AN OCEAN BETWEEN US - AS I LAY DYING
Metalcore star As I Lay Dying explained that the loose theme behind “An Ocean Between Us” addresses the divide between public expectations and the band’s own idea of success. It takes this idea to heart with such titles as “I Never Wanted” and the defining “This Is Who We Are,” and pushes in new sonic directions that abandon the somewhat linear atmosphere of breakthrough album “Shadows Are Security.” The band drops in pleasant surprises like a ripping guitar solo during the menacing “Comfort Betrays” and a pounding, melodic bridge on the title track instead of the expected breakdown. “Within Destruction” is brooding and sonorous, while “Wrath Upon Ourselves” is a startling burst of mathcore that rips a page from the Dillinger Escape Plan. Whatever the differences between As I Lay Dying’s personal desires and what its fans demand, this album surely act as a bridge.(Metal Blade Records)
