''Awakened'' is the sixth studio album by the American

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band

As I Lay Dying ''As I Lay Dying'' is a 1930 Southern Gothic novel by American author William Faulkner. Faulkner's fifth novel, it is consistently ranked among the best novels of 20th-century literature.The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to Wor ...

. It is the final album released by the band before their hiatus in 2014. The album was released on September 25, 2012, through

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

. The album was produced by Bill Stevenson (the drummer of the

Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...

) and recorded at

The Blasting Room The Blasting Room is a recording studio in Fort Collins, Colorado. Founded by members of the punk rock band All in 1994, it is owned and operated by musician Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag, All, Only Crime) and Jason Livermore. The ...

in Fort Collins, Colorado and

Lambesis Studios Timothy Peter Lambesis (born November 21, 1980) is an American musician and producer, best known as the founding member and lead vocalist of American metalcore band As I Lay Dying (band), As I Lay Dying. He also had a solo/side thrash metal pr ...

in San Diego, California. On June 22, 2012, the album title, release date, and first single were announced. On June 25, the first single "Cauterize" was released for free download and became available online for purchase the following day. On June 27, a lyric video for "Cauterize" was released along with album artwork, also the band created an event on Facebook inviting fans to participate in a music video shoot for "A Greater Foundation". Fans were able to pre-order a copy on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour of 2012. The band has released clips of the album via

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

, prior to the release date, and on September 11 the music video for "A Greater Foundation" was released.

Reception

Overall reception towards the album has been positive. Mark Fisher of

Metal Forces ''Metal Forces'' is a British publication founded in 1983 which promotes the music genres heavy metal and hard rock. ''Metal Forces'' was well known for its coverage of unsigned bands through its ''Demolition'' feature and championed the likes of ...

gave the album an impressive 10/10.

Track listing

Personnel

Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes. As I Lay Dying(2012), Bosso, Joe: https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/interview-as-i-lay-dyings-nick-hipa-talks-new-album-awakened-561421, Retrieved September 19, 2021 *

Tim Lambesis Timothy Peter Lambesis (born November 21, 1980) is an American musician and producer, best known as the founding member and lead vocalist of American metalcore band As I Lay Dying. He also had a solo/side thrash metal project in tribute to act ...

– lead vocals *

Nick Hipa Samuel Nicholas Hipa (born November 30, 1982) is an American heavy metal guitarist. He has performed with several notable acts. He is the current lead guitarist of Mire, and was the longtime former lead guitarist of As I Lay Dying. Background ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

Phil Sgrosso Phil Sgrosso (born September 16, 1985) is an American heavy metal musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist of the American metalcore band As I Lay Dying, the former rhythm guitarist of the band Wovenwar and the touring lead guitarist for Sa ...

– rhythm guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards on "Wasted Words" * Josh Gilbert – bass, clean vocals *

Jordan Mancino Jordan Mancino (born May 22, 1983) is an American drummer. He has played with several metal acts as the official or as a live member, including As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, and Wovenwar. Mancino, alongside the rest of AILD, have stated th ...

– drums, backing vocals Additional * Joey Bradford – additional backing vocals, gang vocals * Loniel Robinson – gang vocals * Matt JR – gang vocals * Lore JR – gang vocals * Joey St. Lucas – gang vocals * Amanda Dubord – gang vocals * Vince Bifano – gang vocals * Robert Pine – gang vocals * Willow – gang vocals * Matt Geise – gang vocals Production * Bill Stevenson – production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, gang vocals * Jason Livermore – production, engineering * Andrew Berlin – engineering * Daniel Castleman – assisting engineering * Chris Beeble – assisting engineering *

Colin Richardson Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres. Career Some of the bands he has worked for include: * 3 In ...

– mixing * Carl Bown – mix engineer *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

– mastering * metastazis.com – artwork, layout * Tiffanie Uldry – artwork, layout * Ty Watkins – photography Studios *

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

– drums, guitars *

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

– bass, vocals * Echelon Studios – additional vocals * Treehouse Studios,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, UK – mixing * Sterling Sound – mastering

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums As I Lay Dying (band) albums Metal Blade Records albums Albums produced by Bill Stevenson (musician)