As I lay dying......

As I Lay Dying was formed in 1999 in San Diego, California, but broke up in 2000 when vocalist Tim Lambesis moved to Texas to join the band Society's Finest. Tim left Society's Finest in 2001 and moved back to San Diego where he reformed the band, which signed with Pluto Records and released their first full-length album, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes, in June of 2001. In 2002, the band recorded additional songs for a split CD with American Tragedy, also released on Pluto Records. After extensive touring and a marked increase in popularity, As I Lay Dying signed with Metal Blade Records in early 2003. In July 2003, the band's second full-length album, Frail Words Collapse, was released and extensive touring with the likes of Himsa, Shadows Fall, The Black Dahlia Murder, By Nightfall, and other popular heavy music bands followed. In June 2005, the band released their third full-length CD Shadows Are Security as they went on the second stage of Ozzfest 2005.
In May 2006 both Beneath the Encasing of Ashes (which was recorded two months after the band started) and their split EP songs (with American Tragedy) were re-released through Metal Blade Records on one CD. The album contains the original and re-recordings of the songs from the split EP. The CD was released because the band preferred to rerelease it rather than have listeners pay large sums of money to hear their early EPs. The band most notably raised its profile in 2006 to that of a band on the verge of commercial success through their support slot on the Taste Of Chaos tour in the US alongside bands such as Deftones, Funeral For A Friend,Thrice and Story Of The Year. Reportedly, they befriended the members of Thrice.