Ken Susi Outlines the Incident That Caused Him to Quit As I Lay Dying: “Don’t Abuse Your Wife in My Fu*king House”

The spectacular implosion of As I Lay Dying… well the most recent implosion… that took place last year was one of the wildest scenarios to play out in real time in a while. The metalcore band fronted by convicted fuckface Tim Lambesis had an album coming out and a huge European tour ahead of it, but a sudden crisis of conscience among its members caused everyone to up and quit.

At the time, bassist Ryan Neff, drummer Nick Pierce, the band’s manager Alex Kendrick, guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and guitarist Ken Susi all left within days of each other. Each time, a statement was released in which each member said they left to “retain my personal health and integrity” or that the band “no longer offers a healthy or safe environment for anyone involved,” but specifics weren’t exactly shared.

Well, during a lengthy, two-hour long discussion on the BREWtally Speaking Podcast (as transcribed by ThePRP), Susi went in depth about his time with As I Lay Dying and what went down in those final days and weeks leading up to that final implosion. And as you probably expected, Lambesis being an abusive piece of shit is was kickstarted that whole kerfuffle.

Though there’s so much to go over in the conversation — and I suggest you listen to the whole thing either below or however you listen to your podcasts — the most damning bit came when Susi described the incident that took place in his house that caused everything to fall apart:

“If you want to know what exactly happened and why the band broke up is because we were at Metalfest and we had the greatest fucking time in my kitchen. We had all the the all the band, all the members, all the crew, everybody and a few people were staying at a hotel. And then me, being a good host, after the festival.

“Now, mind you, him [Tim] and his wife, they weren’t they weren’t vibing on tour. You know things… We were unsure if his wife was even going to come to this short weekend of shows, But I’m going to say, they were staying in a hotel down the street and I offered, I said, ‘Hey, you’re going to go get a tattoo. My wife works from home. I got to go to Fishman. If your wife wants to just chill all day, my wife and your wife are friends. You’re welcome to just stay here and save the money. And you can use one of our cars. You don’t have to rent a car.’

“Like just go do your thing. But what ended up happening is, my wife and I are having a kid. She’s putting a bassinet together right now as beyond the beyond the screen. But we [had] just announced to my whole family that we’re having a baby. We got my mother crying, my father crying. Tim‘s wife is witnessing this, taking video in our house, it was a joyous occasion the day after Metalfest.

“And then within 2-3 hours later, there was like an incident where now mind you, I’m just going to pick up the, I’ll pick up the fucking camera right now. I got these huge honking security cameras all over the house, and a label on the front door saying you’re being filmed 24/7, right?

“And this guy like comes into my house in the middle of the night, corners his wife in my kitchen and spits in her face. And then retracts four or five steps back and has some type of episode, which I’ve never seen out of somebody before in my entire life.

“And then starts screaming and running around my house for help. And it alarmed my wife. She woke up and she’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I’m like, ‘I’ve heard him scream for help before.’ I’m going to go see what’s going on.

“But ultimately, I’m not 20-years-old. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to domestic violence. I’m not going to turn a blind eye to like improper behavior. You know, when shit happens, you fucking handle it. And in that scenario, I didn’t know what happened. I separated them, I brought them down to my studio. I asked him specifically what the fuck is going on.

“And I, is there anything I need to know? And he was just like, ‘Oh my marriage’, this and that. And I’m like, ‘cool.’ I go upstairs. I asked Dany what’s going on. She tells me the truth.

“I actually pull up the camera footage in front of her and I see exactly what was said. He spit on me. He threw a fit. I was trying to calm him down the whole 9. And to be totally honest with you, that’s what fucking happened.

“Later on, you know, he tried to change. I went back downstairs. I said, ‘I’m disappointed in you.’ And he’s like, ‘I didn’t spit on her face. I spit at her feet.’ And I’m like, ‘Why are you spitting in my house in general?’ If you’re going to lie about it, you know? And the honest to God truth is, you’re not going to insult me. I asked him to leave immediately. He left. And at that point, the rest is history.

“If Tim, wants me to like… When I quit the band, he sent a message through his wife, through his wife’s phone, saying he would sue me if I ever release that footage because he didn’t know — he was filmed without his consent, or he was posting up like, Dany would sue me, his wife.

“But like, ultimately I’m not fucking scared. I have the receipts. With Tim‘s permission, if you want to check if I’m a credible source, if you want to see if I’m a upstanding person, I’ll release it. If you want me to release it, that’s fine. Tim, like I have no problem with it.

“But I’m not going to sit here and let you say things like, ‘Oh, Phil left the band.’ Or you were really distant from the band and you know, everyone was like trying to pull you back in, but you were just in this place and blah, blah. You, you know, you’re creating a lie. You’re creating a lie for the fanbase. And it makes me look bad. It makes the guys look bad. You did something wrong. You have to own up to it.”

What the actual fuck. It’s honestly amazing that there wasn’t a physical altercation, because doing that shit in someone else’s home is grounds for getting your ass beaten. That being said, I think it’s wise Susi just kicked him out and that was it, if only for legal reasons.

Susi went on to say that Lambesis threatened him with legal action if any videos of the incident were to surface.

“You know, he threatens me, obviously, again, I said, with a lawsuit, if I talk about or, you know, send footage around that he obviously knew because I have cameras in my common areas and a sign at the front door that he’s being filmed. And, you know, basically lying [about me online.]

“I’ve been in this business for 20 years, right? 20 years, and actually longer than him. And to portray the band and us, like for leaving the way he did. I just don’t think it’s cool. And it’s what it is.

“Just don’t abuse your wife in my fucking house and put my integrity on the line. And someone needs to say something. I don’t. I don’t feel like this is the.. I didn’t come on the show to to intend to do so. But since we’re in the moment, I’m going to fucking say it on your show over anybody else’s because I love you as a person, and people do deserve to know. Don’t subscribe to something that’s not good. But again, I have the receipts.”

Too bad Lambesis couldn’t stop the dissemination of surveillance footage from inside his own home showing him being an abusive fuck to his wife and striking his dog. The latter of those incidents has resulted in more than 70,000 people signing a petition calling for him to be investigated for animal cruelty.