As I Lay Dying removed from 2019 Resurrection Fest lineup following fan backlash

[News]

When As I Lay Dying announced that they had re-grouped with singer Tim Lambesis earlier this year, it came as a major surprise, resulting in a split between fans who welcomed them back and those who swore they’d never support the band again. Now, that divide has resulted in the metalcore outfit being booted off the 2019 Resurrection Fest lineup.

Lambesis infamously went to prison after pleading guilty to attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife. He ended up serving two-plus years of a six-year sentence, and it was revealed earlier this year that he had reunited with his As I Lay Dying bandmates. The band has since announced fall 2018 tours of the U.S. and Europe, with dates kicking off November 2nd in Phoenix, Arizona.

Now, shortly after announcing As I Lay Dying as one of its 2019 perforrmers, Spain’s Resurrection has removed the band from the lineup following an outcry from certain fans. In a statement [via The PRP], the festival organizers wrote the following:

“Given the controversy after the announcement of As I Lay Dying for next year, we would like to highlight our absolutely condemnatory position against gender violence. At the festival, we are aware that it is a huge problem in society, with which we must have a special sensitivity.

Like other forms of intolerance or oppression, it has no place within our festival or within the scene of which we are part. Proof of our commitment is that during our 13 editions we have been an example of coexistence, or any other violent act. Furthermore, in the surveys of the assistants during the recent years, we have been given high results in terms of security.

Resurrection Fest for us is a celebration of music in many of its variants and for the majority of our attendees it is the best week of the year. We still try to make a festival that we would like to attend to as public and where the passion for music and coexistence among all our attendees reigns.

The decision to include the band As I Lay Dying in this year’s edition, the same way many other European festivals will do next summer, is that we believe in social reintegration and in the right of people to rehabilitate after having met a conviction. We understand that this opinion by the organization of the festival is shared by a large part of the festival attendees who requested the band in the polls.

Given the debate and the division that was created among the attendees, and in order to maintain the prevailing atmosphere of harmony among the entire festival community, we finally made the decision after talking with the band of not including As I Lay Dying in the billing of this edition.

We hope that everyone understands this situation. Resurrection Fest is an event for all types of audiences regardless of age or social group, and that forces us sometimes to make difficult decisions. Thank you very much for understanding. See you in Viveiro.”

Resurrection Fest takes place July 3rd through 6th in Viveiro, Spain. The festival will feature Parkway Drive, Within Temptation, Trivium, Testament and many more bands.

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