Metal music has seen itself reborn in the new millennium, once again crawling out from the underground to ravage the country with it's grandiose tenacity and vitriolic carnage. Many have taken root to create a new breeding ground for American metal, yet few bring the pure Americanized crunch better than As I Lay Dying. Melding trace elements of the Gothenburg sound with heavy doses of savage metalcore and melodic tendencies, these men have quickly risen through the indie ranks with a debut full-length and a split effort with American Tragedy on Pluto Records, and have now set their sights on conquering the nation with their Metal Blade debut, the vicious "Frail Words Collapse".

Rather than succumb to the Swedish flair so heavily influencing modern metal to date, As I Lay Dying have incorporated vitriolic metalcore explosions and agonizing blast beats into their repertoire, and as a result they are easily more accessible to latter-day metal fans than the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder or Darkest Hour. Truthfully the guitar symphonies found here do share the Gothenburg sound, yet to a much lesser degree, and that is beneficial for the band as it makes those moments all the more sensational as a result. The less-is-more philosophy also extends to Tim Lambesis' clean singing, as he uses it rarely and quite effectively, accentuating specific tracks without falling victim to the all too familiar sing/scream dynamic. Such is the case on "Forever", as Lambesis eloquently weaves brief melodies into an otherwise overpowering metallic cut and injects an added layer of emotion to the song. Elsewhere, the technical monstrosity that is "Distance Is Darkness" mutilates eardrums with it's delirious time signatures and ravenous pace, leaving little time for the listener to take a breath, while "A Thousand Steps" defines all that is extreme. The only disappointment to be found within this record is that the group often cut their songs short, and one can only imagine what they could have done if they had extended many of these tracks to even the three minute mark.

"Frail Words Collapse" is a hodge-podge collection of metal's various formats, as the band range from unrepentant death metal to intense emotional metalcore in the vein of Caliban, often in the same song. The miraculous aspect is just how aware these men are with their metallic longevity, and as such As I Lay Dying accommodate every extreme music taste without sounding particularly weak at any given style. It is clear that the band prefer not to be burdened by the trappings of any specific genre, and while some may find their unwillingness to ever stick with one metal style a bit frustrating, it has to be noted that this outfit show no reason to conform. As I Lay Dying may still be a new face upon the American metal scene, but if they continue in the direction found here, it will only a matter of time before they are making serious waves amongst the legions of sweaty metalheads and hardcore flocks worldwide.