July 1, 2003 - Frail Words Collapse

Two weeks after my last release and two years since "Beneath The Encasing Of Ashes", As I Lay Dying released their second album "Frail Words Collapse" on July 1, 2003. Bassist Noah Chase has left the band and he is not replaced as these guys briefly become a three-piece with guitarist Evan White playing the bass as well. As I Lay Dying are still playing the same super heavy style of metalcore, but this is their first album on a major label (Metal Blade Records) so the production quality has gone up. Let's see what their latest has to offer!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "94 Hours" and it's surprising that any of these songs were "singles" considering how heavy and non-radio-friendly these guys are. They start with a speedy verse with some cool guitars and some nice heavy bass by White, some nice speedy drums by Jordan Mancino and some pretty brutal-sounding vocals by Tim Lambesis. They break things down for a slower chorus, but it sounds super dirty and sweet and the heaviness is still off the charts! After a couple pretty sweet rounds they take things down a notch for the final minute with White playing some nice slower, epic guitar and this was a pretty awesome way to kick things off! Up next is "Falling Upon Deaf Ears" and they jump into another fast and pretty cool main riff and it's the same style as their debut, but you really notice the improved production quality as everything is mixed and sounds nice and tight. The chorus has a cool stop-and-start riff that sounds pretty good and Lambesis hits plenty of nice high screams in both the verse and chorus. This pretty much sums up this shorter song, but my head was banging the whole way through, no complaints here! Track 3 is the other "single" called "Forever" and they jump right into a typical(ly heavy and cool) chorus with Lambesis sounding good as usual and White leading the way with some more cool metalcore riffs. Someone who's not a fan of metalcore would probably say "All these songs sound the same", but these guys are stringing together some pretty ruthless riffs that all sound very punishing, but they are unique and this song is filled with all kinds of good guitars; words couldn't possibly recap it all. This near five minute song does have some accessible, slower parts to it (including some not-so-good clean vocals in the background) so I can see why this was chosen for a single, but it's still ultimately pretty damn heavy and while it might've been a little more straightforward for these guys, it's still cool for sure. The next track is "Collision" and White jumps right into a fast, intricate and really cool main guitar riff and also adds some nice heavy bass to back it. Lambesis sounds like his usual awesome self; he sounds so effortlessly heavy and every word he screams just has so much bite to it! Words are not doing proper justice here at all; the song sticks to the main drag, but it's a pretty wicked main drag the whole way through. Track 5 is "Distance Is Darkness" and White jumps right into a wonderfully heavy riff which has super low and super high guitar notes and Mancino is playing some  super fast and pretty awesome drums as well. Lambesis provides some more great vocals, even mixing in some abnormal lower screams that sound great! That along with his usual sweet higher screams and everything on this song sounds wicked! Things take a very abrupt turn as they slow things down and switch to a much simpler guitar riff to close out the song and this unfortunately goes on for almost a minute of this two and a half minute song. The rest of it was phenomenal, what a strange and disappointing way to end it. Up next is a song that was also on their debut album, the album closer "Behind Me Lies Another Fallen Soldier", but this version is a little over a minute shorter (3:02 compared to 4:13 for the original). It starts the same and other than the improved production quality it's pretty much the same song, which irks me a little; I don't think bands should really be repeating songs on their first and second albums. They also just cut off the final minute-plus, so this is not my favourite choice at all, despite the song itself being a fine slower metalcore jam. Track 7 is a two minute song called "Undefined" and it's got a fast-paced, typical main riff led by some cool guitars with Lambesis sounding like his usual solid self. There's a nice breakdown to the chorus with White playing a catchy new guitar riff that sounds great. They go through another solid round and it's over, no complaints here! The next track is even shorter at 1:45 and is called "A Thousand Steps". White plays some pretty awesome guitar on this one with a fast and coop main riff and a fantastic and super heavy chorus riff! Mancino's drums are off the charts as well and they pack a lot of awesomeness into this short song, really nicely done! Some great, super heavy metalcore! Track 9 is "The Beginning" and White dives right into a super fast and cool main guitar riff while also adding some nice heavy bass to back himself. Words don't do proper justice, it's a great riff, especially for the driving, main riff. They briefly slow things down after the first round with a nice breakdown, then fire back into the next heavy, headbanging round. After this round and another slow breakdown the song ends on a really long final note that is probably about twelve seconds too long, I don't think it's really adding anything, but it was still largely another pretty cool tune. The next track is just called "Song 10" and it stands out with a super slow, pretty light opening that is unlike anything else on the album. White plays some decent light guitar to lead the way and Mancino adds some nice light drums to match the mood. After a minute and a half they finally move past the Intro section and into a light main riff with White playing some more cool light guitar and now adding some low, simple bass to the rhythm section. After two and a half minutes Lambesis finally joins in and the guitars shift to their usual loud and heavy, but continue to play the same slow riff. Lambesis sounds pretty good screaming overtop the slow, heavy music and I like that this song is distinctly different than their norm, but still very interesting. Track 11 is "The Pain Of Separation" and they jump right into yet another cool main riff that words don't properly do justice to. White is just full of sweet guitar riffs and this one is no different, and Lambesis continues to sound heavy as ever screaming high for the most part, but hitting a few nice deep screams as well! After a couple rounds they Segue really nicely into a new riff and this new riff is also pretty awesome! It ramps up, gets faster and faster and culminates with a slow, epic part with Mancino playing some cool drums that really nicely segue back to the main riff! Both transitions were done really well and this was a pretty wicked song! The final song on the album is "Elegy" and White once again leads the way with a fast, but very intricate and pretty sweet guitar riff and most of As I Lay Dying's main riffs could be solos by other bands, it's another excellent metal riff to drive things along! Lambesis sounds awesome as always, but this song sounds particularly epic and awesome as I headbang the whole way through. It's relentless heavy vocals and cool guitar for the entire near-five minute song and I think it's a pretty great way to close out this album.

That is the end of "Frail Words Collapse" and I thought it was a pretty awesome album by As I Lay Dying! They are just wxploding with all kinds of great metal on this album and all three members are on top of their game with great drums throughout, a fuck ton of awesome guitar and some consistently, relentlessly heavy vocals. I think it's way better than their debut album and I'm really excited to see where As I Lay Dying go from here. Well done guys!