As I Lay Dying – The Powerless Rise

Review by Meeks

It’s Different.  The casual As I Lay Dying listener will think it’s the same noise and screaming, when it’s not.  The diehard listener will notice right away that it’s different from the rest.  All of the 4 AILD albums have their own sound and signature, but you still know that it’s AILD.  If you were to pull a song from Frail, Shadows, and Oceans you would recognize the sound of Tim’s voice or Jordan’s fierce double bass and Nick’s and Phil’s powerful guitars.  When I first listened to Powerless Rise and I won’t lie, I heard it from a leak and was so excited to hear it I couldn’t wait.  I thought it was a fake.  The first song Beyond Suffering is so fierce and brutal with minimal clean vocals from Josh.  I can really hear Adam D’s production influence on this song in that it sounded Killswitch’ish.  Tim’s voice sounds different, mature, and clearer on the screams.  It wasn’t until track two that I was certain it was them.

Anodyne Sea.  Oh wow what an unbelievable song this is.  This track is making a strong push at becoming my favorite AILD track.  I knew I had the right leak when I heard this song.  I knew this was them and I got excited again.  Anodyne Sea is a song that you know each member of the band had a blast playing.  When the song hits breakdown at the 2:57 mark I lose my mind.  Every time I hear it to this day I still lose it.  The guys should do more breakdowns like this.

I will add that the thing I enjoy the most out of this new effort is that Tim’s vocals, as I mentioned earlier, are clearer and easier to understand.  In looking at Youtube clips at the making of the album I saw that he took more time and was more conscious of the listener being able to understand him through the roars.  The album I believe falls away from the complexities that Oceans left us with and given blank discography I would see this album coming after Frail before Shadows rather than after Oceans.  The song “Plague” continues this albums style of being brutal and in your face faster hardcore tone that Powerless Rise sets.   Another strong track that is single worthy (like that matters now a days) is Condemned.  The song has a more balanced feel to it and I see it as an easy choice for a single.   I will touch on one more song and a stand out track in my mind.  The Blinding Of False Light wraps up the album.  Tim was feeling it on this song and I had to go back to this one thanks to Teets who IM’d me the lyrics on it.  I know AILD don’t promote themselves as being a “Christian Hardcore” but this song is so powerful and positive.  “And now it ends, and now it ends, not with defeat but determination!” Tim yells.  I think that it is an awesome track to finish a well rounded album especially starting with Beyond Our Suffering

One of the sad things about Powerless Rise is that, I hate to say this so much………I skip songs.  I don’t find myself doing that on the other albums.  I get the feeling that the album was rushed and I know that is not possible giving the 3 year span between Oceans and now.  I get a mashed up feeling listening to this one where there is no distinction of songs just brutality and speed mostly.  Don’t get me wrong I am totally happy to have new As I Lay Dying in my iPod.   I appreciate what the band does day in and day out for us as fans, but this is a review after all.   The album does provide some awesome new songs and perhaps my new favorite song form them, but I feel it falls short compared to the others.  I still am happy to add this to my As I Lay Dying collection.