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The lead singer of Christian metal band As I Lay Dying, who is currently in prison for plotting to kill his wife, has admitted to lying about being religious in order to sell records.
Tim Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison earlier in the year after he paid a police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife Meggan. The singer pleaded guilty to the charges in a San Diego court back in May, and has been in prison ever since.
In an interview with Alternative Press, Lambesis said: "In the process of trying to defend my faith, I started thinking the other point of view was the strong one."
Despite becoming an atheist though, he continued to present himself as Christian when it came to the band. "When kids would want to pray with us after show, I'd be like, 'Um, go ahead and pray!"
Lambesis's other band, Pyrithion, had been accused by Christian fans of being 'satanist', and Lambesis subsequently released a YouTube video in which he insisted he was a Christian.
Watch Lambesis's video defending Pyrithion's lyrics below
"As far as the video I did explaining Pyrithion's lyrics … I was trying to put out a fire. I was afraid it would affect As I Lay Dying sales, which would affect my overall income. I was trying to put out the fire by saying the easiest thing, 'I'm not a satanist!"
He insisted that he was one of many when it comes to lying about faith, saying: "In 12 years of touring with As I Lay Dying, I would say maybe one in 10 Christian bands we toured with were actually Christian bands. I actually wasn't the first guy in As I Lay Dying to stop being a Christian. In fact, I think I was the third."
With regard to his attempted murder, Lambesis said: "I was convinced there was no God and therefore there was nothing wrong with absurd things. I trained my mind to work around the issue. 'Well, logically, if this makes my life better, then this is what I should do'."
As I Lay Dying formed in 2000, and released six albums as a Christian metal band.
