible enough.
Cons:
Every song is an epic shred fest (minus the instrumental); it can get exhausting listening when the usual As I Lay Dying dynamics are something along the lines of heavy, soft, heavy, middle, ect...here it is fast with it being fairly heavy every song.
One or two choruses may be just a little too "poppy" for fans.
Even though it's about the same length as past releases, the ending just feels too abrupt and leaves you "needing" more.
Pros:
Best production quality of any of their past releases.
Best use of gang vocals yet.
Best pronunciation in screams yet.
Most audible and well mixed clean vocals yet.
Verse lyrics are poetic and deep as always, however, Tim (lyricist) manages to simplify the chorus lyrics to something catchy and to the point unlike most past releases.
Best solos yet.
There's a variety of styles on the album.
Josh (clean vocals) gets to show his prowess as a vocalist even if a decent chunk of fans hate clean vocals in general.
These songs will be great live.
Review:
Early 2012, As I Lay Dying started looking for a new producer for the next album. Adam D was more than busy with the new Killswitch release, so they had to look elsewhere. They found Bill Stevenson, who is a renowned producer of bands like Rise Against...ect. He was also the drummer for the punk band The Descendants. He not only helped produce the highest quality release yet, he also led the band to change the style of this album up a bit.
Awakened starts out with Cauterize, the traditional As I Lay Dying sounding song. I think this is a great starting song considering how much the other songs deviate from the usual. It's almost like the band saying: "Here's what our songs usually sound like, you won't be hearing any of this for the rest of the album." This is both the band's greatest achievement and to some their greatest downfall; I personally find it to be the better of the two. As I Lay Dying tries a plethora of different styles, all of which I believe were done successfully. To account for the rather big changeup, they decided to switch album artists, which was sort of a kick in the nostalgia. While I prefer the original artist's style, the new one isn't bad, just different.
First listen through, I was unsure how I felt. Every song had a similar intensity and each delved into slightly new territory.
Second time through, I blasted this in the car with my friend on a night drive. It then came to me; this album was meant to be a nonstop headbanger.
The traditional sound of As I Lay Dying has merged with aspects of both punk and rock & roll. It's quite a bit different from anything they've ever done before. If you compare past albums to this, one after the other, you'll notice how big the gap really is. At first I was sort of bummed that I wasn't listening to "An Ocean Between Us #2", but then I realized that the differences each album have is what makes this band so incredibly refreshing. If An Ocean Between Us was dark melodic and The Powerless Rise was dark Thrash, this is more along the lines of light melodic. They do an amazing job of creating catchy as hell songs on this release. I mean, the band is already known for each one of their songs being incredibly well crafted and all, but this takes it to a whole new level; I will never skip a song on this album.
The most notable difference with this album is how much less Jordan uses the double bass. I think it works well with the album; there ARE 4 other albums with some heavy double bass anyway :).
The biggest gripe I have with the album is the mixing choice of some of the choruses' vocals. Josh has a great raw voice, but they softened up his voice a bit too much for some songs (softened is different from autotune). After hearing the rough demo of A Greater Foundation in which Josh has non tampered vocals, I realized how much better a rawer version of his vocals would sound on the album as a whole, considering the new rock and & roll/punk influenced songs.
The biggest improvement As I Lay Dying has made on this album is for sure the solos. They are all so insanely catchy and headbanger worthy. Trust me.
Anyways, all cripes aside, I think this will be the most surprising release of 2012. Everyone expected the same, but were given something completely different. Those differences were done extremely well, unlike other bands who tried something different and basically died off because of it. The average Joe will hear the outdated and incorrect term "metalcore" for this band, but someone experienced with this genre will know that the band has left the jurisdiction of metalcore and have become something else...though I'm not sure what yet.
Give this a try if you're a skeptic; I loved the album.
Cons:
Every song is an epic shred fest (minus the instrumental); it can get exhausting listening when the usual As I Lay Dying dynamics are something along the lines of heavy, soft, heavy, middle, ect...here it is fast with it being fairly heavy every song.
One or two choruses may be just a little too "poppy" for fans.
Even though it's about the same length as past releases, the ending just feels too abrupt and leaves you "needing" more.
Pros:
Best production quality of any of their past releases.
Best use of gang vocals yet.
Best pronunciation in screams yet.
Most audible and well mixed clean vocals yet.
Verse lyrics are poetic and deep as always, however, Tim (lyricist) manages to simplify the chorus lyrics to something catchy and to the point unlike most past releases.
Best solos yet.
There's a variety of styles on the album.
Josh (clean vocals) gets to show his prowess as a vocalist even if a decent chunk of fans hate clean vocals in general.
These songs will be great live.
Review:
Early 2012, As I Lay Dying started looking for a new producer for the next album. Adam D was more than busy with the new Killswitch release, so they had to look elsewhere. They found Bill Stevenson, who is a renowned producer of bands like Rise Against...ect. He was also the drummer for the punk band The Descendants. He not only helped produce the highest quality release yet, he also led the band to change the style of this album up a bit.
Awakened starts out with Cauterize, the traditional As I Lay Dying sounding song. I think this is a great starting song considering how much the other songs deviate from the usual. It's almost like the band saying: "Here's what our songs usually sound like, you won't be hearing any of this for the rest of the album." This is both the band's greatest achievement and to some their greatest downfall; I personally find it to be the better of the two. As I Lay Dying tries a plethora of different styles, all of which I believe were done successfully. To account for the rather big changeup, they decided to switch album artists, which was sort of a kick in the nostalgia. While I prefer the original artist's style, the new one isn't bad, just different.
First listen through, I was unsure how I felt. Every song had a similar intensity and each delved into slightly new territory.
Second time through, I blasted this in the car with my friend on a night drive. It then came to me; this album was meant to be a nonstop headbanger.
The traditional sound of As I Lay Dying has merged with aspects of both punk and rock & roll. It's quite a bit different from anything they've ever done before. If you compare past albums to this, one after the other, you'll notice how big the gap really is. At first I was sort of bummed that I wasn't listening to "An Ocean Between Us #2", but then I realized that the differences each album have is what makes this band so incredibly refreshing. If An Ocean Between Us was dark melodic and The Powerless Rise was dark Thrash, this is more along the lines of light melodic. They do an amazing job of creating catchy as hell songs on this release. I mean, the band is already known for each one of their songs being incredibly well crafted and all, but this takes it to a whole new level; I will never skip a song on this album.
The most notable difference with this album is how much less Jordan uses the double bass. I think it works well with the album; there ARE 4 other albums with some heavy double bass anyway :).
The biggest gripe I have with the album is the mixing choice of some of the choruses' vocals. Josh has a great raw voice, but they softened up his voice a bit too much for some songs (softened is different from autotune). After hearing the rough demo of A Greater Foundation in which Josh has non tampered vocals, I realized how much better a rawer version of his vocals would sound on the album as a whole, considering the new rock and & roll/punk influenced songs.
The biggest improvement As I Lay Dying has made on this album is for sure the solos. They are all so insanely catchy and headbanger worthy. Trust me.
Anyways, all cripes aside, I think this will be the most surprising release of 2012. Everyone expected the same, but were given something completely different. Those differences were done extremely well, unlike other bands who tried something different and basically died off because of it. The average Joe will hear the outdated and incorrect term "metalcore" for this band, but someone experienced with this genre will know that the band has left the jurisdiction of metalcore and have become something else...though I'm not sure what yet.
Give this a try if you're a skeptic; I loved the album.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Bill
Format:Audio CD
Let me start out by saying that I've followed As I Lay Dying and been a fan since their inception; I love them and think they're great people and great musicians. But that won't make me say that I like everything they do. Let me give two reviews of this album, one for those who are just beginning to listen to As I Lay Dying and those who have been fans since Frail Words Collapse.
Newcomers:
Awakened is a great album. Tim Lambesis is a fantastic screamer with a lot of power and passion in his voice, and his lyrics are deep and meaningful (something I really appreciate in a singer). Josh Gilbert sings on (if I'm not mistaken) every track, so you'll find that the songs of Awakened have both screamed and sung vocals. Josh's voice is really good, sometimes better than others, but I find it is more often than not full of passion, and it just sounds clean and crisp; I really like it. Jordan is a great drummer, I've always been a fan, and it shows in each song. The guitar work is superb, there are great, catchy, technical riffs, some quick breakdowns, and solos that make you think of the classic 80's metal bands (at least that's what they make me think of, not anything mediocre, that's for sure). (I think that perhaps those 80's metal bands have influenced them a lot on this record.) The songs, in general, I don't think are too heavy. With Josh's frequent singing I might consider this a hard rock album more than a metalcore album--but Tim screams enough still that it's still hardcore music. Anyone just checking out As I Lay Dying I think would really like this album and I would recommend it. And I would highly recommend their earlier work.
For those who have known As I Lay Dying's previous stuff:
Having been a fan from the beginning, and really loving what they had to offer on Frail Words Collapse and (especially) Shadows Are Security, I was very disappointed in Awakened. Their first two albums were heavy and nothing after has compared. I feel like An Ocean Between Us was the turning point: it had some aspects of their previous work, and also paved a way to what they do now. I feel like now, as indicated on Awakened, they sacrifice their original heavy sound for too much focus on lead guitar sections and solos. Tim's screams are better, but sometimes they sound forced as he tries to sing to the thrash-metal-like riffs that are getting written now (which riffs I do not like). If you like more technical guitar work, which I do like and appreciate in the right way, you'll really like Awakened, but if you want another heavy album like Shadows Are Security, one that has great metal riffs and hardcore breakdowns, I would really recommend spending your money on another band that can satisfy that desire.
To summarize my long review:
I hope my thoughts on the album have helped you in your decision. To summarize, I really liked Awakened, As I Lay Dying has leaped forward and shown how good they are as musicians, but I don't think the album has the same grueling oomph that their earlier work had. I give it a 4 star overall, because even with my disappointment in it (which might convince me to give it a 3 star), it really is a very well done album.
Newcomers:
Awakened is a great album. Tim Lambesis is a fantastic screamer with a lot of power and passion in his voice, and his lyrics are deep and meaningful (something I really appreciate in a singer). Josh Gilbert sings on (if I'm not mistaken) every track, so you'll find that the songs of Awakened have both screamed and sung vocals. Josh's voice is really good, sometimes better than others, but I find it is more often than not full of passion, and it just sounds clean and crisp; I really like it. Jordan is a great drummer, I've always been a fan, and it shows in each song. The guitar work is superb, there are great, catchy, technical riffs, some quick breakdowns, and solos that make you think of the classic 80's metal bands (at least that's what they make me think of, not anything mediocre, that's for sure). (I think that perhaps those 80's metal bands have influenced them a lot on this record.) The songs, in general, I don't think are too heavy. With Josh's frequent singing I might consider this a hard rock album more than a metalcore album--but Tim screams enough still that it's still hardcore music. Anyone just checking out As I Lay Dying I think would really like this album and I would recommend it. And I would highly recommend their earlier work.
For those who have known As I Lay Dying's previous stuff:
Having been a fan from the beginning, and really loving what they had to offer on Frail Words Collapse and (especially) Shadows Are Security, I was very disappointed in Awakened. Their first two albums were heavy and nothing after has compared. I feel like An Ocean Between Us was the turning point: it had some aspects of their previous work, and also paved a way to what they do now. I feel like now, as indicated on Awakened, they sacrifice their original heavy sound for too much focus on lead guitar sections and solos. Tim's screams are better, but sometimes they sound forced as he tries to sing to the thrash-metal-like riffs that are getting written now (which riffs I do not like). If you like more technical guitar work, which I do like and appreciate in the right way, you'll really like Awakened, but if you want another heavy album like Shadows Are Security, one that has great metal riffs and hardcore breakdowns, I would really recommend spending your money on another band that can satisfy that desire.
To summarize my long review:
I hope my thoughts on the album have helped you in your decision. To summarize, I really liked Awakened, As I Lay Dying has leaped forward and shown how good they are as musicians, but I don't think the album has the same grueling oomph that their earlier work had. I give it a 4 star overall, because even with my disappointment in it (which might convince me to give it a 3 star), it really is a very well done album.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awakened
Bought a vinyl version of this and I'm really happy. This is a great album and As I lay Dying did a great job. Nice and heavy!
Published 1 month ago by Spanky Classic
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME!
As a huge fan of Metal and a huge fan of As I Lay Dying, I really like this disc. I highly recommend anyone into Metal give them a listen. They are a great band!
Published 1 month ago by Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars
There best work yet
I purchased this cd because I liked there other material. This album has blown my mine! Every song is awesome. I cannot skip one track on this cd. Buy it if you like them. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jordan Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Album of 2012
From Start to finish , a great album. Hands down best album of 2012 next to Texas in july. Don't listen to the poor reviews out there, Even the samples are great.
Published 1 month ago by Keith Vanoskey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always enjoy As I lay Dying
I felt it was a strong album, and I was very glad to see new, non-recycled material. Five stars, alas, I am a biased observer.
Published 2 months ago by Justen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well done!!!
Awesome riffs, melodic, hard, heavy, originality, musicians' chemistry, great lyrics, great vocals, a lot of heart and soul, five stars all the way!!!
Published 2 months ago by Gregg H. McPeek
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surpassing Excellence
Although As I Lay Dying received negative criticism for their album The Powerless Rise back in 2010, they added a refreshing spark of creativity with the release of Decas soon... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Zachary Winger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just gets better and better
AILD just doesn't stop creating some of the best and creative music. This is another killer album that I can listen to any day, all day.
Published 2 months ago by Chance Croff
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME
I love As I Lay Dying. They were the band that got me into metal, now my favorite genre of music. After listening to so many other bands that are okay, I can always come back to... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Josias Sakai
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another good album
This album has all the energy you'd expect from an As I Lay Dying album, and there are still plenty of catchy melodies.
Published 3 months ago by Charles Nelson
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