Metalcore band As I Lay Dying briefly acknowledged the sudden departure of three members, saying they were still “sorting through details” in a post shared on Instagram this weekend.
Last week, guitarist Ken Susi, drummer Nick Pierce, and bassist Ryan Neff — all of whom had joined the band recently — announced they were leaving the group. All three released individual statements, with some alluding to potentially troubling issues on top of the band’s already prominent notoriety: Frontman Tim Lambesis infamously spent nearly three years in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting an undercover cop to murder his then-wife.
Susi, for instance, acknowledged that he joined this version of As I Lay Dying — which Lambesis re-launched in 2018 — with “full knowledge of the heightened dramatic history.” But, he said, his “personal morals have recently been tested to a breaking point, and it’s now the saddest ending to what could have been the greatest second chance for this band.” Pierce, meanwhile, said he felt the “need to distance” himself from the band “to retain my personal health and integrity.”
None of the now-former band members offered any specifics, and As I Lay Dying did not address any potential issues in their new statement. The band said only, “We are still sorting through details of what is going on within AILD and will have more details for you soon.”
(That note was tacked on to a different message about the availability of As I Lay Dying’s 2019 comeback record, Shaped By Fire, which had briefly disappeared from streaming services. The band said its absence was due to the end of a five-year distribution deal, but it would be back up soon now that the LP had “reverted back to being owned by the band.”)
Along with the mysterious shake-up of As I Lay Dying’s lineup, the band has also reportedly been canceling tour dates after their tour manager resigned. All of this is happening, too, as the group prepares to release their eighth studio album, Through Storms Ahead, next month.
