As I Lay Dying

If you are a high school English teacher, you probably know As I Lay Dying as a revolutionary 1930 novel by William Faulkner, the man behind such great masterpieces of modernist literature as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! If you are anyone else, you probably know As I Lay Dying (sometimes abbreviated to AILD) as an awesome Christian-influenced metalcore band from San Diego, California. Though metalcore - a genre fusing heavy metal and hardcore punk - remains something of a niche genre, As I Lay Dying (along with contemporaries like Avenged Sevenfold and Underoath) has managed to make an impact on mainstream music, even earning a Grammy nomination in 2008.

As I Lay Dying formed in 2000, anchored by vocalist Tim Lambesus and drummer Jordan Mancino, both of whom remain the only two original members still with the band today; they are currently backed by bassist Josh Gilbert and guitarists Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa. After less than a year together the band attracted the attention of Pluto Records, an influential Texas independent label that has launched the careers of groups like Norma Jean and HORSE The Band. Amongst heavy touring, As I Lay Dying managed to release two records on Pluto, 2001's Beneath the Encasing of Ashes and a 2002 selftitled split album with now defunct post-hardcore outfit American Tragedy.

Both Beneath the Encasing of Ashes and the As I Lay Dying/American Tragedy split made waves in the underground music press, leading the band to leave Pluto for greener - or perhaps metal-er - pastures. The band recorded a demo and sent copies off to over 20 record labels, eventually signing to Sony-subsidiary Metal Blade Records (Cannibal Corpse, Job for a Cowboy) in 2003. The band made their major label debut later on that same year with the release of their third album, Frail Words Collapse, which went on to sell over 250,000 units within three years of its release - quite the respectable debut. Standout tracks from Frail Words Collapse include "94 Hours" (which lead singer Tim Lambesus has stated is his favorite song the band has ever made) and "Forever".

After two years of heavy touring, As I Lay Dying returned to the studio to begin recording their fourth album, Shadows Are Security, which saw a mid-2005 release. The album was released at just the right time, as metalcore records like Killswitch Engage's The End of Heartache and Shadows Fall's The War Within had recently begun to receive considerable mainstream attention just months before, charting within the top 25 of the Billboard 200. Shadows Are Security faired similarly, debuting at #35 and moving well over 300,000 copies internationally. Sales statistics aside, the record was the band's most technical effort to date, spearheaded by tracks like "Confined" and "The Darkest Nights". Interestingly, the liner notes to Shadows Are Security include meanings for each of the album's twelve tracks, providing insight into the band's creative process.

The band quickly followed up the success of Shadows Are Security with the release of a compilation album called A Long March: The First Recordings in 2006, paving the way for their 2007 full-length release An Ocean Between Us. An Ocean Between Us debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, selling over 34,000 copies on its first week on store shelves - both firsts for the band. The album features less of the band's signature metalcore sound, instead incorporating clean vocals and thrash metal-inspired guitar riffs. So far An Ocean Between Us has produced three singles: "Nothing Left", "The Sound of Truth", and "Within Destruction".

From Discogs:

Metalcore band from San Diego, USA, formed in 2001.

From Lastfm:

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore 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.

Read more about As I Lay Dying on Last.fm.

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From Wikipedia:

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by 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 four studio albums, one split album, and one compilation album.

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, 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". The band wrote and recorded their latest album, The Powerless Rise on the course of a three year process and was released in May 2010. It has been considered by many to be their best work yet.