As I Lay Dying
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Alongside Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold, As I Lay Dying are at the forefront of a thriving metal core scene in southern California. Not only does this group represent one of hottest scene geographically, but for metal in general. Their brand of blending hardcore and harmonious metal has placed them in a prominent position in the realm of modern rock. Their accolades include a 2007 Grammy nomination for their most recent album, An Ocean Between Us, a best video nomination on the Headbangers Ball for “The Darkest Nights,” being voted by MTV2 fans as Metal Giant of 2006, and loads of other highly-touted awards. Beyond awards, the most impressive honor the band received is An Ocean Between Us landing on the #1 spot on the Billboard Rock and Hard Rock categories and #8 overall , almost unheard of for a metal band.
Why is this group so popular? For one, they have toured endlessly. 2005 proved to be their break out year of tour. During this year, they landed major slots with Ozzfest and a Taste of Chaos tour with the Deftones and Thrice. They headlined the Sounds of the Underground tour in the ensuing year, sharing stages with In Flames, Machine Head, Gwar, The Black Dahlia Murder and many others. Also, As I Lay Dying plays a popular style of modern metal and metal core, but plays it with exceptional skill, earning them the right to be at the top of this scene. As I recollected from this interview with front man, Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying is a group that relates well to their fans on a personal level. Their message sends a positive, personal message, and even though they have reached rock star status, they don’t exude a pompous, better-than-thou attitude.
Still gaining momentum several months after their latest release, the group is scheduled to hit the road for a massive tour of North America and Europe. Before taking to the road, vocalist Tim Lambesis spoke on the phone with Blistering.com concerning recent and future events in the As I Lay Dying camp.
Blistering.com: One of the first things I want to talk about is your decision to forego the Grammys. You already stated your position in your blog. Do you regret not going? Did Nick enjoy the event?
Tim Lambesis: I definitely don’t regret not going. Looking back, I think I would have regretted if I were to have gone. Nick had a good time. He described it to me, so I can definitely understand how he had a good time, from his point of view. I also feel that some of the things that get me excited are not the same things that get him excited. We’re two different people. I feel like it is important to let our fans know that you don’t have to accept the opinion of the higher ups. It is important to have your own opinion. I could care less what the people at the Grammys think about my band.
Blistering.com: An Ocean Between Us has been out for several months. How does this album’s success compare to your past efforts?
TL: It’s a natural progression. Since our first release on Metal Blade, each album after that has sold slightly more than the one before it. There is nothing drastic. I think it just naturally happens when the band is establishing itself, they continue to put out an album that is better than the one before it. I feel it is our best record for getting the best sales so far, but it hasn’t benefited from radio or mass media in any way. It’s really just a true fan base that finds this record.
Blistering.com: You worked with Adam Dutkiewicz on the production for this album. Why did you decide to hire him?
TL: On the previous couple records that I produced for our band, I really got wrapped up in the instrumental side of producing, and wasn’t able to put in enough time focusing my vocals. I was never happy with my vocals on the previous albums because it was always a rush until the very end. This time, Adam focused mainly on the music. I was able to track a lot of the vocals with our assistant engineer while Adam was finishing our guitar. I was able to put a little more priority on the vocals that way.
Blistering.com: Colin Richardson provided the mixing. What was it like working with him?
TL: That was a great experience. Colin is a good communicator. The initial mixes we sent over weren’t perfect. We are going a different direction than what we wanted to go with the band, and communicating back and forth he was able to nail down an amazing mix. What I really love about him is how easy it is to communicate with him. He ultimately wants to make sure we’re happy. That’s a really good thing for a guy who has been around as long as he has and has done as many amazing records. You could easily take on the mentality that a lot of engineers do which is it’s their way or the highway. He really worked with us.
Blistering.com: Speaking of recording, you and Jordan worked on Sworn Enemy’s latest album. Do you think you have a career as a producer when you’re too old to run around the stage?
TL: Yeah, I’ve definitely learned more than a few producing tricks in my time. I wouldn’t mind focusing on that more someday when we can’t tour anymore.
Blistering.com: Tell me the story about you recommending Jordan fill on as drummer on the Sworn Enemy recording session.
TL: Sworn Enemy didn’t have a drummer at the time, and they initially contacted me about producing their record. They were going to start trying guys out, but they were also supposed to start writing their record. They only had three or four songs at the time. I told them, “It is much more important to start writing songs than to keep trying out more and more drummers. Why don’t we make this easy? I know that whatever you guys write, Jordan can play it. Why don’t you guys just focus on writing the record, and have Jordan record the drums.” It definitely turned out to be the best solution. They were able to focus on song writing. They brought me tons of riffs. When we sat down, we made those riffs into songs. My role as a producer was to take a bunch of small ideas and make real songs out of them.
Blistering.com: What was it like making the “Nothing Left” video?
TL: It was really cool. It was a totally different video experience. We did a lot of stuff in front of a green screen. There was a lot of added footage later, which is a new experience for us. Other than that, the actual playing was like any other video. We put on our instruments and rocked out. Brian Thompson really captured the line between a band performance and a good concept. It was very unique. It tells a story that related to the lyrics.
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