If you're not familiar with As I Lay Dying and choose to judge a band by its name, you'd probably expect this metalcore quintet from San Diego to be rough around the edges. Toss in the growling, sinister vocals of singer Tim Lambesis, and you might think As I Lay Dying is a walking form of anger and depression, taking itself too seriously wherever it goes.
But consider that these guys have been known to play Foosball using an orange as the ball. Then consider that although Lambesis and guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso, bassist Josh Gilbert and drummer Jordan Mancino are Christian, they're not afraid to step out of the box -- as evidenced by their brand new cover of the 1990 classic "War Ensemble."
That's right. A Slayer song.
As I Lay Dying's version is one of the covers, new songs and debate-inducing remixes that can be found on Decas, the band's 10th anniversary record that came out Nov. 8. It's also the record they are supporting on the Decade of Destruction tour that stops Saturday at the White Rabbit in a show that was switched from Backstage Live (details at bottom).
The 31-year-old Lambesis, who also produces other bands and fronts the more light-hearted Austrian Death Machine as an ode to Arnold Schwarzenegger, phoned me on Friday from a tour stop in Sayreville, N.J.:
Q: Hi Tim. We're looking forward to you guys coming to San Antonio. Thanks for taking the time. How are you?
A: Good, man, how are you?
Q: Real good, thanks. So does it feel like it's been 10 years for you and your band?
A: You know, sometimes we'll be in the middle of a long tour, and it definitely feels like it. And other times, we're writing at home, and that's when we have our creative time. It doesn't seem that much like 10 years in those moments.
Q: What sticks out the most?
A: Experiences traveling, experiences making unique friends around the world. You talk about coming to Texas. Some of the people that helped us get started -- our original record label was from Texas.
Q: I interviewed Jeremy DePoyster last week of The Devil Wears Prada (see link below). How was it guesting on their latest album on "Constance?"
A: Those guys have been friends for a while. We did a couple tours with them and became friends over the years. It was just as easy as doing my own tracks. They actually hadn't heard it until they heard the final mixes because I sent it to them so late (laughs).
Q: I asked Jeremy if it's an oxymoron to be a Christian metalcore band. For you, I'll ask, is it an oxymoron to be a Christian band covering Slayer?
A: It's a song-by-song basis. There's nothing inherently evil about a guitar riff. The song we covered is an anti-war song, which I feel fits our ideals. In the case of most of their catalog, it probably wouldn't fit for what we do. But in the case of "War Ensemble," I think it worked out.
Slayer's one of those bands that, as you know, if you try to cover their songs, you better do it right. And it can be difficult. Tom Araya told me two years ago during the Mayhem Fest that so many bands were trying to cover them, their manager had to tell bands to stop because they were putting out crap and making Slayer look bad. And I had the pleasure last year of interviewing Kerry King (see link below), who's a no-nonsense guy, and he was complimentary to Hatebreed for their version of "Ghosts Of War." But you guys are probably one of the few that could pull it off.
A: Established bands like them -- much like our earliest recordings, their earliest ones were done, I would imagine, rather quickly and not as detailed as you can do now in the studio. I think there were ways to improve upon it. Not that they did a bad job, but just with the details in recording and production. Even some of our earliest songs could be improved in that way.
Q: The video for "Electric Eye" (click on box, top left) looked like some sunburned fun. Is that what you were going for?
A: Yeah, we wanted to do something more fun. Other videos we've done have been so serious. Especially with a cover song, we figured maybe it's time to do something else.
Q: Have you received feedback from Slayer or Judas Priest?
A: No, the CD's been out, what, less than a month?
Yes, Nov. 8.
Yeah. We played a handful of shows with Slayer at festivals and a couple with Judas Priest as well. We'll probably play festivals next year with Slayer again, and maybe I'll ask them then if they've heard it.
Q: Did bands such as Stryper, Barren Cross and Bloodgood have any influence on you at all?
A: Not for me personally, but I think some of the other guys in the band may have been Stryper fans. For me, even though those bands are supposedly on the same team, I do feel like the lyrical content is -- I hate to use the word 'cheesy.' But my lyrics have a little more serious side to them.
Q: Do you have special memories or stories of previous shows in San Antonio?
A: I remember one of the first times, it was probably the only time we've been robbed as a band (chuckles). Not our band, but one of the bands we were traveling with. We were all sleeping in the same house, crashing on the floor, but there was not enough room for all of us. So one guy slept in the van. Somebody smashed the window at 3 or 4 in the morning and tried to break in not knowing there was someone in there. He was already in there, so it didn't work, and they didn't take anything, fortunately. But, you know, I don't just have a negative memory of San Antonio. It has some of the best Mexican food we ever get on tour, and we have a lot of friends from our early beginnings in Texas.
Q: Metal fans are so rigid in their ways as you know. So I would imagine that a small handful accept the Decas remixes as something different in a cool way, while a majority may say, "WTF?" Has that been the case?
A: Yeah, I think looking back, we should've made it clearer that those are bonus, additional things. The songs we did as a band came out with the melody that we recorded, and then the remixes were taken with what they (remixers) did that was represented by other artists (such as Katy Perry and Good Charlotte). It's not out of place, but it's hard to put an eclectic release out like that if everyone's not clear on what they're getting.
Q: Your blogs about the state of the music industry, fans, social media, working out and other topics debunk the stereotype that most metal musicians are one-track-minded or can't string several thoughts together. Where did the basis for putting that out come from?
A: Sometimes, it's up to the bands to challenge their fan base or present topics to release discussion. If we're not challenging each other, we're essentially getting dumber (laughs). It's better than posting what I had for breakfast.
Q: Regarding your blog experiment, has the topless picture of you gained more feedback than music-related stuff?
A: Yeah, realistically, as far as the comments are concerned. I actually took it down off of our Facebook after awhile because the point had been made. It's still on my blog. What's funny is that the longer, thought-provoking posts probably wouldn't have come if it weren't for the other hundred stupid posts. I don't think you can have one without the other.
Q: What's the most difficult, and rewarding, part about producing other bands?
A: The difficult part is if I'm pushing for more expansion in another direction, a band might say, "That's OK. We're comfortable doing it this way. Thanks." And it's kind of like, "What did you hire me for?" But an example of the other part is that there could be a song that's slated for the back half of an album, and it could be one of the band's least favorite songs. But because of the creative effort of the engineer and everyone on the production team, the song may have become better and ends up becoming one of the favorites of everyone in the band.
Q: I have a social media question from one of my readers. Jak from San Antonio says he's a big fan of Austrian Death Machine and would like to know if there are plans to come back to San Antonio with them?
A: I wish I had more time in between to pursue more ADM stuff. We're definitely playing more shows next year, but I can't commit to any cities just yet.
Q: What's next after this tour?
A: After the New Year, we'll put all of our focus into 2012, which marks our 10th anniversary of writing as a band.
Tim, thanks so much for the time. Best of luck with the show here next week and the rest of the tour, and have a very Jingle Christmas! (ADM's new song "Jingle All The Way" is available digitally Dec. 6).
Alright, man, thanks. Take care.
- WHO: As I Lay Dying with Of Mice and Men, The Ghost Inside, Iwrestledabearonce & Sylosis
- WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 10 (Doors at 6 p.m.)
- WHERE: The White Rabbit (2410 N. St. Mary's; call 210-737-2221 for info)
- TICKETS: $21-$26; buy here.
- OF NOTE: The show was originally scheduled to take place at Backstage Live but has been switched.
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