“My personal morals have recently been tested to a breaking point”: As I Lay Dying lose three members and tour manager in one week, European tour cancelled
Three of the five members of As I Lay Dying have left the band, as has their tour manager. As such, the band have cancelled their impending European tour.
Over the past week, the California collective have lost bassist/vocalist Ryan Neff, guitarist Ken Susi, drummer Nick Pierce and tour manager Alex Kendrick. It’s the second time they’ve endured a mass exodus of members, as guitarist Nick Hipa, bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert and drummer Jordan Mancino also shred rank between 2020 and 2022.
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As I Lay Dying have been a controversial group since their reunion in 2018. They were previously put on ice in 2013, when singer Tim Lambesis was jailed for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his ex-wife.
The recently departed musicians all cited personal reasons for their exits. Neff was the first to quit, announcing his departure on 19 October and saying, “I believe it is the right step for my personal and professional journey.”
Susi and Pierce left hours apart on 24 October. Susi said his “personal morals have recently been tested to a breaking point”, while Pierce stated, “I feel I need to distance myself from the band in an effort to retain my personal health and integrity.”
Tour manager Alex Kendrick left the As I Lay Dying camp on 23 October. In a now-deleted statement on X, the tour manager was less forthcoming with why he was quitting. “I do not wish to be asked questions nor will I answer any,” he wrote. “I’ve made lifelong memories that will never be forgotten but my chapter of the book has completed.”
The cancellation of As I Lay Dying’s European tour was first announced by one of the venues they were due to play Progresja in Warsaw, Poland. It was then confirmed by one of the support acts, Polish death metal band Decapitated. “We regret to inform you that, due to circumstances beyond our control, the upcoming tour has been cancelled,” they put on Instagram. “We are very sorry for all our fans who were planning to come to these shows and already bought tickets.”
As I Lay Dying, now composed of Lambesis and longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso, have not commented on any of the departures, nor the tour cancellation. However, via Instagram, Sgrosso says he’ll “shortly” make a statement about his place in the band.
“I will be making a personal statement shortly on where I stand in the AILD situation,” he writes. “There is a lot more of the bureaucracy/business that I am navigating at the moment but I will share more with you once a clear path of moving forward presents itself.”
Despite everything, As I Lay Dying still seem set to release their new album, the prophetically titled Through Storms Ahead, via Nuclear Blast next month.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
