As I Lay Dying guitarist quits, leaving only vocalist Tim Lambesis
Longtime As I Lay Dying guitarist Phil Sgrosso has joined several of his bandmates in quitting the band – see what Sgrosso had to say about his departure below.
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Sgrosso – who joined the band in 2003 – took to social media to announce his departure from the metalcore band. Sgrosso’s exit comes after bassist Ryan Neff, guitarist Ken Susi, and drummer Nick Pierce – all of whom joined As I Lay Dying in 2022 – announced that they were quitting last month (October 24) citing “personal morals”.
With Sgrosso’s exit, the only remaining member of the controversial band is vocalist Tim Lambesis. Sgrosso addressed his departure via an Instagram post, where he highlighted the “difficult and serious situation”.
Sgrosso wrote: “With recent events, including the departure of band members and the cancellation of our European tour ahead of a new album release, it’s clear we’re in a difficult and serious situation.”
“Simply put, recent actions have shown that As I Lay Dying no longer offers a healthy or safe environment for anyone involved—whether creatively, personally, or professionally. After witnessing some concerning patterns of behavior, I’ve realized that I can no longer, in good conscience, enable further actions that could negatively affect anyone working within this space.”
He continued: “For these reasons, I feel it’s in my best interest to completely distance myself, both creatively and personally, from As I Lay Dying. I also want to share my full support for Ryan, Ken, and Nick, who made the choice to step away recently. I’m grateful for our accomplishments and friendship over the past 3 years.”
Towards the end of the statement, Sgrosso added: “As I Lay Dying has been held back by dysfunction, and I feel that it’s no longer my responsibility to bear that burden.”
See the guitarist’s full post below.
Earlier this week (October 28), the band issued a brief statement on the recent departure of its band members, along with the removal of its 2019 album ‘Shaped By Fire’ from streaming platforms.
Regarding the departures, the band have chosen to withhold any further information for the time being, writing: “We are still sorting through details of what is going on within AILD and will have more details for you soon.”
As I Lay Dying are still set to release their eighth studio album, ‘Through Storms Ahead’, on November 15 via Napalm Records. The record features the recorded work of now ex-members Neff, Susi, Sgrosso and Pierce, along with guest appearances by Slaughter to Prevail‘s Alex Terrible and former Lorna Shore vocalist Tom Barber.
Frontman Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison for plotting to kill his wife back in 2014. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to paying a police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 (£630) to kill his then-wife, Meggan Lambesis.
After being released in December 2016, Lambesis took to the band’s official Facebook page to post a lengthy statement, “apologising to everyone” for his actions.
The vocalist then reunited with the San Diego band in 2018, who released their first new song in six years with ‘My Own Grave’ and announced details of a homecoming show that summer. Longtime guitarist Nick Hipa would leave the band in 2020, with drummer Jordan Mancino and bassist Josh Gilbert following suit in 2022.
