As I Lay Dying

This San Diego-based modern death metal/metalcore band formed in 2001. As a part of the current crop of American death metal acts, including Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall, the band plays clean, technical metal that is more suited to radio airplay than the progenitors of the genre ever were. Setting the group even further from the heyday of hardcore/metal crossover is the fact that the band members themselves are Christians, which is a guiding force in their songwriting. Their first album, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes came out on Pluto records in 2001. Shortly thereafter, the band signed to Metal Blade, with their major label debut, Frail Words Collapse coming out in 2003.