San Diego Metalcore giants As I Lay Dying played Dublin’s The Academy for the first time every with support coming from Dundalk/Carrickmacross 4 piece Words That Burn and Belfast’s Dream Awake.
Opening proceedings fell on Dream Awake and the boys ripped up the stage in The Academy. Conor (vocals) only speaking briefly to lets up know that the guys are from across the boarder. Focusing more on blasting through their 30 minute set and keeping their fans happy and by the looks of it gaining some new ones judging by some of the over heard conversation during stage switch.
You can find their 2020 release here https://dreamawakeofficial.bandcamp.com/releases
20 minute stage change and its the turn of this side of the boarder band, Words That Burn. Ronan (vocals) firstly asking are we alright and then saying that the guys job is to warm us up, so lets fucking do this he says and the decibels go through the roof. The band have been around since 2010 and have a number of singles/EPs and albums already under their belts. All can be found here https://wordsthatburn.bandcamp.com/
Coming to the end and just before their last song Ronan stated I hope you fuckers are as tired as I’m and then they were done
Its another stage change this time a 30 minute wait, its needed to give all a chance to catch their breaths after the two opening acts ripping us all apart.
Right on 9.20 and As I Lay Dying walk out on stage and the first things that hits you is the dam size of Tim Lambesis (think Jason Momoa or Dave Bautista and you’re there) The guys open with Blinded and the wave of sound that hit us! Its load hard and fast from here on in with all band members using the full extent of the stage, there has even been a rise platform put at the centre front of stage for band members to do their things at different times.
Tim mentioning early on that its the bands first time in Dublin and how he is loving the energy in the room and with the band going for over 20 years they had a lot of songs to choose from to play tonight.
Yous should know this one Tim said just before The Sound of Truth and it contains my favourite riffs,
Through out the show there’s lot of fist bumping and hand shaking with front row crowd and lots of mentions of how grateful they are to be on the stage
Just before Greater Foundation the band got a full introduction, then just before My Own Grave Tim asks for all phones to be taken out and the lights switched on them and hold them up as this one starts out slow. Didn’t stay slow for long lol.
Those who had travel far and from outer countries to be at the show were thanked and it was then the last song of the main set, that being 94 Hours.
A brief break and the stage lights up in a blaze of light and strobes as the band are back out for the encore starting with Nothing Left and the night finished with Confined after which the band just put down their instruments away for a band photo with crowd behind, after this the band spent some time still at edge of stage thanking and shaking the hands of as many as they could. Tim being the last to leave the stage.
Set List.
Blinded
Through Struggle
Within Destruction
Redefined
The Sound of Truth
Forsaken
Shaped by Fire
Re-Separation
The Darkest Nights
An Ocean Between Us
A Greater Foundation
Parallels
My Own Grave
94 Hours
_______________________
Nothing Left
Confined
