As I Lay Dying have jointly issued a new statement regarding last month’s announcement that guitarist Nick Hipa had officially left the resurrected California metalcore outfit. Hipa hadn’t performed with the Tim Lambesis-led band since 2020; the split had been rumored since then.
Hipa finally confirmed his departure on Aug. 31, though he noted his exit was “not an indictment on any who choose to remain or be involved. There is tremendous good that can be accomplished through singular focus on the power of music. However, to my memory and recent experience, it comes at the cost of tolerating behavior which at times mistreats, disrespects and hurts other people.”
He added, “At this point though, it has been well over a year since I have distanced myself from them on a personal and professional level.” Hipa also stated, “The talent and unshakeable ambition of the band is undeniable. They will continue to release successful music and do great business. On a human level, I hope everything else fares well for them.”
As I Lay Dying responded on Monday (Sept. 20).
“We’ve been laying low for the past 18+ months adapting back into normal home life routines as the world tries to navigate itself through the Covid pandemic,” the band said. “It brings us a lot of excitement seeing live events coming back with many of our peers and friends returning to their life’s passion, playing shows.”
They continued, “Through this downtime from touring and being creatively active with AILD, we’ve found ourselves reflecting on which direction each of us must take individually and collectively as a band. We appreciate all the patience from our fans and close community in regards to an official band statement on the departure of Nick Hipa from AILD over a year ago.”
The remaining members explained that they “respect Nick’s decision to move on from the band and forging a new path in life. We will certainly look back fondly at the many great memories, experiences and accomplishments we shared together over the years. We will be nothing but supportive and encouraging to all of Nick’s endeavors post-AILD and we wish him the absolute best moving forward. Thanks to our fans for understanding and we will update everyone shortly on more future plans for AILD.”
Lambesis made his own comment on the matter on Sept. 10, saying, “Being able to have different opinions or priorities but to still deeply care for another person’s wellbeing is something that’s often lost in our current climate. I just want to say that I truly wish Nick Hipa the best in his next chapter of life, and I’m thankful he wishes me/AILD the same.”
