By Craig Lindberg

These are trying times for those of us devoted to metal, watching (or worse yet, having to listen to) bands create sub-genre after sub-genre in an effort to be “pioneers” of said sub-genre, each attempt becoming more watered down than the last

What separates the elite from the flash in the pan, the cream from the curd?

Simply stated, it comes down to talent.

Talent is what separates the San Diego based As I Lay Dying from the rest of the metal-core herd.

Together for an astounding 11 years, a virtual lifetime in today’s day and age, vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, bassist Josh Gilbert and guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa are ready to unleash the band’s sixth studio album, Awakened, on September 25th.  If the first single ~ “Cauterize” ~ is any indication of what’s to come, there will be no disappointed AILD fans on that much-anticipated day.

“The reaction to ‘Cauterize’ has been really good,” states guitarist Nick Hipa when we talked at this year’s Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, where the band was opening for the mighty Anthrax. “Through social networking, fans have been able to leave comments on the song and they’ve been overwhelmingly positive.” The guitarist then quips, “It’s probably my least favorite track on the album, so if the fans can get into that, that’s awesome.”

Known for their precision and technical prowess on previous works including 2007’s An Ocean Between Us and 2009’s The Powerless Rise, AILD promises that Awakened will feature the same technical mastery with a touch of warmth in the overall tone and production of the album.

“We used more open air tones with regards to the drums to give a more open and loose feel, which fit with the bass lines perfectly,” Nick shared. “Instead of building the guitar tone up and making everything try and fit that, we did it more around the rhythm section.”

The tone is definitely a departure from the processed, mechanical sound that has been a signature for the band. Nick explains, “In the past we wanted to sound really tight and metal, so in the studio we never paid much attention to how the bass and guitar tones sat with the drums and we were really happy with it. We spent a lot of time focusing on the sounds and tones we actually wanted on the record instead of relying on processing and the result was starting from a much better place sonically and ended up giving us a sound on the album we were really happy and excited about.”

As I Lay Dying have separated themselves from the pack with precision, integrity and ~not least of all ~ the talent to back it all up.

Awakened drops September 25th on Metal Blade Records. Check out more about the band at www.asilaydying.com.

Photo by Jenna Lindberg Photography, www.jennalindbergphoto.com