If William Faulkner is rolling over in his grave at the use of his revered 1930 novel as a band name, at least he’s doing it with goat horns flying. Even he would be duly impressed with San Diego metalcore quintet As I Lay Dying’s compelling and commanding performance. Then again, witnessing a sold-out crowd flail and thrash about as if their lives depended on it from the stage all the way to the sound booth, there are few who wouldn’t be.
Blazing through a seamless set heavy on tunes from their most recent Metal Blade effort An Ocean Between Us, vocalist Tim Lambesis and crew were almost ravenous in their predatory stalking of the stage. From opener “Separation” through “Nothing Left” and video-track “Within Destruction,” the band’s succinct, bottom-heavy hardcore-influenced metal resounded throughout the Phoenix, threatening to shake it to the foundations. Propelled by the sheer sonic girth and a mass of blinding lights, virtually every fist-pumping body in the room bellowed along at full-volume, threatening to drown out the band at points. Hell, you know you’re doing the job right when even the bouncers are headbanging.
Maintaining a relentless pace, As I Lay Dying chugged through tight, enthusiastic renditions of “I Never Wanted,” “Departed” and “94 Hours,” rounding off an hour-plus of beastly roaring spotted with melodic grace, crisp, flailing guitars and thunderous drums with anthemnic closer “Confined.” While opening sets from the likes of metalcore familiars Evergreen Terrace, August Burns Red and Misery Signals were solid efforts striving to engage the appreciative yet static audience, by show’s end, the sweat-laden club walls and purged souls of the audience proved that this was solely an As I Lay Dying crowd. And they held it in the palms of their hands.