Hello there. First of all my compliments on "Frail words collapse". It is an absolutely great album. Haven't had that much fun with a Death Metal-album for quite a while. And here are my questions: You're a very, very "young" band regarding the year of your first release (Beneath the Encasing of Ashes in 2001). Who are the musicians behind "As I lay dying", what are their musical backgrounds and how old are they?

Chris & Evan:   On Frail Words Collapse it was only Tim - vocals (22), Evan – guitar (22), and Jordan – drums (20). We are the three originals that recorded all three of our releases. Since the recording we have added Chris on guitar (24) and our friend Clint is filling in on bass.

  Who are your musical idols and - if different - what music do you listen to in your spare time? I thought of "Arch Enemy" in some songs, is that right?

Chris & Evan:   We all listen to a lot of different kinds of music. Arch enemy is played in our tour van along with bands like The Death Campaign, The Red Chord, Lamb of god, Sigur-Ros (), The Cranberries, AcDc, Thrice, etc. the list goes on… All of us listen to such diverse music that it is hard to pinpoint idols or influences. We also grew up on such different music than we listen to now. There is a constant change.

  Is there a lyrical concept behind the songs of "Frail words collapse"? If so, could you please explain it?

Chris & Evan:   The lyrics are about life, relationships, and the need for change in life. Just real and honest. Even though the lyrics are deeply personal, we feel that most people can relate to them on some level. A friend of mine listened to our CD about 20 times over before he faced a similar situation in life, but at that point the lyrics spoke volumes to him.

  Most songs on "Frail words collapse" are very heavy and aggressive with a - at least I feel so - slightly positive atmosphere. But there are also "Behind me lies another fallen soldier" and "Song 10". These 2 are rather quiet in some passages and in the heavier passages they seem to be a bit depressive. Why? What is the story behind these 2 songs?

Chris & Evan:   We feel like there are so many different feelings that music can create and many bands ignore that. I don’t want to stick to a certain sound of metal because it is a diverse genre. When there is a slower darker time in my life, I want to write a song to reflect that. We also felt it would be good to record some different songs on the record to split it up a bit. Behind me lies another fallen soldier is about tim going through a dark period of life and facing the trials and tribulationals of life. It also is about seeing the need for change in his life.

  Who is responsible for the lyrics and where do the ideas come from?

Chris & Evan:   Tim writes all of the lyrics and the ideas come from the things in life he faces when we are writing each record. Because of this the lyrics come across poetic and down to earth at the same time.

  One last thing on the whole album: Are you satisfied with it? What would you do different if so?

Chris & Evan:   As a whole we are very satisfied with how the album came out – we really feel that the production, songwriting, and musicianship on “Frail Words Collapse” is by far our best yet. It is the first record that we have put out that we feel truly happy with and if we had it to do over again I don’t think that we would have changed a thing.

  You'll be touring the USA for quite a while. Will you come to Europe sometime in the near future?

Chris & Evan:   It has always been a dream of ours to tour Europe at some point on tour, although we have nothing planned right now. We are currently in the middle of a three-month U.S. tour and we really haven’t figured our what our next tour will be after this. This year we plan to spend a lot of time on the road though.

  Have you ever been to Europe before?

Chris & Evan:   No, but we look forward to it.

  The bands you played with before include very popular names like In Flames, Hatebreed, Sick of it all, Dillinger Escape Plan, Papa Roach, No Innocent Victim, Andrew W.K. etc. How is your relation to these bands? Are there some which you maybe admire? Any positive or negative experiences with some of them?

Chris & Evan:   We haven’t really had the opportunity to develop friendships with most of these bands, but I would say that I admire Andrew W.K. That guy is probably the happiest person that I have ever met, and the fact that he plays each show with such enthusiasm and energy is really cool, I think. Most bands keep to themselves until you do a longer tour with them.

  What was your first self-bought record and why did you buy it?

Chris & Evan:   Probably the first record by No Innocent Victim entitled “Strength.” I think I was 15 or 16.

  And the last one?

Chris & Evan:   I haven’t bought a record in a while, but I am looking forward to buying the new Thrice album “The Artist in the Ambulance.”

  Imagine you'd be all alone on a small island somewhere around the Caymans maybe. What 7 things would you take with you, if a CD-player could be found there, and you would have to take 5 CDs with you.

Chris & Evan:   Jimmy Eat World “Clarity” At The Gates “Slaughter of the Soul” Thrice “Identity Crisis” Sigur Ros “()” Noise Ratchet “Till We Have Faces”

  Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

Chris & Evan:   If anyone has not heard of “As I Lay Dying” they can listen to a couple of our songs at www.mp3.com/asilaydying. Also, anyone who wants to learn more about the band can visit our website at www.asilaydying.com.

  Well, thanks for your time and the interview. I wish you all the best and hope to see you on tour in Germany soon.