Until their musical accomplishments were overshadowed by a shocking murder-for-hire scandal involving singer Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying were one of the leading lights of the ‘00s metalcore movement. Formed in the year 2000 by Lambesis and drummer Jordan Mancino, the band would rely on a decidedly fluid lineup over the next few years, while steadily making popular inroads with independent albums like 2001’s Beneath the Encasing of Ashes and 2003’s Frail Words Collapse. But with their elevation to Metal Blade Records for 2005’s breakthroughShadows Are Security, As I Lay Dying secured the services of guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso (who also co-produced the album with Lambesis) for the period of heightened activity and prosperity that followed. This including constant touring (Ozzfest, Warped, Taste of Chaos, Music as a Weapon, etc.) in support of 2007’s An Ocean Between Us, 2010’s The Powerless Rise, and 2012’s Awakened. Then the bottom fell out on May 7, 2013, when Lambesis was arrested, accused of attempting to solicit the murder of his wife from a hit-man who, unbeknownst to the singer, was actually an undercover police officer. Lambesis eventually pled guilty to the charge and was convicted to serve a six-year prison sentence, obviously putting As I Lay Dying on indefinite hiatus. His former bandmates, meanwhile, launched a new band named Wovenwar and released an eponymous debut album in 2014.