Long before As I Lay Dying was headlining tours with some of metal’s most recognizable bands, news of their mic snapping, monitor crushing live show was spreading like wildfire. After stints with Ozzfest and numerous appearances on Fuse and MTV2, AILD released Shadows are Security in 2005. Since that pivotal release, AILD has shown a knack for successfully fusing black metal thrash, technical breakdowns, and ginormous melodies. An Ocean Between Us is the next natural progression in AILD’s relatively young career. Lead guitarist Phil Sgrosso still plays a huge role with his blistering leads, but the album shines as a perpetual display of drumming greatness – proof that Jordan Mancino is one of metal’s best. Unlike, AILD’s previous release, An Ocean Between Us finds vocalist Tim Lambesis responsible for much of the melody. Sgrosso’s scaling leads and hair-raising pull-offs are a bit scaled back; however, the album on the whole hits harder and heavier than Shadows are Security, which kind of makes up for AILD following the recent trend of metal bands penning sing-along choruses.