As I Lay Dying

The Powerless Rise (Metal Blade)
By Mike Delano

Rule number one for making a melodic metal album: Don’t pull the melody trigger too early. You don’t want to wuss out before the listener has at least had a chance to respect you for your brutality. As I Lay Dying adhere to this notion well on The Powerless Rise, handing out a solid three-song beatdown along the lines of the focused, heads-down Dark Tranquility approach before going all In Flames/Soilwork on us. Rule number two: Deliver the goods. Just because you’ve decided to throw in a soaring, life-affirming clean vocal chorus doesn’t mean you can just rip off from the dregs of Top 40 radio. Try actually finding some memorable melodies that would make The Beatles proud. “Parallels” does just that, and if the album never gets quite that good again, it’s only because AILD is adhering to rule number three: Make a good album. Not those two good songs you wrote padded out with fluff because your contract states that you need an album now. If you only have a little to say, then an EP will do fine. The Powerless Rise is consistent and confident throughout, highlighted by some great guitar sounds and solos that suggest a wide range of influences (Van Halen, Pantera, Ozzy) comfortably assimilated into the bigger picture.
(www.metalblade.com)