“‘Shaped by Fire’: As I Lay Dying’s Inspirational Rise from Their Own Self-contained Perdition”
Despite my passion for music, there are only a few albums that I’ll return to listen to over and over again. Trivium’s ‘The Sin and the Sentence’ and ‘Shogun’, anything by System of a Down, the ‘Black Album’, etc. However, when it comes to As I Lay Dying’s ‘Shaped by Fire’ is a different story entirely. This album has become integral to my philosophy, to how I would like to live.
After being released from prison for attempting to hire a hitman to kill his wife, Tim Lambesis was well on his way to trying to redeem himself. Not only in the face of his fans, his bandmates, and his family but in the depths of his soul.
Completely accepting his crime, as well as his unsavory base-headed shit-eating bullshit that had infected every relationship he had, he quietly worked with the other members of the band to mend their broken bond and make amends for everything he had done.
After seeing how Tim completely owned up to his prior status as a shit-head publicly, with no hint of duplicitousness or manipulation, the band began getting together and slowly and organically began to make music together again.
Then, on June 7, 2018. They released what has become, personally, a song that I not only love but a song I use to get through my own struggles. “My Own Grave.”
I couldn’t even articulate how elated, how lifted, spiritually and emotionally, this song had made me feel. It felt like something of a spiritual experience, to be honest. It felt like a call to a journey that will not accept you rejecting it, a journey that you will go on regardless, pathetically stumbling or marching bravely.
This is the song you say, “I don’t want to die,” to.
One year later, the band released what is now a permanent staple in the hall of the greats that lies somewhere between the delicate, little space between my heart and my soul: ‘Shaped by Fire’.
This album, completely self-produced by the entire band, each working on their pieces of music, is nothing short of complete. There isn’t a track that you can take out of the album without destorying the whole project; I’d be very surprised if there were any leftover tracks for it.
The music is an elegant hurricane of notes, screaming to be released like a trapped demon. It brings Tim’s wish to be forgiven for his crimes to life; it’s almost as if the music itself could manifest into a being willing to turn back time in order to allow him to correct his mistakes.
Tim and Josh, on this album, have a chemistry that is much stronger here than on any other project. With Tim telling his story of his change from a selfish, violent, and horrible man to someone who is genuinely putting a true foot forward to change; with Phil, you will find the hooks that bury into your mind and remind you of your own wishes for redemption and forgiveness.
While this album itself will never and could never fix Tim’s life prior to his downfall, it’s a fiery devastation of self-destruction that may just inspire you to look more closely at your life to see if there are faults you can fix.
Standout Tracks: nothing lazy about this shit. All of them. All of them. However, don’t listen to “Blinded” without listening to the intro, “Burning to Emerge.” It just isn’t the same.
10/10. No question. If you disagree, this is one of the rare times I’ll tell you that your dissent is fuckin’ wrong. Get fucked Metal Sucks.
