As I Lay Dying is an American metal band from San Diego, California. Founde… Read Full Bio ↴As I Lay Dying is an American metal band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by their vocalist Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh Gilbert, all of whom are Christians. Signed to Metal Blade Records, As I Lay Dying has released five studio albums, one split album, and two compilation albums.
As I Lay Dying's fourth studio album, An Ocean Between Us peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart. The band has performed at Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, Soundwave Festival, Sounds of the Underground, Warped Tour, Bloodstock Open Air and Taste of Chaos. In 2007, As I Lay Dying won the "Ultimate Metal God" award from MTV2 at the first annual "All That Rocks" special, was named "Artist of the Year" at the San Diego Music Awards in 2008 and was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for the song "Nothing Left". Their latest album, The Powerless Rise was written over a three year period and was released in May 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.
After leaving the band Society's Finest where he played guitar, vocalist Tim Lambesis formed As I Lay Dying in 2000.[10]Starting out as a duet with drummer Jordan Mancino after they first met as a band in February 2001, the title of the band was taken from the novel of the same name by William Faulkner although there is no correlation between the band's musical theme to the theme of the novel.
Pluto Records took interest and offered As I Lay Dying a recording contract. After accepting the offer, one month later the band entered the studio to record their first album Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, which was released in June 2001. In 2002. The band recorded five songs for a split album through Pluto Records, with San Diego heavy metal band American Tragedy. As I Lay Dying realized it needed to expand to a five-piece to include another guitarist and a bassist. Mancino commented "we started going on tour and we needed obviously more people than that." Since they had no "solid" members besides Tim Lambesis and Jordan Mancino, the band recruited friends to perform with them and from there on the group encountered several line-up changes; bassist Noah Chase departed from band in 2001, Brandon Hayes and his subsequent replacement Aaron Kennedy departed in 2003; soon after forming the band The Tokyo Smash in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In July 2003, the band's second studio album, Frail Words Collapse was released. Produced by Lambesis, the album peaked at number 30 onBillboard's Independent Albums chart, and number 41 on the Top Heatseekers chart. William York of Allmusic thought the band "doesn't really add anything new to the mix from a musical standpoint" with the release, although praised it for being "solid enough and well executed, and the production is adequate." Sherwin Frias of Jesus Freak Hideout had similar sentiments and commented "As I Lay Dying didn't exactly break many boundaries in making this record", but praised that each song is "executed so well (and with such precision) that nary a song misses its target." Touring followed to promote the album with the bands Himsa, Shadows Fall, The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Sworn Enemy, and Hatebreed. Music videos for the songs “94 Hours” and "Forever received rotation on networks such as Fuse and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.
As I Lay Dying entered Big Fish recording studio in Encinitas, California in January 2005 to record their third studio album. Shadows Are Security was released in June, and debuted at number 1 on the Independent Albums. It was the band's first release to enter the Billboard 200 at number 35. and sold about 275 000 copies. Wade Kergan of Allmusic called it "one of the strongest releases of 2005," and commented that new guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, make the band "stronger." Rod Smith of Decibel Magazine commented "Tim Lambesis’ finely honed roar in bittersweet instrumental matrices augmented by occasional clean vocals by bassist Clint Norris. Guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa whip up a melodic cyclone on 'The Darkest Nights'." Guitarist Evan White had quit the band due to personal reasons after his mother had died. All the clean vocals were sung by Dave Arthur of Kings to You, because they sounded more powerful in the studio than Clint Norris'.
In 2007, As I Lay Dying started recording a new album titled An Ocean Between Us, which was released on August 21, 2007. Debuting at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart with first-week sales of 39,000, the album was the highest charting release for the band. Co-produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and As I Lay Dying, and mixed by Colin Richardson, the album received generally positive reviews. Christa L. Titus of Billboard commented "Whatever the differences between As I Lay Dying's personal desires and what its fans demand, this album surely acts as a bridge," praising the song "Comfort Betrays" for its guitar solo. Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net described the album as "a well-rounded and often thrashy metalcore album, as the band has struck an effective balance between aggression and accessible melodies." Thom Jurek of Allmusic praised the band for expanding its musical range by including melodic choruses and clean vocals such as they had previously done on Confined from Shadows Are Security. It was the first time for bassist Josh Gilbert to be featured on an As I Lay Dying record since the time of the departure of previous bassists, Evan White and Clint Norris.
On September 28, 2009, As I Lay Dying announced that 6—7 songs had already been written for their then upcoming album, which followed onward to November 23 where Josh Gilbert announced through Twitter that half of the record was recorded. As I Lay Dying announced the title of their new album The Powerless Rise.
On May 7, The Powerless Rise was posted in its entirety through MySpace Music. The streaming lasted until May 10. The album was officially released on May 11, 2010 and received generally positive critical acclaim, with one critic saying "Fans of metalcore in general, and As I Lay Dying in particular, will be more than satisfied with The Powerless Rise, as the band's gradual progression and consistency makes this their best album."
As of January 2012, As I Lay Dying have been in the studio with producer Bill Stevenson (NOFX, Rise Against, Anti Flag) working on material for a sixth album, expected for release later in the year.
On June 22, 2012, the band announced that their sixth album would be titled Awakened and the first single "Cauterize" was released on June 25, 2012. On September 12, 2012, As I Lay Dying released their second single "A Greater Foundation" with a corresponding music video. The album was released on September 25, 2012 and "Cauterize" was available on the band's website as a free download for a 24-hour period. As I Lay Dying won the "Metal Band of the Year" award from Loudwire in 2012.
On May 7, 2013, Lambesis was arrested in Oceanside, California, US after hiring an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife. On May 16, 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison, with 48 days credit for time served.
Rather than continue on without Lambesis, Mancino, along with former members Phil Sgrosso, Nick Hipa, and Josh Gilbert, decided to focus on a different style of music under a different band name, Wovenwar, with Shane Blay (Oh, Sleeper) as the vocalist.
Lambesis was released from prison on probation in December 2016.
On September 2, 2017, Metal Injection reported that Lambesis was working on new music and planned to release it under the As I Lay Dying name and that none of the pre-hiatus lineup aside from Lambesis would be returning.
On June 8, 2018, the band released the music video for "My Own Grave", confirming through the video that the lineup of Lambesis, Hipa, Sgrosso, Gilbert and Mancino have reunited. They performed their first show—which sold out in four minutes—in five years at the SOMA Sidestage in San Diego. The band has stated the single was their first and only song written since their formal reunion in February 2018 and have no concrete plans past releasing the single and playing the SOMA show.
On June 16, 2018—the date of their comeback show at the SOMA, the band published a video on their official YouTube account addressing the questions and criticisms fans and critics of the band had and explaining the terms in detail of the reunion.
In July 2018, the band announced their first European headlining tour for December 2018. A day later, they announced their North American tour for November 2018. A vast majority of the shows sold out immediately.
In August 2021, Nick Hipa confirmed his exist of the band.
In May 2022, Josh Gilbert left and in June 2022 Jordan Mancino also left, which means that the current line-up consists of Tim Lambesis and Phil Sgrosso.
Band Members:
▪ Tim Lambesis – lead vocals
▪ Phil Sgrosso – rhythm guitar
As I Lay Dying's fourth studio album, An Ocean Between Us peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart. The band has performed at Wacken Open Air, With Full Force, Soundwave Festival, Sounds of the Underground, Warped Tour, Bloodstock Open Air and Taste of Chaos. In 2007, As I Lay Dying won the "Ultimate Metal God" award from MTV2 at the first annual "All That Rocks" special, was named "Artist of the Year" at the San Diego Music Awards in 2008 and was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for the song "Nothing Left". Their latest album, The Powerless Rise was written over a three year period and was released in May 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.
After leaving the band Society's Finest where he played guitar, vocalist Tim Lambesis formed As I Lay Dying in 2000.[10]Starting out as a duet with drummer Jordan Mancino after they first met as a band in February 2001, the title of the band was taken from the novel of the same name by William Faulkner although there is no correlation between the band's musical theme to the theme of the novel.
Pluto Records took interest and offered As I Lay Dying a recording contract. After accepting the offer, one month later the band entered the studio to record their first album Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, which was released in June 2001. In 2002. The band recorded five songs for a split album through Pluto Records, with San Diego heavy metal band American Tragedy. As I Lay Dying realized it needed to expand to a five-piece to include another guitarist and a bassist. Mancino commented "we started going on tour and we needed obviously more people than that." Since they had no "solid" members besides Tim Lambesis and Jordan Mancino, the band recruited friends to perform with them and from there on the group encountered several line-up changes; bassist Noah Chase departed from band in 2001, Brandon Hayes and his subsequent replacement Aaron Kennedy departed in 2003; soon after forming the band The Tokyo Smash in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In July 2003, the band's second studio album, Frail Words Collapse was released. Produced by Lambesis, the album peaked at number 30 onBillboard's Independent Albums chart, and number 41 on the Top Heatseekers chart. William York of Allmusic thought the band "doesn't really add anything new to the mix from a musical standpoint" with the release, although praised it for being "solid enough and well executed, and the production is adequate." Sherwin Frias of Jesus Freak Hideout had similar sentiments and commented "As I Lay Dying didn't exactly break many boundaries in making this record", but praised that each song is "executed so well (and with such precision) that nary a song misses its target." Touring followed to promote the album with the bands Himsa, Shadows Fall, The Black Dahlia Murder, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, Sworn Enemy, and Hatebreed. Music videos for the songs “94 Hours” and "Forever received rotation on networks such as Fuse and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.
As I Lay Dying entered Big Fish recording studio in Encinitas, California in January 2005 to record their third studio album. Shadows Are Security was released in June, and debuted at number 1 on the Independent Albums. It was the band's first release to enter the Billboard 200 at number 35. and sold about 275 000 copies. Wade Kergan of Allmusic called it "one of the strongest releases of 2005," and commented that new guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, make the band "stronger." Rod Smith of Decibel Magazine commented "Tim Lambesis’ finely honed roar in bittersweet instrumental matrices augmented by occasional clean vocals by bassist Clint Norris. Guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa whip up a melodic cyclone on 'The Darkest Nights'." Guitarist Evan White had quit the band due to personal reasons after his mother had died. All the clean vocals were sung by Dave Arthur of Kings to You, because they sounded more powerful in the studio than Clint Norris'.
In 2007, As I Lay Dying started recording a new album titled An Ocean Between Us, which was released on August 21, 2007. Debuting at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and number 1 on the Top Rock chart with first-week sales of 39,000, the album was the highest charting release for the band. Co-produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and As I Lay Dying, and mixed by Colin Richardson, the album received generally positive reviews. Christa L. Titus of Billboard commented "Whatever the differences between As I Lay Dying's personal desires and what its fans demand, this album surely acts as a bridge," praising the song "Comfort Betrays" for its guitar solo. Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net described the album as "a well-rounded and often thrashy metalcore album, as the band has struck an effective balance between aggression and accessible melodies." Thom Jurek of Allmusic praised the band for expanding its musical range by including melodic choruses and clean vocals such as they had previously done on Confined from Shadows Are Security. It was the first time for bassist Josh Gilbert to be featured on an As I Lay Dying record since the time of the departure of previous bassists, Evan White and Clint Norris.
On September 28, 2009, As I Lay Dying announced that 6—7 songs had already been written for their then upcoming album, which followed onward to November 23 where Josh Gilbert announced through Twitter that half of the record was recorded. As I Lay Dying announced the title of their new album The Powerless Rise.
On May 7, The Powerless Rise was posted in its entirety through MySpace Music. The streaming lasted until May 10. The album was officially released on May 11, 2010 and received generally positive critical acclaim, with one critic saying "Fans of metalcore in general, and As I Lay Dying in particular, will be more than satisfied with The Powerless Rise, as the band's gradual progression and consistency makes this their best album."
As of January 2012, As I Lay Dying have been in the studio with producer Bill Stevenson (NOFX, Rise Against, Anti Flag) working on material for a sixth album, expected for release later in the year.
On June 22, 2012, the band announced that their sixth album would be titled Awakened and the first single "Cauterize" was released on June 25, 2012. On September 12, 2012, As I Lay Dying released their second single "A Greater Foundation" with a corresponding music video. The album was released on September 25, 2012 and "Cauterize" was available on the band's website as a free download for a 24-hour period. As I Lay Dying won the "Metal Band of the Year" award from Loudwire in 2012.
On May 7, 2013, Lambesis was arrested in Oceanside, California, US after hiring an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife. On May 16, 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison, with 48 days credit for time served.
Rather than continue on without Lambesis, Mancino, along with former members Phil Sgrosso, Nick Hipa, and Josh Gilbert, decided to focus on a different style of music under a different band name, Wovenwar, with Shane Blay (Oh, Sleeper) as the vocalist.
Lambesis was released from prison on probation in December 2016.
On September 2, 2017, Metal Injection reported that Lambesis was working on new music and planned to release it under the As I Lay Dying name and that none of the pre-hiatus lineup aside from Lambesis would be returning.
On June 8, 2018, the band released the music video for "My Own Grave", confirming through the video that the lineup of Lambesis, Hipa, Sgrosso, Gilbert and Mancino have reunited. They performed their first show—which sold out in four minutes—in five years at the SOMA Sidestage in San Diego. The band has stated the single was their first and only song written since their formal reunion in February 2018 and have no concrete plans past releasing the single and playing the SOMA show.
On June 16, 2018—the date of their comeback show at the SOMA, the band published a video on their official YouTube account addressing the questions and criticisms fans and critics of the band had and explaining the terms in detail of the reunion.
In July 2018, the band announced their first European headlining tour for December 2018. A day later, they announced their North American tour for November 2018. A vast majority of the shows sold out immediately.
In August 2021, Nick Hipa confirmed his exist of the band.
In May 2022, Josh Gilbert left and in June 2022 Jordan Mancino also left, which means that the current line-up consists of Tim Lambesis and Phil Sgrosso.
Band Members:
▪ Tim Lambesis – lead vocals
▪ Phil Sgrosso – rhythm guitar
I Never Wanted
As I Lay Dying Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never wanted
And I never cared before
I never wanted
And I never cared before (take it back this is a new day)
I never wanted
And I never cared before (Take it back this is)
How I long to regress
To the days before I took upon myself
The obsessions of this world (for tomorrow)
A day of innocence equating beauty (may fall)
For tomorrow may fall (and today)
And today is already gone (is already gone)
Tomorrow may fall
Today is already gone
(Take it back this is a new day)
I never wanted (this is a new day)
And I never cared before
I never wanted
And I never cared before
I've grown tired of chasing
Convinced I was in need
And now the years I've spent
Only a slave to this
Tomorrow may fall
And today is already gone
I will no longer
Adore to these things that will never satisfy me
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die (die again)
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are (but without these barren obsessions)
Brought back to life only to die (I am simply, I am simply free)
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
And I never cared before
I never wanted
And I never cared before (take it back this is a new day)
I never wanted
And I never cared before (Take it back this is)
To the days before I took upon myself
The obsessions of this world (for tomorrow)
A day of innocence equating beauty (may fall)
For tomorrow may fall (and today)
And today is already gone (is already gone)
Tomorrow may fall
Today is already gone
(Take it back this is a new day)
I never wanted (this is a new day)
And I never cared before
I never wanted
And I never cared before
I've grown tired of chasing
Convinced I was in need
And now the years I've spent
Only a slave to this
Tomorrow may fall
And today is already gone
I will no longer
Adore to these things that will never satisfy me
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die (die again)
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are (but without these barren obsessions)
Brought back to life only to die (I am simply, I am simply free)
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
The song "I Never Wanted" by As I Lay Dying portrays the idea of letting go of materialistic desires and returning to a simpler time. The repeated line "I never wanted and I never cared before" suggests a longing to return to a state of innocence and lack of attachment to the things of this world. The singer reflects on how the pursuit of these worldly possessions has only left him feeling unsatisfied and enslaved, and how everything he has gained will eventually be lost. The song implies that true freedom and contentment can only be found by detaching from such obsessions and focusing on what truly matters.
The chorus of the song builds on this concept, as the singer pleads to "take it back" and start anew, embracing the present moment and letting go of the past as well as the future. The line "today is already gone" emphasizes the fleeting nature of life and how important it is to appreciate the present instead of living in regrets or anxieties for what is to come. The song ends with the realization that by freeing oneself from these desires, one can break the cycle of life and death and achieve true freedom.
Overall, "I Never Wanted" is a thought-provoking song about the importance of letting go of materialistic desires and focusing on the present moment in order to achieve true freedom and contentment.
Line by Line Meaning
I never wanted and I never cared before
I never desired or was concerned with anything before
Take it back this is a new day
Undo your past actions because today is a new opportunity
How I long to regress to the days
I deeply yearn to go back to earlier, simpler times
Before I took upon myself
Before I burdened myself with responsibilities and concerns
The obsessions of this world
The fixations and preoccupations of this society
For tomorrow may fall
The future is uncertain and may not come to pass
And today is already gone
The present has already passed and cannot be recovered
I've grown tired of chasing
I am exhausted from pursuing things that will not fulfill me
Convinced I was in need
Believing that I required these things to be content
And now the years I've spent
The time that has elapsed in my pursuit
Only a slave to this
I have been enslaved by my own desires
I will no longer adore to
I will no longer worship or idolize
These things that will never satisfy me
These things that cannot bring me true fulfillment
In this vicious circle we are
We are caught in a never-ending cycle
Brought back to life only to die
Revived only to eventually face death
But without these barren obsessions
Without these empty fixations
I am simply, I am simply free
I am unencumbered and liberated
I have seen my world change
I have witnessed my surroundings transform
And then go back to where it came
Only to revert back to its original state
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jordan D. Mancino, Phillip J. Sgrosso, Samuel Nicholas Hipa, Timothy Lambesis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@markwerdahl
"I Never Wanted"
I never wanted
And I never cared before
Now take it all back
This is a new day
How I long to regress
To the days before I took upon myself
The obsessions of this world
A day of innocence equating beauty
For tomorrow may fall
And today is already gone
Now take it back
This is a new day
I've grown tired of chasing
Convinced I was in need
And now the years I've spent
Only a slave to this
Tomorrow may fall
And today is already gone
I will no longer adore
These things that will never satisfy me
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
In this vicious circle
We are all brought back to life
Only to die again
But without these barren obsessions
I am simply free
@sylviadavila4904
I never wanted and I never cared before
I never wanted and I never cared before
(Take it back this is a new day)
I never wanted and I never cared before
(Take it back this is)
How I long to regress to the days
Before I took upon myself
The obsessions of this world
(For tomorrow)
A day of innocence equating beauty
(May fall)
For tomorrow may fall
(And today)
And today is already gone
(Is already gone)
For tomorrow may fall
Today is already gone
I never wanted and I never cared before
(This is a new day)
I never wanted and I never cared before
I've grown tired of chasing
Convinced I was in need
And now the years I've spent
Only a slave to this
Tomorrow may fall
And today is already gone
I will no longer adore to
These things that will never satisfy me
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
(Die again)
In this vicious circle we are
Brought back to life only to die
In this vicious circle we are
(But without these barren obsessions)
Brought back to life only to die
(I am simply, I am simply free)
I have seen my world change
And then go back to where it came
@bencorder2544
Almost 15 years old and still one of the best chorus’s I’ve ever heard
@bobmarley8334
one of the most brilliant yes. There is a total number of 0 bad songs from AILD since I last checked
@regular_dude0208
@@bobmarley8334 100% facts
@miaaprianti548
Me too
@yuricmendess
*16 years
@josephforesta7438
My favorite one is the one from My own grave. Leaves me speechless
@chrishester6566
I've heard this song literally a 1000 times and it never gets old
@IKnowImGayWhenISayThisBut
Those are rookie numbers! You got to pump those numbers up!!
@cokedash
I used to listen to this song every single day before work! Favorite song on the album!!
@mikerealundergroundmusic8057
back at you man