The future of San Diego’s Grammy-nominated Christian metalcore band As I Lay Dying is shrouded in mystery after the abrupt departures over the past two weeks of four of the band’s five members. His tour manager also resigned.

The band’s only remaining member is lead singer Tim Lambesis, who was released from prison in late 2016 after serving three years for attempt to solicit the murder of his first wifeMegan. She later divorced and gained custody of their three children adopted from Ethiopia.

None of the four recently departed former members of As I Lay Dying have specifically revealed what prompted their decision to leave the group. But in individual statements on social media, they cited various factors for their departure, without giving the exact reasons.

Guitarist Ken Susi said his “personal morality has recently been tested to a breaking point.” Drummer Nick Pierce wrote that he had to “distance myself from the band in order to preserve my personal health and integrity.” Bassist/vocalist Ryan Neff chose to remain more vague, saying he chose to leave the band “after careful consideration.”

The most detailed explanation, although it also lacks specific details, came from guitarist Phil Sgrosso. He was the last of the four members of As I Lay Dying to resign. He announced his departure on Wednesday, a week after Neff became the first member to leave the group.

“It is clear that we are in a difficult and serious situation,” Sgrosso wrote in his social media statement.

“Simply put, recent actions have shown that As I Lay Dying no longer provides a healthy or safe environment for anyone involved – whether creative, personal or professional. After witnessing some concerning behaviors, I have realized that I can no longer, in good conscience, allow further actions that could negatively affect anyone working in this space.

“For these reasons, I feel it is in my best interest to completely distance myself, both creatively and personally, from As I Lay Dying.”

This rapid sequence of tumultuous developments led to the cancellation of the 24-year-old band’s 25-city fall European tour. It was scheduled to open on November 15 in Würzburg, Germany.

The fact that Lambesis is now the only suddenly truncated remaining member of As I Lay Dying also casts doubt on the planned Nov. 15 release of the group’s aptly titled new album, “Through the Storms Ahead.”

A representative for Napalm Records, the label to which As I Lay Dying is signed, did not respond Friday to questions from the San Diego Union-Tribune about the fate of the album and whether Lambesis — who has remained silent about the upheaval that recently rocked the group – was available for comment.

Lambesis, 44, is a native of Arizona and grew up in San Diego. He founded As I Lay Dying in 2001 and is the only member to be a part of each of the group’s many lineups. An alumnus of Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach, he later became a religious studies student for a time at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Virginia.

With Lambesis as the driving force, the first iteration of As I Lay Dying released their debut album, “Beneath The Encasing of Ashes,” in 2001. The group has won four San Diego Music Awards and, in 2008, won a Grammy . nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.

Lambesis was arrested in 2013 after offering to pay for the murder of his first wife. The “hitman” he solicited was an undercover sheriff’s deputy who testified at the trial. The singer was released in late 2016, after serving almost three years of his six-year sentence.

In 2017, after fulfilling his parole conditions, Lambesis publicly apologized for the actions that led to his incarceration.

“I have remained silent with the public since expressing my remorse following my conviction because time seemed to be the best way to promote healing,” Lambesis wrote in a lengthy statement on Facebook.

“Today is the first opportunity to freely apologize without any motivation to curry favor with the courts, as I have now served my entire legal sentence (including fulfillment of all conditions of parole/probation). Let’s be clear: no amount of time served can right my wrongs…

“Words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for the hurt I have caused. There is no defense for what I did, and I look at the person I have become with as much disdain as many of you probably do.

Lambesis and the four other members of As I Lay Dying at the time reunited in 2018 and performed their first concert together at San Diego’s all-ages Soma Live.

“We are very, very grateful to be here,” he told the audience at the sold-out show. “We’re not only grateful for you, we’re grateful for each other, we’re grateful for the relationships we’ve rebuilt and we’re very, very excited. Thank you for the opportunity to play music together again.

As I Lay Dying’s 2018 reunion didn’t last long after the group released a new album, “Shaped By Fire,” in 2019. (It was abruptly removed from online streaming services ago nearly two weeks, although there are conflicting reports as to why.)

Guitarist Nick Hipa left the band As I Lay Dying in 2020, followed by drummer Jordan Mancino and bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert, who both quit in 2022. Lambesis and guitarist Sgrosso later hired Susi, Pierce and Neff to replace them.

Today, after two weeks of upheaval and the departures of Susi, Pierce, Neff and Sgrosso, Lambesis is the last man still aboard the otherwise abandoned musical ship that was As I Lay Dying.

The exact reasons for the group’s latest defections are unclear, at least for now. But Lambesis’ third wife, Dany Ciara, released a statement on October 24 refuting as “completely false” rumors posted online that she had been subjected to domestic violence at the hands of Lambesis.

It remains to be seen when or if Lambesis will comment on his group’s apparent implosion or seek to form a new edition of the group – and how the public will react if he does.

Originally published: November 1, 2024 at 4:05 p.m. PDT