Tim Lambesis: Not a Satanist

I think this falls under the header of “Shit So Ridiculous it Really Didn’t Need to be Addressed,” but it has been addressed, so let’s discuss: apparently there are some fans who have interpreted the lyrics on the debut EP from Pyrithion — the new band featuring As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis — as being Satanic. And while Pyrithion certainly aren’t the first band to be accused of such beliefs, it’s kind of a big deal in this case, because Tim Lambesis is a Christian*, and if he has suddenly started worshipping Satan, that’s probably gonna put kind of a dent in the credibility of his lyrics for AILD.

So Lambesis has created this very entertaining video to explain where he’s coming from with Pyrithion’s lyrical content, and that, no, he does not actually worship The Lord of the Flies:

Okay, so first of all, as Metal Injection so eloquently puts it, “Tim does not look like a dude I would want to accuse of anything ever.” TRUTH. Dude’s arms are as big as my torso. I would wager the dude takes craps bigger than my total mass. Paint him green and he could play the Lou Ferrigno role on a re-launch of The Incredible Hulk. I don’t think he’s a violent man, but I also would not want to test that theory, y’know?

Second of all — and I think this is the far more important issue — have we seriously reached a point where metal lyricists have to defend the content of their allegedly Satanic songs to the metal community itself? Aren’t these the kinds of accusations that are supposed to come from the Tipper Gores of the world? Didn’t it used to be that the normies would accuse metal of being Satanic and metal fans stood up and said “CHILL, motherfuckers, it’s just fantasy!”??? This whole thing seems kinda topsy don’t you think?

Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below. Pyrithion’s EP, The Burden of Sorrow, is out now on Metal Blade, and is really good, so I encourage you to check it out regardless of your interpretation of the lyrics.

*Although he’s not obnoxiously preachy — I’ve never seen him give a shout out to Jeezy C. on stage the way some Christian bands do, and AILD’s lyrics are relatively non-specific, which is to say, there are Hatebreed lyrics that could just as easily be interpreted as being about God/spirituality/whatever as any AILD song.