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A taste of success
As I Lay Dying lives up to Chaos tour's reputation
BY ED CONDRAN
CORRESPONDENT
Laid-back vocalist Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying admits he was a bit stressed out prior to embarking on the Taste of Chaos tour, which makes a stop today at the Theater at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. "It was tough getting things together," Lambesis said while calling from Phoenix. "It's a process to get everything working properly for this tour but it's worth it. We get to play in front of a lot of new fans, since so many bands are part of this tour." A diverse group of acts is scheduled to perform, including theatrical alt-metalists the Deftones, young metal punks Funeral for a Friend, earnest emo act Story of the Year, intense punk revivalists Thrice, angst-ridden hard rockers the Smashup and the death-metal band Atreyu. "It's a good package," Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni said. "They (tour organizers) put together a good group of acts at a reasonable cost. You can see why this show should draw well." With tickets ranging from $23.75 to $29.75, the price of admission is right and so is perhaps the time for As I Lay Dying. Released last June, the San Diego-based band's third album, "Shadows Are Security," is As I Lay Dying's high water mark. Prior works screamed Scandinavian metal, but this time the nihilistic hardcore act recorded a more American-sounding CD filled with plenty of thrash. The sound suits the act, which appears to have found itself. Lambesis attributes much of the group's sonic success to chemistry. "Shadows" is the first As I Lay Dying disc without guitarist Evan White. Lambesis and drummer Jordan Mancino replaced White with a pair of axemen, Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa. "We've been playing together for two years and that helped when we made the album," Lambesis said. "Phil is a much better guitar player than I imagined. There wasn't a change in songwriting. I wrote the majority of guitar parts. We're just stronger as a band. We fit together really well and you can tell that by listening to the disc. We're just really comfortable together." As I Lay Dying widened its scope on "Shadows" by stepping out of the metal box. Nu-metal riffs and emo-inspired choruses are utilized. Those elements shouldn't work together on a metal disc, but As I Lay Dying's daring move is a success. "We didn't want to make the same album," Lambesis said. "That doesn't make sense to me. A lot of bands are guilty of not just making the same album again and again but also of just focusing on a few good songs and then just putting out filler along with it. We couldn't do that. We wanted this album to work from top to bottom." "Shadows Are Security" is the most consistent and challenging disc As I Lay Dying has issued to date. The ambitious project combines in-your-gut rock and hooks. Along the way, the group hasn't lost a bit of its trademark intensity. "I think when you listen to this, you know it's an As I Lay Dying disc," Lambesis said. "It's not like we're a completely different band. We're just on a different level. We're growing, and that's what you're supposed to do." Lambesis sees opportunity when he thinks Taste of Chaos. "It's a great situation for us," Lambesis said. "All of these people will be out there and so many haven't heard of us. We're looking forward to making a big impression on them."
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