By Dustin Studelska

San Diego metalcore saviors, As I Lay Dying, are celebrating its ten year anniversary with the “Decade of Destruction Tour” and a new release titled “Decas,” which contains three new original tracks, four covers, and five remixes of previously released songs. I could talk about the other bands on this tour and go into detail about AILD’s performance, but I’d rather take the time to share some conversations I had with the band before their show at First Ave. Lead vocalist Tim Lambesis didn’t believe ten years ago that his band would be where they are now. “I imagined we would be playing music,” Lambesis said, “but not at this level.” Drummer Jordan Mancino, the only other founding member left in the band other than Lambesis, remarked that he can’t possibly pick a favorite song because he is so proud of everything As I Lay Dying has done. As I Lay Dying is definitely a rising star in the metal world, but life is not always so glamorous. Guitarist Phil Sgrosso claims that at times touring can be extremely boring. “It’s definitely fun when the venue is in a cool part of the city and you can go out to a bar or do something, but there is a lot of down time.” Sgrosso was also quick to say that it was for this reason that touring in America was better than in Europe. I guess Phil’s not a fan of medieval history. One of the reasons I was drawn to As I Lay Dying was their profound lyrics. I inquired how As I Lay Dying was able to keep its lyrics and inspiration fresh after having been around for a decade. “Personal experience is my biggest source of inspiration,” answered Lambesis. “I’m always having new experiences to write about.” Perhaps surprisingly, Lambesis is also a fan of philosophy and incorporates some philosophical ideas into his lyrics. A religious studies major, Lambesis listed his favorite philosophers as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kant, and Descartes, even if he doesn’t agree with all of them.