Project Description
AS I LAY DYING
‘Shaped By Fire’
(Album Review)
Reviewer: Connor Gutteridge
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Nuclear Blast Records is proud to welcome the worldwide signing of As I Lay Dying. The band’s seventh album, Shaped By Fire, was released on September 20th via Nuclear Blast.
As I Lay Dying comments, “We are tremendously grateful to have found positive resolve from the worst moments of our history. The previous chapter of our journey was one of pervasive hurt and pain. Subsequent years found us on varied paths—all of which slowly led towards resolutions of growth, healing, and reconciliation. AS I LAY DYING’s collective purpose is to share a message of hope for everyone through the empowering outlet of music, and we are humbled by the overwhelming support we have received from family, friends, and fans so far.
We are honoured to join forces with Nuclear Blast Worldwide in releasing our new album Shaped By Fire. Their legacy and contribution to the heavy music scene is undeniably incredible and we are proud to call their label home. We are thankful for their support and enthusiasm and together we look forward to sharing the best AILD record yet!
In conjunction with our new album announcement, we are excited to share a music video for the title track‘Shaped by Fire‘. While lyrically akin to the other Shaped By Fire single releases‘My Own Grave‘ and ‘Redefined‘, we explored some different musical territory to incorporate within our established sound. We’d like to thank our director Mathis Arnell, all of the crew, and actors that contributed to making this video with us under the very hot conditions!
We look forward to seeing our fans out on the road as we embark on the Latin American, European, and US tours before closing the book on 2019.”
Shaped By Fire was produced by the band and was mixed by Joseph McQueen at Sparrow Sound in Los Angeles, CA while mastering was completed by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in Nashville, TN. The only exception was for the track ‘My Own Grave‘ which was produced by As I Lay Dying, co-produced by Drew Fulk and mixed by Adam “Nolly” Getgood. The artwork was created by Corey Meyers.
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Burn To emerge/Blinded
The album is introduced to the world with an anticipation building incremental intro called Burn To Emerge before busting into the first banger on the album called Blinded. The fade between the two tracks is such a cool effect that they have utilised in the video released for Blinded.
The use a drop of all layers before busting through the gates with the drum and guitar riff combination to start off the song. I really love how they have arranged these two tracks together and especially love it when bands add an intro to an album because it gives the fans a sense of what to expect in the early stages of the As I Lay Dying live experience.
The song Blinded is a fast-paced riff driven song that has a lot of dynamic range throughout with the use of lots of guitar licks throughout to get the point across that As I Lay Dying is back and better than ever. The chorus is a melodic driven section with a catchy guitar line over the top to create substance to the section, not that it needed anything else.
The ever-changing drum lines in this track is a highlight for me, the punchy sound of the kick drum going off like machine guns and the snapping of the snare mixed to perfection. The bridge section after the second chorus has heaps of intriguing elements in it that are nothing short of a treat for the listener to hear. Everything from the use of a fat divebomb, to a breakdown style drum beat and a technical quick guitar solo. What an awesome way to introduce the new album, could it get better than this? Just wait.
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Shaped by Fire
The third track on the album is Shaped By Fire and is the album title track. In the very beginning there is a short drum introduction before the rest of the band open the flood gates on this track. I really like this because it gives the backbone of the band a chance to shine without the intrusion of other elements, not that he doesn’t shine normally anyway.
The contrast between clean and dirty vocals throughout the track is a statement to how well arranged this song is as it is easy to make a chorus clean and verses dirty; however, it’s a whole other ball park to mix the two together in any section of a song.
This is exactly what they have done with this track during the choruses and they have absolutely killed it. I really like the breakdown/guitar solo section of the track as they seem to mesh well side by side, right from the initial hit of the china to indicate the beginning of something big to come, right through to the kind of drop section post guitar solo. Again just a statement to how well this track is arranged.
Undertow
Next, we have track number four titled Undertow which is signally named after the line in the chorus “the undertow is pulling me”. The track starts with a roll on the snare, distorted guitar line and the dirty vocals as a form of intro to the song.
This section is very effective at pulling the listener along through the progression of the song before busting into the signature hi-hat/snare 1-2 repetition that is holding a pace for a solid guitar lick. This has become very popular with the band as it’s a technique they have used quite a few times in their writing and has become something of a signature element for the band.
Another cool technique they have used in this track and a few others on this album is the use of the drum pattern change to progress through the sections of the song without seemingly loosing any of the dynamics needed to make the track as full feeling as it is.
A highlight of the track for me is the use of the synchronised rhythm guitar and drum pattern for majority of the song, if you listen closely for majority of the song the rhythm guitar and the kick drum are in sync with each other, An effective but very difficult technique to pull off. I also especially love the outro of this song going back to that heavy breakdown section to finish off the song with one last punch in the face, it gives the listeners something to enjoy one last time.
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Torn Between
Torn Between in the fifth track on the new album and with it comes a different kind of feel to the rest of the album while still keeping with the styles and elements that we know and love. The biggest change to this track from the rest of the album so far is the use of the prolonged fade in the intro that has an incremental build of the rhythmic section overdubbed with whisper vocals.
As with many other of their tracks this is put in place to build anticipation for the track to drop into full force in the verse. The massive dynamic shift between the two different sections of the intro is caused by the insertion of the full band element to create a full heavy sound with the use of a big scream to introduce the section.
I really enjoy the variety that this band has given the listener with this track, there is everything from a slow intro, fast paced verse, melodic with screaming section, melodic with clean vocals section and much much more.
The highlight for me for this track is the way that the tapping guitar line in the chorus mesh’s with the rhythmic guitar chords to serve as a backing for the clean vocals. This is a strong element to this track as it gives the song lots of substance and depth to the arrangement of elements.
Gatekeeper
The next track on this already cracker of an album is Gatekeeper and keeping with the theme of the album so far its another heavy headbanger of a track. With another fade in intro before busting into a riff that sounds like it written from a mode scale (couldn’t tell you which one), this track has the potential to have the pits moving wild.
I really enjoy the power chord riffs that they utilise throughout the track during the verses along with the quick sweep style licks work well to make a cool sounding verse.
The choruses with those triplet alternate picking riffs remind me of a kind of Bleed by Meshuggah kind of riff. This track is the first track to not contain any clean vocals which is a mix up from the rest of the album, labelling it as one of the heavier less melodic tracks from the record.
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The Wreckage
The seventh track from this record is entitled The Wreckage and is a personal favourite of mine from the track list. I really like the elemental range throughout the whole track. From starting off with the soft vocals and clean guitar line right through to the melodic driven chorus powered by the clean vocals and rhythmic section at the focal point.
One thing in particular that this band does well at is creating lots of anticipation in an incremental fashion, sliding from section to section just at the right time in the arrangement for it to be warranted. The transitions in this track are fairly well seamless without any form of wavering in dynamics or heaviness.
I really like how in the bridge section they drop down to that open note, taking the tune down to another level of low before dropping into the intro clean section. I really like how this song is arranged in that each part feels like it is perfect just where it is in the song and has been well thought out.
Another highlight of this track is the mixing of the track as a whole, the focal point in each section of the song stands out nicely and is not competing with other elements for the main focus. For example during the chorus where they have that solo style guitar lick over the chorus, it is really well tucked in between the vocals and the rhythm section allowing the vocals to soar over the rest and sits just ahead of the rhythmic section. Well done on this one!
My Own Grave
My Own Grave is the next track from the new record but by no means is this an old song, it was the first track to be released from the album after their extended hiatus. The only thing I have to say about this track above all else is, what an awesome way to reintroduce As I Lay Dying to the world.
I remember when it first came out I had it on repeat in my car for weeks. The intro begins on a clean ambient single string repetition before introducing the other guitar section with yet another ambient effect over it but this time with some really awesome sounding chord shapes.
The ringing chords and symbol hits in the intro really makes way for potentially the strongest track on the album. The verses being filled with the alternate drum beat between hi hats and snare with machine gun progression kick drums; this is mashed together with a catchy guitar lick to concoct a headbanger, neck snapping verse.
I especially love the pre-chorus and how it leads into the chorus with the drop into the long chords similar to the intro section, leading into the same long chord style from the rhythm guitarist in the chorus. This works as a kind of break up between the progressive guitar riffing to the chord melodic section.
In my opinion the vocal melody in the chorus is the highlight of the track, with a catchy hook and melodic line that will get stuck in your head to fit perfectly over the top of all the other elements being played in the chorus. There isn’t a lot more I can say about this track other than if you haven’t heard it yet 1. What are you doing?? And 2. Go check it out; your welcome. Killer way for the band to come back into the world.
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Take What’s Left
The next track from the new album Shaped By Fire is titled Take What’s Left and in my opinion, it’s suitably named as I can already envision them playing this one live and everyone using all their energy headbanging to this one. This is another track with a two-section intro, half being the clean guitar line section in the beginning and the second half being the held chord with prolonged cymbal hits before the double kicks kick into gear.
I really love when bands do this, I feel it gets the listener ready for something big to come next. The normal unclean, non-melodic verses side by side with the clean, melodic choruses to give it variety in sound. I have to say the fast-double kicks used in the first part of the chorus gives me Goosebumps as a listener and a fan.
The biggest element in this song with the most lasting substance I must say comes from the rhythm section and mainly the bass and drum section, the tone on the drums and bass really gives the track width and depth in the arrangement, making it a big song. Another very solid track from this album and another one of my favourites from the album.
Redefined
Redefined is the tenth track on the album and was one of the four pre-releases and as I’ve said with the other 3 tracks that were released to promote the album, they have all done a great job of giving a broad taste of what the album is going to be like.
With a very cool intensifying fade in the beginning that sounds like the augmentation of the distortion with the scream vocals over the top. This is another track the utilised the synchronisation between all elements of the rhythm section just it a punchy feel with the odd kick drum patterns.
The whole track is placed together well with each section having its own unique swing on it. The choruses are written so well it be placed exactly where they are to compliment the rest of the track and its elements. Yet another awesome track from the album.
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Only After We Have Fallen
Here we are down to the last two tracks on the album with track eleven called Only After We Have Fallen. There is an element that a lot of different bands struggle with when writing an album and that is keeping elements of what makes them who they are without having every song sound the same.
And right when you think that this song sounds a lot like the last, they add an element of surprise and catch the listener offguard and leave them thinking – ‘oh wait that was cool because of this….’ For this track that element for me was the use of the two different vocal styles during the melodic section of the chorus and how well they worked together to create a string chorus.
In saying that, this is not the only thing that caught my ear in this song and if full of cool little alterations to the normal sound. I love the pre-chorus section where there is that guitar solo style lick that takes the focal point over the vocals to create the sense that the vocals are in the support role.
This is not something that happens very often with songs but is a sign of a lot of thought going into the writing process of this song and heaps of time focused on the mix in recording. Obviously, I am summarising and there are so many sections of this track that are amazing with this being a nice strong way of beginning the close off for this record.
The Toll It Takes
And then we had one last track…. I must say as a whole this record has been full of awesome new tracks for fans to dive into and is going to make for a great new list of tracks for the live shows. Track number twelve is titled The Toll It Takes and has the tough job of leaving the listener with something big for the listener to remember in the end, and they did just that.
With a fresh but familiar sound they have decided to stick with the normal heavy unclean sections out side of the chorus and has a sweet clean chorus. The vocals are an odd style but I have slowly but surely fallen in love with the sound and its no different with this track.
The two vocal styles mix together so well its like a concoction of beauty that is brought to life in the choruses of these well-arranged tracks. The highlight of this track for me was the guitar solo, the use of the fast-alternate picking to give it a very fast pace and then topping the whole thing off with a fat harmonic bend was so awesome. What a way to end off an awesome new album by the band As I Lay Dying.
All in all and absolutely killer new album with so much new and improved material for live shows and for fans everywhere to enjoy. Absolutely killer, Awesome stuff from As I Lay Dying.
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