Imprisoned As I Lay Dying Singer Claims Other Christian Bands Fake Faith

Take this one with a grain of salt considering its source, but I'm sure there's some truth to the following.

'Shock' doesn't even begin to describe the collective feeling of confusion and bewilderment that reverberated throughout the music community when Tim Lambesis was arrested May 7, 2013. Lambesis, the As I Lay Dying frontman who was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiring to kill his estranged wife in May, now claims that his band eventually faked their faith in order to continue to appeal to Christian fans.

Speaking at length to Alternative Press in the days ahead of his sentencing, Lambesis described his obsession with the gym and steroids, as well as his views on philosophy and relationship with religion. Although often touring with a circle of Christian bands, the singer said:

We toured with more “Christian bands” who actually aren't Christians than bands that are. In 12 years of touring with As I Lay Dying, I would say maybe one in 10 Christian bands we toured with were actually Christian bands. I actually wasn't the first guy in As I Lay Dying to stop being a Christian. In fact, I think I was the third. The two who remained kind of stopped talking about it, and then I’m pretty sure they dropped it, too. We talked about whether to keep taking money from the “Christian market.” We had this bizarrely “noble” thing, like, “Well, we’re not passing along any bad ideas. We’re just singing about real life stuff. Those kids need to hear about real life, because they live in a bubble.”

As I Lay Dying have released six studio albums. Although originally stating the band were Christians, it has been noted that Lambesis showed growing scepticism in interviews regarding faith in recent years. Before he was sentenced, Lambesis announced a side project, Pyrithion. Many fans believed the lyrics featured on the project's debut EP were satanic, however he was quick to address the accusations: "I wanted it to represent a point of views that aren't necessarily my own, a way to get people thinking and to be more philosophical," Lambesis said in a YouTube video.

He seems to be coming back to his faith, based on several quotes.  This quote in particular is revealing:

Q: There’s the saying, “God answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.” But there’s also, “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”
A: I did fall flat on my face. I hit rock bottom. I lost everything. The trauma, the solitude: It made me the person I think they hoped I would eventually become. I know I have a long road ahead of me. I know that making amends will be a difficult process. But if they are open for it, this story of tragedy turning into redemption, it’s a story that’s just as much in their hands at this point as it is mine. They wanted to see me go through whatever it took to make me a good father. Now I have, and I’m not allowed to be a father.

As I Lay Dying Singer Tim Lambesis Pleads Guilty to Hiring Hitman to Kill Wife

The singer of a heavy metal band has admitted that he is guilty of hiring a hitman to kill his wife.

Tim Lambesis, the former lead singer for "As I Lay Dying," pleaded guilty to one count of solicitation of murder and admitted that he had hired an individual to kill his estranged wife Meggan Lambesis.

Lambesis' wife, Meggan, filed for divorce in September 2012, The Guardian reported. The estranged woman claimed that Lambesis had multiple affairs during their marriage, was "obsessed with bodybuilding," neglected to care for their adopted children, and spent thousands of dollars on tattoos. Sources say he lost faith in God after his arrest last year.

According to emails sent in August 2012, disclosed during the trial, Lambesis revealed to his wife that he no longer believed in God and that he had been cheating on her.

The following year, as Lambesis' band was on the verge of trial, the singer explained that he sought to end his wife's death because she was going up to 60 percent of his income and had forbidden their three children, who were 4, 8, and 10 at the time, to accompany him on tour, the deputy testified.

In April of 2013, Lambesis approached Brett Kimball, a personal trainer at his gym, and asked him if he knew of anyone who could kill his wife.

"He wanted to know if maybe I could find someone to do it for him," personal trainer Brett Kimball testified at a pre-trial hearing.

In May, Lambesis informed an undercover agent named "Red." He then gave "Red" "an envelope containing $1,000 cash for expenses, his wife's address and gate codes, pictures of her and specific dates when he would have the children and thus, an alibi," reported NBC San Diego.

Lambesis is currently out on $3 million bail. He will be sentenced on May 2. He could serve up to nine years behind bars.

In January last year, Lambesis spoke with Noisecreep about whether or not he conceived "As I Lay Dying" as a Christian band.

"Five or so years ago when magazines would try and press that point we decided to stay silent on the spiritual topic so that they would have to pay attention to our music and nothing more," he said. "We didn't preach at our shows, our goal has always been to just write the best music we can write. Of course religion has some influence on the things that we write about just like all of our life experiences do but as a band, we want to be judged on the music rather than what our personal beliefs are."

As I Lay Dying Members Respond To Lead Singer's Murder Plot Allegations

As most fans of As I Lay Dying already know, lead vocalist Tim Lambesis was arrested this week for allegedly hiring a third party in a plot to murder his wife.  Last night, band members broke silence about the accusations and had this to say:

To our fans, As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We'll keep you informed as best we can.
Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation - and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from.
Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying.
- Jordan, Nick, Phil, and Josh

Singer of As I Lay Dying arrested 'for hiring ex-policeman to murder his wife'

The Grammy-nominated frontman of metalcore band As I Lay Dying has been arrested on suspicion of hiring an ex-policeman to kill his wife.

Tim Lambesis, 32, was arrested at a shop in Oceanside, Southern California yesterday according to a statement released by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

He was detained on suspicion on hiring an undercover detective to murder his estranged wife Meggan, who is believed to have started legal proceedings for divorce last September.

Detectives said they averted an attempted hit on Meggan Lambesis, who lives in nearby Encinitas, after they received information last Thursday that Lambesis had solicited someone to kill his wife.

"The information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy," San Diego County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell told Reuters.

The singer, with his trademark long hair and heavy tattoos, was arrested “without incident” at around 2pm.

The band formed in San Diego 13 years ago, releasing six albums including their most commercially successful 2007 LP, An Ocean Between Us, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard charts. A track from the album was nominated for a Grammy for top metal performance.

As I Lay Dying, whose title is taken from a William Faulkner novel, describes itself as “always has something thoughtful and positive to say while still playing a combustible, aggressive style of music”.

As I Lay Dying has stated on several occasions that all of the members of the group are Christians. When asked if they're a Christian band or Christians in a band, Tim Lambesis stated on the band's FAQ, 

"I'm not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band, If you truly believe something, then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first, and as a result, our lyrics do not come across very 'preachy.' Many of our songs are about life, struggles, mistakes, relationships and other issues that don't fit entirely in the spiritual category. However, all of these topics are written about through my perspective as a Christian."

However, Lambis also stated on his Tumblr page 

"Every year that I had put toward my degree in Religious Studies caused me to see the god of tradition and ritual that I grew up with as less and less of a probable truth. By the time I graduated, my entire concept of the divine had changed as I sought to reconcile spirituality and reason. The more I sought truth uncorrupted by years of religious history, the more I kept finding answers I didn’t want to find. Emotionally, it would have been easiest for me to just hold on to what I grew up believing, but mentally that wasn’t an option anymore."