Release Date: August 21, 2007

 

As I Lay Dying is following up their 2005 release, Shadows Are Security, with An Ocean Between Us. A lot has changed for As I Lay Dying since then, they have changed their style a lot. This album is darker and more heavier than the previous album. The first song on the album is "Seperation", it's a great opener and is perfect to lead into the next song. "Nothing Left" is the next song, and in my opinion is the greatest song on the album. There are amazing guitar riffs and guitar SOLOS, yes, guitar solos. That is something that was scarce in Shadows Are Security. "Nothing Left" is nothing short of a great song!!! The third track is the title track "An Ocean Between Us", this song is another great metal song. One thing you can always excpect from As I Lay Dying is great drumming, who has one of the fastest drummers ever! This song follows Shadows Are Security by switching to clean vocals for the chorus, which is very catch for this song. The fourth song, "Within Destruction", is one of the heavier tracks on the album. This song never lets up. Next is "Forsaken", which has a somewhat mellow beginning and then about a minute into it they kick it into gear. The sixth song, "Comfort Betrays", has some sick guitar and heavy drumming. Next is "I Never Wanted", which kind of goes into the "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen" (a song off of Frail Words Collapse) direction. After that is "Bury Us All" and then is "The Sound of Truth", which was a suprisingly catchy song and kind of sounds like Cry of The Afflicted. "The Sound of Truth" is one of the lighter tracks. The tenth song is "Departed", which is just a filler track, the song is nothing but really soft guitar. After that is "Wrath Upon Ourselves", this song is one of the more chaotic songs on the album and has really great guitar solos. The last song is "This Is Who We Are" which is a great closing song, leaves you wanting more. Overall, a great album by As I Lay Dying. A step in the right direction for them, all the hardcore AILD fans will rejoice at this album. This album has a much more matured sound than Shadows Are Security, because of the heavier sound, guitar solos, and amazing switching between screaming and clean vocals (which can be very hard to do). A great album, "Nothing Left" is the best song, and there are some hidden gems at the end of the album.

Rating: 4 Stars