Tim Lambesis Intends on Rebuilding As I Lay Dying Despite How Much of a Sh*tshow It’s Been
It’s finally happened. After weeks of drama surrounding As I Lay Dying involving band members quitting en masse amidst zero communication from Tim Lambesis, we now have word from the embattled vocalist. And it’s about as predictable as one might expect.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how hard the internet’s been transfixed on the downfall of As I Lay Dying, as people openly wonder what the fuck went down to cause the band to collapse yet again. It all started a couple weeks ago with the sudden exit of bassist and clean vocalist Ryan Neff, though it didn’t take much longer for the band’s tour manager Alex Kendrick, guitarist Ken Susi, and drummer Nick Pierce to leave as well. Then just a few days after all that, guitarist and longest running member aside from Lambesis, Phil Sgrosso, announced his departure.
During all that tumult, no one had heard anything from Lambesis himself. Well, just moments ago that all changed, as Lambesis posted a statement on his Instagram regarding the departures and the future of the band. And while he doesn’t go into specifics about what exactly went down, his comments suggest that there was a falling out between himself and Sgrosso.
Rather than paraphrase and potentially editorialize his comments, here’s Lambesis’ statement in full:
“Hi everyone,
“I needed some time to process all that has happened recently with AILD. As I reflect, I certainly agree that there was an unhealthy environment that made leaving for a new tour with the previous lineup unrealistic. It had become difficult to figure out even the smallest details, and I admit I can stick strong to my vision for the future of AILD even when others think it should go another direction.
“It saddens me to think about the behaviors, communication, and patterns of interaction that led up to the tour cancellation. Phil and I no longer saw eye to personally, creatively, or financially. Discussions during this time prompted his decision to depart first, with each of the touring members deciding to leave shortly after, as they were not interested in going on without him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the order in which everything was made public, as some statements were rushed out during a chaotic time in response to rumors.
“I fully support each of the guys’ decisions to leave and believe at this time it is best for everyone. With that being said, my door will always remain open to discussing anything directly as I believe closing communication lead to many assumptions and problems of its own.
“Now, regarding what’s next: AILD was founded on persistence and determination. For anyone who is familiar with the foundational years from 2000-2004, you know that more than 20 people (whom I’m incredibly grateful for) have come and gone to help bring to life this vision I’ve had in my head since I was 19 years old. I look forward to building a new team, and creating an atmosphere that is supportive, positive, and fosters a creative environment.
“‘Through Storms Ahead’ will still be released November 15. I am proud of what we created and look forward to sharing it with all of you.”
So there you have it. Lambesis was always going to rebuild the damn thing because it’s his life work. Why wouldn’t he try to resurrect the band for a third or fourth time? And you know what — he’ll find people to work with him too. There are tons of hungry musicians out there wanting to get their name attached to a hugely influential band like As I Lay Dying, even if it’s a husk of its former self.
Thankfully, we now finally have everyone’s story while still having very little context as to what actually went down. And unless we get a tell all, Mr. McMahon-style docuseries on Netflix, we likely never will.
Now can we all go back to ignoring whatever Lambesis is doing from this point forward? Please?
