As I Lay Dying to Debut in India in January 2020
The American metal band’s reunion push with their new album ‘Shaped By Fire’ brings them to three cities next year
American metal band As I Lay Dying will perform in India in January 2020. Photo: Dana Willax
As far as second chances go, American metalcore band As I Lay Dying (AILD) are living it. Returning from more than five years of personal struggles, the band reunited in 2018 and released their new album Shaped By Fire in September this year. On the back of the new record – released by Nuclear Blast – As I Lay Dying will be in India in January 2020 for three shows between January 8th and 12th in Bengaluru, New Delhi and Guwahati.
The India tour, booked by Bengaluru event and artist company Bohemian Live, will see the revival of their event series CultFest (which hosted death metal bands Cannibal Corpse and Suicide Silence in 2015) in a “Lite” format on their home ground, plus a new festival called BigHorn in New Delhi and the annual Fireball festival in Guwahati. Bohemian Live co-founder Amarjeet Singha says, “AILD needed big capacity shows for sure. We didn’t even bother looking for venues, we got in touch with other promoters who had plans of doing concerts. We are happy to partner with Skillbox (Bighorn Festival) in Delhi and David Koch (Fireball Festival) in Guwahati.” Singha mentions that in addition to CultFest Lite, there will be a “main edition” planned for the summer of 2020.
As I Lay Dying, who have been at the front of modern metal and metalcore since the mid-2000s, are known for finessing and popularizing a gnarly, quick paced brand of heavy music. It’s best heard on songs like “Nothing Left” (which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2008), “94 Hours” and “Confined.” Adapting a more branched out sound on their 2012 album Awakened, As I Lay Dying provided a signature touch of gritty, angsty metal on Shaped By Fire.
Poster for As I Lay Dying’s India tour.
The album came after a four-year period in which the band was effectively dissolved, owing to frontman Tim Lambesis’ arrest for soliciting the murder of his then-wife in 2013. The Lambesis trial in 2014 threw AILD into the mainstream news cycle in America and overseas. After serving time, the vocalist was released on parole in 2016 and eventually, the band – guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso, bassist-vocalist Josh Gilbert and drummer Jordan Mancino – reunited with Lambesis (first as friends) in early 2018.
For Singha, the idea of bringing down a band that is still grappling with the controversy of Lambesis’ sentencing was a moot point. The promoter says, “The band is one of the pioneers in metalcore. As a recording and live performing band, they are one of the best in the game! About the controversy, Tim did something really bad, he regretted that, he served his time, asked for forgiveness, did things that proved he is a changed man […] Everyone deserves a second chance. The amazing reception their new album got and sold out shows through U.S. and Europe is testament to that fact. Fans there have moved on and so should we.”
Bohemian Live presents As I Lay Dying – Shaped By Fire India Tour 2020
January 8th – TBC, Bengaluru (CultFest Lite w/Acrimony, Final Surrender) – tickets here
January 10th – TBC, New Delhi (Bighorn Festival w/Alien Sky Cult and more) – tickets here
January 12th – Greenwood Resort, Guwahati (Fireball Festival w/Inner Sanctum, Rectified Spirit, Arogya, Reverse Tragedy) – tickets here
Get tickets here. Watch the video for “Blinded” below.
