Release Date: Nov 8, 2011
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal
Record label: Metal Blade
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Celebrating ten years of crushing metalcore, As I Lay Dying’s Decas is a fan-service grab bag of new tracks, remixes, and covers that seeks to show fans not only where the band is going, but where it came from. Covering songs from Slayer, Judas Priest, and, somewhat improbably, the Descendents, the band gives fans a glimpse at some of its influences. While it may seem like a strange bunch, with two metal icons and a punk band, it feels like the connection really comes from the bands' shared relentlessness, with all three groups representing the kinds of musical wind sprints that have pushed As I Lay Dying to the levels of intensity they’ve made a part of their repertoire.
Decas celebrates the 10-year anniversary of metalcore stalwarts As I Lay Dying. The EP contains three new songs, four covers, four remixes, and a re-recorded medley track. The new songs sound similar to those on the the band’s last full length release, The Powerless Rise: “Paralyzed” is filled with melodic guitar hooks, pummeling verses, and a soaring chorus.
What’s with this recent trend of -core bands requesting for remixes of their old songs? As if Whitechapel’s terrible new EP was not bad enough, we just had to see everybody’s favorite Christcore group, As I Lay Dying, follow suit as well (although it could have been the other way round). Incidentally, the two label-mates are releasing their respective EPs on the same day of 8th November. The bad news is that this collection follows in the dreaded EP format of original material—let’s play some covers—oh, hell yeah; remixes FTW, but the good news is that As I Lay Dying doesn’t put out low-quality work (as far their originals go), and they’ve composed three new and original tracks for this EP.
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