Following the surprise release of their first new single in five years, "Burden", Grammy nominated metal legends As I Lay Dying return with another brand-new single. Coinciding with today's kick off of their US headline tour in northern California, the new single, "The Cave We Fear To Enter", is available to stream now via Napalm Records and impacts with a new music video directed by Tom Flynn.
The lyrical concept behind "The Cave We Fear To Enter" began with an idea from bass player/vocalist Ryan Neff, inspiring vocalist Tim Lambesis to develop the lyrical message further. The balladic track begins pensively before charging into an emotive melodic metalcore opus. Like "Burden", the new track was co-produced by guitarist Phil Sgrosso and Hiram Hernandez, mixed by Aaron Chaparian and mastered by Ted Jensen.
Frontman Tim Lambesis offers about the lyrical process behind "The Cave We Fear To Enter": "This is the first time I’ve written lyrics based on an idea started by someone else in the band. Sometimes, when we try out different melodies, we’ll temporarily use words that just happen to fit as a placeholder. But on this song, Ryan chose words that he felt represented what he had been processing leading up to the demo. It felt right for me to leave that therapeutic expression in place. So, when I took over, the imagery of a cave where you face your fears came to mind. While I only know a little of Joseph Campbell’s work, the imagery brought to mind a quote of his that I remembered and used for inspiration as well."
Guitarist Phil Sgrosso chimes in on the development of the song musically and working with video director Tom Flynn again: "'The Cave We Fear To Enter' may be one of our most adventurous songs to date. We broke out of a lot of old habits and formulaic moves to create something that touches on a lot of emotional elements we haven't explored so deeply before. From its inception, it was instantly a favorite for all of us.
"We really enjoyed collaborating with Tom Flynn on the video to combine the storylines between 'Burden' and 'The Cave We Fear to Enter', continuing the journey of the character through new environments and circumstances. It was a lot of fun to take new creative risks to tell this story visually alongside the somber and uplifting nature of the song."
Stream/download "The Cave We Fear To Enter" here. Watch the music video below:
Phil Sgrosso said about the previous track and video, "Burden": "It's a pretty special moment for us to finally share some new music! 'Burden' was originally inspired by a guitar melody I wrote years ago on an old demo, thinking that it was lost for good in the demo abyss. It wasn't until Tim dug it up and was inspired to shape a new song idea for it. The collaboration process with our co-producer Hiram Hernandez and new members brought new life to not only the song but the band as a whole, as we faced this new creative chapter together. Musically, we feel that 'Burden' represents a familiar part of our melodic history combined with a modern sense of energy and aggression. We really pushed ourselves to expand our musical capabilities in every department. We look forward to the addition of 'Burden' into our live show as well as introducing more music we've been working hard on over the past few years. Stay tuned.
"It was a phenomenal experience working with Tom Flynn on the video for 'Burden'. We were fans of his creative approach to modern music videos and could sense his high level of enthusiasm to deliver a video that would match the intensity of the song. He completely knocked it out of the park capturing the band performance and shaping a captivating concept which we will expand further into the release of our second single release..."
Watch behind the scenes footage from the shoot for the "Burden" music video, as well as the official video, below:
As I Lay Dying's 2024 European headline tour, "Through Storms Ahead Tour", kicks off on November 15 in Würzburg, Germany and will trek through several more countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Norway, coming to an end on December 15 in Oberhausen, Germany. The tour will feature support from Caliban, Decapitated and Left To Suffer.
For tickets, merchandise and more information, visit asilaydying.com.
Phil Sgrosso about the European tour: "Europe has become a second home to us so we always look forward to returning for a 'go big and go hard' headline tour. Traveling alongside us will be Germany's very own Caliban, Poland's finest death metal legends Decapitated, and the pummeling Left to Suffer. Each show will be a night to celebrate heavy music with the fans, let's make it a memorable one together."
Through Storms Ahead Europe 2024 (with Caliban, Decapitated, Left To Suffer)
November
15 - Würzburg, Germany - Posthalle
16 - Prague, Czech Republic - Sasazu
18 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Film Studios
19 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
21 - Helsinki, Finland - Kulttuuritalo
23 - Stockholm,Sweden - Fållan
24 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
25 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
26 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
27 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
28 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
29 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
30 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
December
1 - Rome, Italy - Orion
3 - Zürich, Switzerland - Xtra
4 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
5 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
6 - Madrid, Spain - Riviera
8 - Paris, France - Trianon
9 - Saarbrücken, Germany - E-Werk
10 - Brussels, Belgium - AB
11 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Inselpark Arena
14 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
15 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
(Caliban & Decapitated to rotate depending on market)
As I Lay Dying lineup:
Tim Lambesis - vocals
Phil Sgrosso - guitar
Ryan Neff - bass/vocals
Ken Susi - guitar
Nick Pierce - drums
(Photo - Ben Alexis)
