The Powerless Rise.....VERY POWERFUL

A few months ago, Tim Lambesis and As I Lay Dying dropped a complete masterpiece on their fans (including myself) with their long awaited album, "The Powerless Rise." Upon hearing this album, some crazy thoughts started running through my head:

"Holy Stinkin' Crap!!!!"
"Could it be possible that AILD is better than TriViuM?"
"If I was a single female, what would I do to marry Tim Lambesis?"
"Most powerful album ever?"

To answer the last question, I believe that it possibly could be THAT powerful.

Recently I was reading Tim Lambesis' blog, and I noticed that what he thinks about and blogs about mirror what is found in his music. Tim writes from his heart, which is more than I can say about a lot of other artists. Let me clarify, I am NOT saying that other artists don't write from the heart, I just feel that Tim has guts and believes in what he is writing. In an industry that often sees higher sales in extreme music plagued with vulgarity, Tim Lambesis has made a serious statement by writing very insightful, spiritual, and religious lyrics to present to his heavy metal followers. It should not surprise you to hear that Tim is my hero.

I will admit, I had listened to AILD's older albums years ago, but because of the changes in lifestyle and views, I now respect and appreciate their music much, much more than I did previously. I'm so glad that my buddy, Tyson, offered to buy me a ticket to their show a few months ago, because that is what sparked my appreciation and awareness of the moral message that they share as a metalcore band.

You must read the following lyrics as they are incredible:


From "Beyond Our Suffering"
"The more I focus on myself, then the more helpless that I become.
So why not erase this point of view? My suffering is trivial." (Sometimes we are the cause of our own suffering, aren't we?)
"Why won't we look beyond us? Why won't we look beyond our despair?
It seems our problems solve themselves, when we look to those truly in hell." (Not easy, but true. Plus, what kind of awesome metal head writes that?"

From "Parallels"
"We are all comatose. We are overfed and undernourished, yearning for something more. Never starving yet never quite satisfied. Carnal but without useful flesh or mind." (We may know there is purpose, but may not fully understand all the time)
"From all it is we crave, there must be more to life than to simply stay alive." (Again, sometimes the purpose isn't clear, but at least we know it's there)

From "The Plague"
"Familiarity is the great deception, disguised by authority, sealing out subversion. Whitewashed tombs have hidden the truth, for we unknowingly worship icons of ordinary life. Reach out your hand to find forgiveness, only to be plagued by disease. The horrors of beliefs and customs, camouflaged by commonality." (The more we sin, the more we are ok with it, and the more dangerous it will become. Experience has deifinitely taught me well. Peer pressure can make matters even more difficult)

From "Anger and Apathy"
"Many of us have turned off the light outside, erasing what exists beyond our front door. And for you I find it harder to reach common ground than my most glaring opposition. But what about those who've lost the luxury of choice?
...striving for identity, buried by our lack of interest, souls marked as mere history. How much grievance will it take to awaken us?" (Those who we forget will not feel that we are there to help them when they need it. DO NOT GIVE UP ON ANY OF HEAVENLY FATHER'S CREATIONS, THEY ARE ALL WORTH THE SAME!)
"I need to know that feelings of discontent are stronger than indifference for those too weak to stand." (Feeling sad is better than not feeling at all)

From "Upside Down Kingdom" (My favorite song)
"Many choose to find their hope in the thoughts of afterlife, when there is none to be found right here before we die. So I understand the feeling of helplessness, when we are just taught to wait here...wait here for death." (We aren't here simply to live)
"We are not forgotten, for a kingdom is offered beyond that of golden streets.
We can represent now what will one day be complete. Simplicity is not a curse where strength is humbled and the powerless rise.
This is a kingdom born upside-down.
This is a kingdom where the broken are crowned." (There is a reward for standing for our convictions. Although we see unrighteous people standing on pedastals, our good deeds are not ignored)

It is my hope and prayer that you have all read these lyrics, and that they are not just words. I do this hoping to help someone. My music is what shows me principles through a different set of eyes. After hearing things the same way over and over for a lifetime, sometimes it helps us to think about things from a different perspective.

Thanks for your time, I hope you don't feel like you wasted it. The Powerless Rise is really powerful to me.