It’s hard to believe that a veteran metal band like San Diego’s As I Lay Dying could be just hitting their stride now, some 10 years and five full-lengths into an already stellar career. Still, even after just one listen to the quintet’s latest, The Powerless Rise, you can’t ignore the obvious: One of modern metal’s best just got better. Touring extensively throughout the world, sharing stages with the likes of Iron Maiden, Heaven and Hell or Black Sabbath, has undoubtedly earned the band a prominent place among metal’s elite today.