AS I LAY DYING's TIM LAMBESIS Picks METALLICA's 'Master Of Puppets' Over 'Ride The Lightning', Explains Why

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's tough because, and I noticed this from being in a band, that production quality affects the way people perceive music. And so 'Master Of Puppets', to me, encapsulated the thrash sound. I think James's [Hetfield] voice was like a little bit gruffier, and so the songs translate to me very well. And it's also nostalgic for me because it's the first… I actually heard them, because of my age, in a reverse order — I heard 'Master Of Puppets' first, 'cause I was too young to have heard 'Ride The Lightning' when it came out. So I heard 'Master Of Puppets' [first] and then I went back and heard 'Ride The Lightning'. So, for me, that's my answer."

When MikeZ noted that there isn't a bad song on "Master Of Puppets", Tim concurred. "That's pretty hard to say, 'cause I love a lot of bands, but there's very few bands where I like the entire album. So good for them," he agreed. "And growing up, that was the most influential record for me as a metalhead. Actually, to be totally honest, the first METALLICA [album] I ever heard was '…And Justice For All'. And then I started going back and realized that 'Master Of Puppets' was better than '…And Justice For All'. And then I went back. And I enjoyed them all. But yeah, that's the age where I'm at. I first heard of them with '…And Justice For All'. 'Master' was the one that actually made me go from a casual fan to a superfan, I guess."

AS I LAY DYING recently released its first two new singles in five years, "Burden" and "The Cave We Fear To Enter". Both tracks were co-produced by guitarist Phil Sgrosso and Hiram Hernandez, mixed by Aaron Chaparian and mastered by Ted Jensen.

AS I LAY DYING's USA tour with support from CHELSEA GRIN and ENTHEOS launched on July 9 in Santa Cruz, California. This fall, European fans can catch AS I LAY DYING on their "Through Storms Ahead Tour" tour, beginning November 15 in Würzburg, Germany.

AS I LAY DYING's upcoming album will be the follow-up to "Shaped By Fire", which came out in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be AS I LAY DYING's first with its new lineup, featuring Lambesis and Sgrosso alongside drummer Nick Pierce (ex-UNEARTH),bassist vocalist Ryan Neff (MISS MAY I) and guitarist Ken Susi (ex-UNEARTH).

In June 2022, drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out AS I LAY DYING's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after bassist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.