AS I LAY DYING is one of the strongest names in the Metalcore scene, being commercially successful (especially after the release of their third album, 2005’s “Shadows Are Security”) and polemics (as the arrest of the band’s singer Tim). But the success they earn is not a mere case, because their musical work is always very good, a blend between melodic Metalcore with traces of Melodic Death Metal and other elements. And now, one can ask what they can still do after all these years, and the answer is simply given by the band’s 8th and new full-length, “Through Storms Ahead”.

The musical horizons of the band seem to have expanded, with moments being able to stomp the bones of the fans flat due the massive and modern aggressive outfit (as on the cyclone of brutality heard on “We Are the Dead”), but it’s obvious that they’re still respecting the main musical core of their identity. It’s a massive blow of energy filled with many melodic hooks, excellent screams and grunts contrasting with clean tunes, and a fine and technical work on the instrumental parts, with melodies and aggressiveness being offered in the right doses, and what lovely choruses filled with hooks in the middle of strong breakdowns. In other words, “Through Storms Ahead” is a great release, an album that states that the quintet is still alive, kicking and relevant to Metal scene.

Phil Sgrosso (one of the band’s guitarists and founders) shared the responsibility of producing and recording the album with Hiram Hernandez (with Tim, Joseph McQueen and Gigi Zimmer working on the recordings as well). Aaron Chaparian (mixing) and Mike Kalajian (mastering) complete the team that was responsible to create the right sonority for “Through Storms Ahead”, and they met something intense, brutal and aggressive, but clean and defined in a way that allows the melodies and minimal instrumental arrangements to be heard. A perfect work that is enveloped by the charming artwork of Corey Meyers, and to give a special taste to the song “We Are the Dead”, here are as guests Alex Terrible (singer of SCUMSTERS and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL) and Tom Barber (singer of CHELSEA GRIN and DARKO US).

But all these efforts wouldn’t mean anything if the band hadn’t a strong set of songs. But don’t worry: the quintet is still inspired as always, as “Permanence” (a short instrumental song), “A Broken Reflection” (a massive onslaught of brutality made Metalcore, with some Thrash/Death Metal hooks in the mix, but with excellent melodies and contrasts between harsh vocals, grunts and clean tunes), “Burden”, “We Are the Dead” (a moment where Industrial Metal, Groove Metal and New Metal influences arises from the melodies and instrumental arrangements, with excellent contrasts between the vocals, but based on a fractal set of guitar riffs and melodic arrangements), “Whitewashed Tomb” (a melodic apocalypse made music, with an intense and heavy rhythmic bombing from bass guitar and drums, contrasting with melancholic melodic moments), “Through Storms Ahead” (another moment with oppressive aggressiveness mixed with hooking melodies, an specialty of the quintet), “The Void Within”, “Strength to Survive” (definitively, a perfect live hit, full of Death/Thrash Metal and Melodic Death Metal traces mixed with Metalcore, and wow, what great melodies and hooks), “Gears That Never Stop” (50% aggressive, 50% melodic, this one is really great), “The Cave We Fear to Enter”, and “Taken from Nothing” are here to proof. The quintet didn’t loose its hand when writing songs is the matter! And it’s impossible to not bang your heads when dealing with this album!

“Through Storms Ahead” is a statement that, even after many trials, AS I LAY DYING is still here, still relevant, and still excellent, 🤘🏻 🤘🏻 🤘🏻!