Standout Songs

"Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)" By Pink Floyd

This song is a perfect example of flow. It's natural. It reminds me of a stone dropped into a river, rolling with the current across the riverbed, bouncing off rocks and skimming across the soft sand. Everything falls into place. The song includes catchy jazz bass lines, funk guitar chords, and a "chill" solo. The vocals of this song are also unique, with haunting, tired words and the voices of children who. This song is about being meaningless, being another "brick in the wall", being another overlooked support brick for our capitalistic economy.

"Paranoid" By Black Sabbath

Wow. In my opinion, this is probably one of the most important songs in metal history. Black Sabbath was doing something that none of the other bands back then were doing. They were experimenting, and by doing so started a revolution. The distorted, haunting riffs by Tony Iommi were very captivating. The guitar in this song is straight up genius, they're very blues oriented but still manage to sound "metal". Ozzy Osbourne's vocals act as the nails in the coffin, in making this a masterpiece.

"Paint It Black" By The Rolling Stones

This song is amazing. I love the middle eastern influence (as seen in the sitar and drum beats) and surprisingly dark lyrics. I really like the transitions into this, it almost seems to go from to depressed to crazy and vengeful, the back. There are so many weird components included in this song, and frankly I'm surprised it turned out so well, and I have to give The Rolling Stones Props for pulling it off. The perspective of the song is from someone who is depressed and pessimestic, and feels almost disgusted at the thought of happiness or beauty.

Album Review

As I Lay Dying's An Ocean Between Us
4.5/5



Local band, As I Lay Dying, has definitely accomplished a ton since their debut album “Frail Words Collapse” in 2003. As I Lay Dying has been pioneering the metalcore genre, leading the pack and influencing hundreds of bands that follow in their wake. Their new album, “An Ocean Between Us” (Metalblade Records, produced by Killswitch Engage's Adam Dutkiewicz) has been one of the most impressive albums of the 2007, showing the raw musical talent of the band.

What I loved about this album was the progression that the band has made over the years. They’re definitely still the same band, but improvements can be found in almost every aspect of there music. The technical riffs and overall song writing has been a major step up. More noticeable advances include the amazing drums and more defined vocals.

This album also appeals to a much broader audience than their previous one with amazingly catchy songs like “The Sound of Truth”. However, old As I Lay Dying fans will still enjoy this album just as much because of the brutality and straight up skull smashing, circle pit metal in songs like “Wrath Upon Ourselves”. Overall, “An Ocean Between Us” puts As I Lay Dying in front of the other outdated bands of the genre and shows us that As I Lay Dying isn’t going anywhere. They possess something that not too many bands have: the ability to adapt and evolve.