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As I Lay Dying (band)

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For the novel by William Faulkner, see As I Lay Dying.
As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying is a Christian metalcore/thrash metal band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2001, the band's line-up consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, and bassist Josh Gilbert. Signed to Metal Blade Records, As I Lay Dying has released four studio albums, one split album, and one compilation album.

As I Lay Dying's 2007 release An Ocean Between Us peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart. The band has performed at With Full Force, Sounds of the Underground, Warped Tour, and Taste of Chaos. In 2007, As I Lay Dying won the "Ultimate Metal God" award from MTV2 at the first annual "All That Rocks" special, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 for the song "Nothing Left".

History

Early days, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes and split album (2001−2002)

After leaving the band Society's Finest where he played guitar, vocalist Tim Lambesis formed As I Lay Dying in 2001.[1] Starting out as a trio with guitarist Evan White and drummer Jordan Mancino, Lambesis said the band's name comes from the novel As I Lay Dying written by William Faulkner.[2] However, in an interview with Nick Hipa, who joined the band in 2004, he asserts there is no connection to the novel and the name was chosen because it sounds "brutal".[3]

Influenced by In Flames, Soilwork, and At the Gates, record label Pluto Records took interest and offered the band a recording contract. Accepting the offer, one month later the band entered the recording studio to record its first album Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, which was released in June 2001. In 2002, the band recorded five songs for a split album on Pluto Records, with San Diego heavy metal band American Tragedy. The band realized it needed to expand to a five-piece to include another guitarist and a bassist. Mancino commented "we started going on tour and we needed obviously more people than that". The band went through several line-up changes with bassists and lead guitars.[4]

Frail Words Collapse (2003−2004)

As I Lay Dying's contract with Pluto Records had expired and the band was free to pursue other record labels. After extensive touring and an increase in popularity, As I Lay Dying was offered a record deal with Metal Blade Records in March of 2003.[5] The band accepted the offer and Pluto Records owner Brian Cobbel was supportive of the band moving to Metal Blade. Lambesis commented "since we've been on the label, they've really gone out of their way to market us differently than they've marketed other bands in the past and have really pushed us as a newer sound for the label".[6]

In July 2003, the band's second studio album, Frail Words Collapse was released. Produced by Lambesis, the album peaked at number 30 on the Top Independent Albums, and number 41 on the Top Heatseekers chart.[7] William York of All Music Guide thought the band "doesn't really add anything new to the mix from a musical standpoint" with the release, although praised it for being "solid enough and well executed, and the production is adequate".[8] Sherwin Frias of Jesus Freak Hideout had similar sentiments and commented "As I Lay Dying didn't exactly break many boundaries in making this record", but praised that each song is "executed so well (and with such precision) that nary a song misses its target".[9] Touring followed to promote the album with the bands Himsa, Shadows Fall, The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, and Hatebreed. Music videos for the songs "94 Hours" and "Forever" received rotation on the networks of FUSE and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.

Shadows Are Security (2005−2006)

As I Lay Dying entered Big Fish recording studio in Encinitas, California in January 2005 to records its third studio album. In June of the same year Shadows Are Security was released, and album debuted at number 1 on the Top Independent Albums, and was the band's first release to enter the Billboard 200 at number 35.[7] Wade Kergan of All Music Guide called it "one of the strongest releases of 2005", and commented new guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, and bass player Clint Norris make the band "stronger".[10] Rod Smith of Decibel Magazine commented "Tim Lambesis’ finely honed roar in bittersweet instrumental matrices augmented by occasional clean vocals from bassist Clinton Norris. Guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nicholas Hipa whip up a melodic cyclone on 'The Darkest Nights'".[11]

As I Lay Dying began touring to promote the new record by making appearances at Hell on Earth, Winter Headline Tour, Ozzfest, and a tour with Slipknot and Unearth. The band was on the second stage alongside Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon, The Haunted, and It Dies Today. At the fee of $US75,000 the band could have chosen to perform on the headliners stage but refused the offer as they thought it was not worth the money.[12] The band raised its profile in 2006 through its support slot on the Taste of Chaos tour in the US alongside bands such as Deftones, Thrice, Dredg, Funeral for a Friend and Story of the Year.[13] In the summer of 2006 As I Lay Dying closed the Sounds of the Underground Festival.[14]

In May of 2006, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes and the songs from the split album were re-released as A Long March: The First Recordings through Metal Blade Records. The album contained the original and re-recordings of the songs from the split album, and was released as the band preferred to re-release the material rather than have fans pay large sums of money to listen to early releases. The re-release peaked at number 3 on the Top Independent Albums, and 129 on the Billboard 200.[7] Bassist Clint Norris left the band on good terms in November 2006 with the desire to focus on his marriage. The band auditioned ten bassists, although proved unsuccessful. Lambesis received demo tapes from a band called This Endearing, featuring bassist Josh Gilbert. Lambesis wanted to "sit on it" and wait for the band to record more material. However, This Endearing disbanded and Gilbert flew in and was recruited as the new bassist.[1]

An Ocean Between Us (2007−present)

In 2007, As I Lay Dying started recording a new album titled An Ocean Between Us, which was released on August 21, 2007. Debuting at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart, with sales of 39,000 in its first week, the album was the highest charting release for the band.[15] Produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, and mixed by Colin Richardson — the album received generally positive reviews. Christa L. Titus of Billboard commented "Whatever the differences between As I Lay Dying's personal desires and what its fans demand, this album surely act as a bridge", praising the song "Comfort Betrays" for its guitar solo.[16] Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net described the album as "a well-rounded and often thrashy metalcore album, as the band has struck an effective balance between aggression and accessible melodies".[17] Thom Jurek of All Music Guide praised the band for expanding its musical range by including melodic choruses and clean vocals.[18]

To promote the album, As I Lay Dying performed at the Warped Tour 2007 in August,[19] and toured through Europe in September with Darkest Hour, Himsa, and Maroon.[1] The band was awarded "Ultimate Metal God" by MTV2's "All That Rocks",[20] and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Nothing Left". Other nominees include Slayer, King Diamond, Machine Head, and Shadows Fall. The award ceremony will take place on February 12, 2008.[21]

Band members

As I Lay Dying performing at the Hellfest Summer Open Air, 2006

Current members

Former members

  • Noah Chase − bass (2001)
  • Brandon Hays − bass (2002−2003)
  • Aaron Kennedy − bass (2003)
  • Tommy Garcia − lead guitar (2002−2003)
  • Chris Lindstrom − rhythm guitar (2003−2004)
  • Evan White − rhythm guitar (2001−2002, 2003)
  • Chad Ackerman − rhythm guitar (2002)
  • Caylen De Nuccio − bass (2002)
  • Jason Krebs − guitar (2003)
  • Clint Norris − bass, clean vocals (2003−2006)

Discography

Albums

Date of release Title Label Billboard 200 peak
June 12, 2001 Beneath the Encasing of Ashes Pluto
June 18, 2002 As I Lay Dying/American Tragedy (split) Pluto
July 1, 2003 Frail Words Collapse Metal Blade #30 (Independent)
June 14, 2005 Shadows Are Security Metal Blade #35
May 16, 2006 A Long March: The First Recordings (compilation) Metal Blade #129
August 21, 2007 An Ocean Between Us Metal Blade #8

References

  1. ^ a b c "What happened to Clint and who's the new guy?". asilaydying.com. 2007-08-03. Retrieved 2007-12-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Interview With Tim Lambesis From As I Lay Dying". Metalunderground.com. 2005-04-03. Retrieved 2007-12-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Omowale, Karma (2005-08-16). "We're just grateful that there are so many people out there who care about our band". fourteeng.com. Retrieved 2007-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Christie, Dixon. "As I Lay Dying Interview with Jordan Mancino in Support of Their 2006 Release, Shadows Are Security". punktv.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  5. ^ "As I Lay Dying Metal Blade". MetalBlade.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  6. ^ Ailes, Drew (2005-11-06). "As I Lay Dying interview". lambgoat.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c "As I Lay Dying Artist Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  8. ^ York, William. "Frail Words Collapse All Music Guide review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  9. ^ Frias, Sherwin (2003-06-29). "Frail Words Collapse JesusFreak Hideout review". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Kergan, Wade. "Shadows Are Security All Music Guide review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  11. ^ Smith, Rod. "On Shadows Are Security, As I Lay Dying's good works come back like friendly ghosts". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Rodríguez, Carlos. "Nick Hipa interview". leviatan-magazine. Retrieved 2007-12-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Taste Of Chaos 2006 More Bands Announced". MetalUnderground.com. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  14. ^ "Sounds of the Underground 2006". soundsoftheundergroundtour.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  15. ^ Hasty, Katie (2007-08-29). "'High School Musical 2' Hangs On Atop Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Titus, Christa. "An Ocean Between Us - Billboard review". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  17. ^ Alisoglu, Scott. "An Ocean Between Us - Blabbermouth review". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  18. ^ Jurek, Thom. "An Ocean Between Us - All Music Guide review". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  19. ^ "Warped Tour 2007 band listing". 2007-04-04. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "There Are None Higher, Ultimate Metal God: As I Lay Dying". MTV.com. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  21. ^ "50th Grammy Awards nominees". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2007-12-20.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=As_I_Lay_Dying_(band)&oldid=179758292"