As I Lay Dying has grown into a very polished band, every instrument seems to be better played and better placed in this record, especially the drums; Jordan Mancino has proven that he can play as fast as any one and his timing is impeccable, really the most outstanding feature in this record.

The riffs are heavy, fast and melodic, more into a melodic death metal orientation than a simple hardcore performance; they match the drum work with precision and serve the vocals as a good rhythm guide (I guess that’s the way is supposed to be done). Perhaps the most “ordinary” thing about the album are the vocals, they are just pure and simple metalcore, I’m not saying they are bad, is just that Tim Lambesis needs some innovation if he wants to keep up with the rest of the band.

There are songs that go from fast and heavy to melancholic, this provided by the clean vocals that are not really that great but manage to accomplish their goal with out shame or glory; perhaps they could have hired a girl to sing those clean parts, maybe that could have give this album something else to listen to.

The entire album is very catchy and energetic, with ok lyrics and some interesting approaches to metalcore; some people compare them to Killswitch Engage, but the reality is that As I Lay Dying has a more melodic approach to their music, an their speed and “brutality” is always focused in their guitars rather than their vocals.

Some songs that may catch your attention are: Confined, with fast drum work and melodic vocals; The Darkest Nights, with a nice guitar and a very melancholic groove; Empty Hearts, with a great drum and some death metal riffs in the mix and Through Struggle a nice mix of tempo changes.

This is a record for those that think of metalcore as a “not so skillful” metal genre; this is the record that may make death metal and power metal fans begin to respect this young genre.