About As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying was formed in the sunny city of San Diego , California in 2001.  This unique group, unlike all those that sign with Sony or any of those well known record companies, signed with Pluto Records.  This was a win win situation for As I Lay Dying and for the record company.  After they were signed with this company, As I Lay Dying released their first full length album, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes in June of 2001. Following its release, the band completed a number of tours. Through persistence and hard work “Beneath the Encasing of Ashes” became the top selling Pluto release.

	Ready to move forward, As I Lay Dying recorded five songs for a split release with American Tragedy. The evolved follow up caught the attention of a number of people including various record labels. After a 70-day summer tour, the band came home to prepare for the things ahead. In March of 2003 As I Lay Dying signed with Metal Blade Records while recording a full length entitled “Frail Words Collapse.” This 12-song release features dynamic improvements in both songwriting and musicianship. “Frail Words Collapse” (July 1, 2003) is full of brutal and emotionally driven songs that transition seamlessly from precise melodies to neck snapping rhythms. With song as “94 Hours” and “Forever,” album went on to be a label best-seller, surpassing 210,000 units sold.   In the bands latest release, An Ocean Between Us  (August 2007) the band recruited noted producer (friend and Killswitch Engage guitarist) Adam Dutkiewicz to man the boards these guys prove once again they are not afraid to push the limits of their sound and always keep things moving. “It may have been comfortable for us to write a similar sounding record,” admits vocalist and founding member Tim Lambesis. “The basic elements of As I Lay Dying are there, but on the whole, we took certain songs in a new direction. We can’t always do what’s comfortable or just do more of what our fans expect. We wanted to have more depth.” To achieve the desired depth, the band wrote and recorded as though their very lives depended on it. Lambesis says, “Everything was performed more spot-on than any of our previous records. The biggest focus was the songwriting. It’s more dynamic than previous records, and that helped the production sound bigger because there are ups and downs.”

Musically, the core four –Lambesis, drummer and fellow founding member Jordan Mancino, guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso- wrote the album, and recruited bassist Josh Gilbert to record and fill the vacant bass position. Lambesis admits that on this album, the foursome where able to commingle all of their strengths. “From the start of this band Jordan and I were always the solid two members. Together we wrote a majority of the songs and were very passionate about every decision the band made. While we always expected that same passion from other band members, we didn’t always receive it. It wasn’t until Phil and Nick joined the band that we were finally able to find the other solid two.”

Lambesis also feels the band played to everyone’s strengths when writing, making the process natural. He says, “We were conscious about focusing in on things. Like if we wanted Phil’s guitar melody style to be the showcase of the song. Or if we wanted to go towards the darker, thrashier songwriting style, we’d focus on that. We focused on separate strengths, so songs came out drastically different and it sounds more diverse.” Another musical step occurred on the song “Nothing Left.” Lambesis says the song was a step forward for him personally, because when demoing the song, he had to sing the clean background vocals to get a feel for how he wanted it to go, not because he particularly wanted to sing that part. He says, “It was my first time singing a chorus, and it’s now one of my favorite choruses, and not because I sing it, but because it has a unique feel.”

With a fanbase that continues to grow exponentially, AILD plan to focus on what they know best, hitting the road. With a tour schedule that includes the US , Canada , Europe, Japan and Australia , they know that there are always new fans that haven’t been exposed to the music. “We’ll keep pushing forward,” Lambesis says. “There is always a chance for us to do more, even with more people that don’t necessarily listen to metal.”

The band has taken home the San Diego Music Award’s 2006 Artist of the Year (beating out Jason Mraz and Switchfoot) as well as being voted 2006’s Metal Gods by MTV2.