A member of metalcore outfit As I Lay Dying has revealed that a statement made on the band’s website last night did not come from them. Guitarist Nick Hipa has taken to his own Facebook page to imply that the unofficial statement was penned by frontman Tim Lambesis, who in February pleaded guilty to charges of hiring an undercover policeman to murder his estranged wife.
“This morning an update was posted over at www.asilaydying.com on the current happenings and individual futures of all the bands’ members,” wrote Hipa. “For Jordan, Josh, Nick, Phil, management, and record label, this was an interesting first time read as all parties were oblivious to its construction, intent, and release.”
He suggests that the author of the unofficial statement was Lambesis, as he is the “only one with access to the As I Lay Dying site”. “The rest of us,” he continued, “have been releasing content through our personal social media accounts to reveal that we are carrying on in a new band.”
The disputed statement acknowledged that fellow band “owner”, drummer Jordan Mancino, was starting a new project with “three of the guys from the most recent As I Lay Dying lineup,” and outed Oh, Sleeper vocalist Shane Blay as the frontman of the new project, something the band have been teasing for the last few days.
While Hipa does not refute these claims, he does take some offence at how the new project was announced. “Our truest intentions were to make this unveiling interesting and exciting for anyone who has supported us over the past year,” he wrote.
“We had hoped to show you how things were coming together rather than simply tell you,” he added. “We never want to capture attention dramatically, which is precisely why we’ve been off the radar for close to a year.”
Hipa did not offer any more information about the new project, but a rep for Metal Blade Records has told Rolling Stone that the band will release an “official statement” this Monday.
