Greater than a 12 months after his exit from the deeply troubled metalcore outfit As I Lay Dying, drummer Nick Pierce has lastly addressed what occurred — and why he walked away — in a brand new interview with Metallic Drummers United.
Pierce‘s departure got here through the now-infamous collapse of As I Lay Dying in 2024, when bassist/vocalist Ryan Neff and guitarist Ken Susi exited the band, adopted quickly after by guitarist Phil Sgrosso. The mass exodus marked the second time a lineup had deserted vocalist Tim Lambesis, whose previous features a 2014 jail sentence for trying to rent a hitman to homicide his then-wife.
On the time, the departing members cited a poisonous setting tied to Lambesis‘ conduct. Whereas Susi beforehand went into element on the scenario, Pierce had largely stayed silent — till now. Which is nice timing too, contemplating Lambesis’ ex-wife can also be on the market having some phrases concerning the man too.
In his interview, Pierce made it clear that the band knowingly gave Lambesis one other likelihood, however finally got here to remorse it. His feedback depart little ambiguity about the place he locations duty for the band’s implosion.
“We had been all fairly stoked. Like we partially knew a few of the predicaments that we had been entering into with the pretense of Tim‘s previous… and we had been keen to provide him that second — or second and a half likelihood — or no matter you need to name it. So we sort of blindly went into it hoping for one of the best and hoping that Tim had modified, and had modified for the higher.”
Pierce described the early rehearsals as inspiring and creatively energizing, praising the chemistry between himself, Susi, Neff, and Sgrosso: “After taking part in that first tune collectively and realizing what we might all do as a gaggle, we had been like, ‘Holy fuck, that is sick.’ … All people collaboratively fucking crushed.”
However that optimism did not final. Pierce defined that whereas he believes strongly in second probabilities — citing friendships with recovering addicts and former felons — Lambesis finally squandered the chance: “We gave Tim that second likelihood. That was my second likelihood to Tim. He fucking blew it. Fully fucking blew it. He made some actually silly fucking selections. He blew it within the endgame.”
Pierce added that the fallout was sudden and brutal, hitting him personally on the worst attainable second: “I came upon the band was breaking apart on my birthday. It was a shit fucking predicament. Inside 24 or 48 hours, I went from considering I used to be occurring tour in Europe to discovering out the band was falling aside — all due to the shit that Tim had carried out.”
Whereas Pierce mentioned he does not need to endlessly rehash the scenario, he did not disguise his frustration or remorse: “My dangerous. I trusted the incorrect fucking man this time and so did everyone else. So, fuck us — it fucking occurs.”
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