Nick Pierce Opens Up On Leaving As I Lay Dying: “We Gave Tim That Second Chance. He F*cking Blew It.”

Drummer Nick Pierce has spoken publicly about his decision to exit As I Lay Dying during the 2024 mass departure of members from the band. In a recent interview with Metal Drummers United, Pierce detailed the factors behind his exit and shared his perspective on the circumstances that led to the band’s upheaval.

Pierce joined As I Lay Dying in June 2022, following former Unearth bandmate Ken Susi into the lineup. He was the third member to publicly leave the band after Susi and bassist/vocalist Ryan Neff, all of whom were recruited following the departure of the prior As I Lay Dying roster.

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In his October 2024 exit statement, Pierce explained:

“I feel I need to distance myself from the band in an effort to retain my personal health and integrity.”

Troubling allegations against frontman Tim Lambesis emerged in the fall of 2024, including leaked footage involving Lambesis and his then-wife Dany Ciara. Lambesis responded with accusations against Ciara, who later issued her own statement disputing several of his claims and expanding on her allegations of abuse earlier this year. These claims resurfaced publicly in late December 2025 after Ciara’s latest interview on the Brutally Speaking Podcast, prompting further statements from Lambesis and Ciara.

Pierce On Joining The Band

Reflecting on his decision to join As I Lay Dying, Pierce said:

“…We were all pretty stoked. Like we partially knew some of the predicaments that we were getting into with the pretense of Tim’s past [Lambesis was sentenced to prison in 2014 for solicitation of another to commit murder] and we were willing to give him that second — or second and a half chance… So we kind of blindly went into it hoping for the best and hoping that Tim had changed… After playing that first song together in rehearsals, we were like, ‘Holy f*ck this is sick.’ Everybody collaboratively crushed. It was a cool beginning for all of us.”

On What Led To His Exit

Pierce described how the situation deteriorated despite their initial optimism:

“We gave Tim that second chance. That was my second chance to Tim. He fcking blew it. Completely fcking blew it… I wish Tim would get the help that he needs, but he’s not. He’s going to keep on his path. I hope the rest of the guys in his new formula don’t find out like we did… I found out the band was breaking up on my birthday… within 24 or 48 hours I went from thinking I was going on tour in Europe to finding out the band was falling apart, all because of the sh*t Tim had done.”

Pierce emphasized that while he has given second chances to others in his life with positive outcomes, the situation with Lambesis was a notable exception.

“In this As I Lay Dying situation, not at all the fcking case. It’s a special exception and it definitely went south… My bad. I trusted the wrong fcking guy his time and so did everybody else.”

https://youtu.be/DC89awMhXqI

[Quotes via ThePRP]

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