As I Lay Dying brings metal to Cleveland

Ben Plassard

As I Lay Dying joins Thrice, The Deftones and others as the Taste of Chaos Tour stops in Cleveland. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRENALINE PR

Credit: Carl Schierhorn

San Diego metal band As I Lay Dying is no stranger to the trials and tribulations many bands on the road face, a fact that lead singer Tim Lambesis will attest to.

The band has toured feverishly since it broke onto the San Diego hardcore scene in 2001. Members have released four albums and dealt with several lineup changes.

Some of that success is now starting to be realized, as the band’s current road journey, The Taste of Chaos Tour, rolls into Cleveland Wednesday.

Billed as a winter Warped Tour, The Taste of Chaos Tour features 11 bands on two stages, with groups such as Thrice and Deftones.

“I’m a big fan of Thrice. They have really expanded their sound over the four records they have out,” Lambesis said.

As I Lay Dying recorded its first full-length album, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, in 2001 after being together for only a month.

The opportunity for As I Lay Dying to play the Taste of Chaos Tour excites Lambesis, whose band is a veteran of the traveling summer circus known as Ozzfest.Lambesis said Ozzfest is great for younger bands to gain exposure.

“With Taste of Chaos, every band had to earn and fight for their spot and every band has a good history,” Lambesis said.

The Taste of Chaos Tour featuring The Deftones, Thrice, As I Lay Dying and others plays at the Cleveland State University Wolstein Center on Wednesday. Tickets are $26.75 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Ben Plassard at [email protected].