As I Lay Dying is a California metal-hardcore crossover band from San Diego, CA. The group formed as a trio in 2001 with vocalist
Tim Lambesis, drummer
Jordan Mancino, and guitarist
Evan White, and shortly thereafter released
Beneath the Encasing of Ashes. A split CD with
the American Tragedy followed the next year. In 2003 the band signed with Metal Blade and released
Frail Words Collapse. After the album's release,
White left the band and the remaining core of the group,
Lambesis and
Mancino, drafted two guitarist to replace him,
Phil Sgrosso and
Nick Hipa, and also landed a bass player in
Clint Norris. The new lineup recorded
Shadows Are Security, released in 2005.
As I Lay Dying next issued
A Long March: The First Recordings in May 2006, which included their 2001 out of print debut, along with two versions of their songs from the 2002
American Tragedy split. The band then spent that summer on the Sounds of the Underground metal-hardcore tour alongside acts like
In Flames,
GWAR,
Trivium, and
Cannibal Corpse. Soon after,
Clint Norris left to pursue life as a family man and
Josh Gilbert replaced him on bass. With the addition of
Gilbert's vocal harmonies, the band's sound became more melodic, and in August 2007, the group released their fourth album,
An Ocean Between Us. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide