AS I LAY DYING are a technically passionate band. I have yet to find myself screaming out lyrics from an AS I LAY DYING song while pacing around with outstretched arms. But I have taken to nodding in assertive appreciation of their songwriting talents, and modest headbanging is generally on the table. So goes the long-term state of AS I LAY DYING – the rock solid metalcore musical outfit that routinely creates the understated but respectable “7/10″ music review in the popular metal music magazine of your choice. Popularity analysts could spend weeks determining why the stroke of luck befell this band ten years ago during the US re-start of “everything went Swedish” metal trend, but since their second full-length, Frail Words Collapse, vocalist Tim Lambesis and company have done nothing to turn fans or even curious on-lookers away. Awakened differs from its predecessors in two ways. First – it was recorded with punk/studio legend Bill Stevenson at the Blasting Room, and second, it finally locates its clean/melodic vocals in a way that compliments the epic scenery and not in a way that separates it from the fallout zone. I have a hunch that latter quality is tied to the former. Awakened is a technical marvel (they found a way to make their breakdowns sound like being caught in a tropical rainstorm) and all of its moving parts come together in complete songs – something I felt was missing in the pair of releases since Shadows Are Security. The Blasting Room treatment leads to a very smooth sound, rounding off chunky guitar edges and giving the percussion a stunning, wholesome, galloping feel. But as I started with, I cannot bring myself to look into the soul of AS I LAY DYING. I lack a desire in moving in from the sideline. I’m aware and grinning, and that’s enough.

Metal Blade