A decade ago, As I Lay Dying was one of the biggest newer bands in metal. The San Diego metalcore band had landed in the top ten with 2008’s An Ocean Between Us, and were nominated for a Grammy the same year. Of course, that band came to an abrupt end in 2013 after singer Tim Lambesis was convicted of hiring a hitman to murder his estranged wife. However, with Lambesis quietly released from jail after serving less than three years, there have been reports over the weekend that the singer is reforming the band with an entirely new lineup. Rock Feed reported over the weekend that there are sources stating that the singer is assembling an entirely new band, as the entire rest of AILD have been busy with Wovenwar.
All of this would make sense. Over the past few years, some cryptic posts have appeared on As I Lay Dying’s social media accounts, most recently, a June posting that simply read “activity.” The question is, will there be an appetite for a band with a singer that admitted he attempted to kill his wife? And will the members of AILD 2.0 be known musicians, or a crop of newcomers? And will there be a label willing to sign them? This one will be interesting to watch.
There’s already a backlash against the reformation. Metal Sucks reported that Archspire singer Oliver Rae Aleron launched a GoFundMe campaign to fight the singer. Seeking $2,000, the singer wrote the following.
“This asshole tried to have his wife murdered. I’m a small dude and I’m not very good at fighting but Tim is very large and strong. I thinks he sucks for trying to kill his wife but also, I need to train to get biggger so I can kick his stupid ass for being a piece of shit! Help me fight him!
“Help spread the word!”
Was it a joke? Probably, as the campaign has already been taken down, but it shows that there’s a lot of people that are against the idea of Lambesis making more music after serving jail time to allegedly have his wife killed.
