'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.
