Band:	As I Lay Dying
Album:	An Ocean Between Us
Style:	Melodic metalcore
Release date:	August 21, 2007
Guest review by:	Mattybu

01. Separation
02. Nothing Left
03. An Ocean Between Us
04. Within Destruction
05. Forsaken
06. Comfort Betrays
07. I Never Wanted
08. Bury Us All
09. The Sound Of Truth
10. Departed
11. Wrath Upon Ourselves
12. This Is Who We Are

Metalcore has become a frowned upon genre by many metalheads, which is something I can understand. It's definitely not for everyone, but the truth is (in my opinion, anyways), some of it really isn't that bad. There are metalcore albums which are fairly enjoyable listens. An Ocean Between Us by metalcore unit [band]As I Lay Dying[/i] is one of those albums.


After the intro, "Seperation", the album gets going with one of As I Lay Dying's trademark tracks, "Nothing Left". The riffage is pretty nice here, and it's actually a solid track. The instruments sound good, the track has some good speed and power to it, and the vocals, taken for what they are, really aren't that bad. A lot of people have problems with metalcore vocals, and while they really aren't groundbreaking here, they aren't overly cringe-worthy or intolerable. I'm not a fan of the clean vocals and the harsh vocals don't particularly grab me either, but it's not a big problem for me. Kind of like when they put mustard on your burger at McDonald's when you specifically asked them not too. It can be annoying, but really why can't you deal with a little mustard? The rest of your burger is pretty good.

The next track also provides some more of the same; surprisingly catchy guitar work, pounding drums, and vocals that aren't terrible, but certainly not a highlight. But as the album goes on one big problem seemed to arise. The songs really seemed to blend together and become quite forgettable, and further in this album's lifetime, really stopped getting played by me. They lack any kind of staying power; for the first few listens they can grab you with some really nice riffs, speed, whatever it is, but in terms of how long lasting they are, the album falls very short. Not to mention tracks like "Within Destruction" are really boring and to me the definition of filler.

By the end of it, you are left with an album which might provide some short-lived entertainment, and maybe a couple impressive songs that stick with you, but not much more. Some aspects of it are very good however, and I think this album is proof that not all metalcore is as bad as its reputation. An Ocean Between Us is good, but fails to have the impact necessary to make it a truly remarkable and memorable album.

And with that, I say adios to my credibility to many of you, by giving this album a solid 7.7/10, and saying that I had a good time with a metalcore album from [band]As I Lay Dying[/i].