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This album is an update of their previous effort, "Frail Worlds Collapse". This fact is a good thing, but at the same it is
bad. The good part is that the song structure is updated. Gone is the sole reliance on the breakdown. There is now rhythm
guitars holding together the song, in between the breakdown. Also, they added guitar solos into their songs, which adds more
to enjoy, and shows maturity in the playing. The drummer is as solid as ever, which made "Frail Worlds" stand out for the
rest.
The downside to this is that it is just a mere follow-up, and that there is not new ground being broken. Not to say that innovation
is everything, but the problem is, this album has been done before. This does not make it a bad album, but it does not make
it great. It falls somewhere in between.
Thus, my judgment is that As I Lay Dying needs to stop just laying there, and seriously seek to make a great album, an album
that would secure themselves a place in cd racks everywhere. They need to innovate, or get better at the sound they are currently
using.
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