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Release Date: Early 2027
๐ฟ Record Company: Napalm Records
๐ท๏ธ Record Label: Napalm Records
As I Lay Dying have officially completed recording their ninth studio album, and thereโs an interesting twist before the finished record makes its way out into the world.
The Californian metalcore veterans have recorded 12 new songs, but only intend to put 10 of them on the final album.
So how are they going to decide what survives the cut?
Theyโre getting the fans involved.
Two tracks sitting at very different ends of the new recordโs musical spectrum โ โPolarizedโ and โRetributionโ โ will both be released on 15 September 2026, with listeners being invited to give their feedback on whether the songs deserve places on the finished album.
Basically, As I Lay Dying have finished recording the thing and are now handing part of the final decision over to the metalcore masses.
No pressure, then. ๐ค๐ฅ
๐ Album Number Nine Is Finished
Frontman Tim Lambesis confirmed on 8 September that recording for the new As I Lay Dying album had finally been completed.
The band emerged from the sessions with 12 recorded tracks, despite entering the process with the intention of eventually narrowing the record down to 10.
Rather than quietly having an argument in a rehearsal room until somebody gives in, theyโve decided to bring the fans into the conversation.
And theyโre starting with two songs that apparently demonstrate just how broad the new album could become.
๐ฅ โPolarizedโ And โRetributionโ Arrive On 15 September
The two songs chosen for the experiment are โPolarizedโ and โRetribution.โ
And apparently, theyโre very different beasts.
โPolarizedโ represents the more melodic side of the upcoming album.
Itโs described as mid-tempo, melodic and featuring considerably more singing, while still maintaining the heaviness and forward momentum expected from As I Lay Dying.
Then thereโs โRetribution.โ
And subtlety appears to have been launched straight through the nearest wall.
The song represents the opposite end of the record โ fast, dark, heavy and with no clean singing whatsoever.
One brings melody.
The other brings violence.
Sounds like a perfectly reasonable Tuesday to us.
Both tracks will arrive in full on Tuesday, 15 September 2026.
๐ค The Fans Are Getting A Vote
This is where things get particularly interesting.
The band arenโt simply releasing two singles and watching the streaming numbers roll in.
They want feedback.
The idea is to let listeners hear both extremes of the new material before giving them an opportunity to weigh in on whether both songs belong on the finished album.
Most of the remaining material apparently exists somewhere between those two extremes, meaning โPolarizedโ and โRetributionโ effectively act as the outer boundaries of what As I Lay Dying have been creating.
Itโs an unusual approach to finalising an album.
Metal bands have asked fans to choose setlists.
Theyโve asked them to vote for singles.
Theyโve asked them to fund records.
But inviting listeners into the room while youโre still deciding which songs actually make the bloody album?
Thatโs considerably more interesting.
๐ธ Somewhere Between Melody And Absolute Carnage
If those descriptions are representative, album number nine could cover a fairly broad slice of the As I Lay Dying sound.
The band have always operated around the collision between melodic guitar work, aggressive metalcore riffing, huge choruses and considerably heavier passages, and these two tracks appear to push those characteristics in opposite directions.
โPolarizedโ leans towards melody.
โRetributionโ apparently goes straight for the throat.
And according to Lambesis, much of the remaining album sits somewhere in the middle.
That could make for a record capable of moving between accessible melodic hooks and considerably nastier territory without abandoning the bandโs core identity.
โก Following Through Storms Ahead
The forthcoming album will follow 2024โs Through Storms Ahead.
That makes the next record another significant chapter for a band whose history has been anything but straightforward.
As I Lay Dying have gone through enormous changes over the years, and the period following Through Storms Ahead brought another major restructuring of the band.
The upcoming album will therefore represent more than simply another collection of songs.
It will be the first full-length statement from the bandโs current incarnation.
๐ธ Meet The Current As I Lay Dying
The rebuilt As I Lay Dying line-up currently features:
- Tim Lambesis โ Vocals
- Chris Clancy โ Bass / Vocals
- Bill Hudson โ Guitar
- Don Vedda โ Guitar
- Tim Yeung โ Drums
Thereโs plenty of serious heavy-music experience sitting inside that line-up.
And now weโll finally get to hear what that combination can produce across an entire As I Lay Dying album.
๐ฅ Twelve Songs Recorded โ Ten Will Survive
For now, one of the biggest unanswered questions is exactly what the finished tracklist will look like.
Twelve songs have been recorded.
Ten are intended for the album.
That means two tracks potentially face the chopping block before release day.
Whether โPolarizedโ and โRetributionโ both survive could depend, at least partly, on the reaction from listeners when they arrive on 15 September.
Itโs almost metalcoreโs version of survival of the fittest.
Except instead of being voted off an island, your riff gets banished to the bonus-track folder.
Brutal.
๐ฟ As I Lay Dying โ Ninth Studio Album
The complete tracklist hasnโt been announced yet, but two songs currently under consideration have been confirmed:
- Polarized
- Retribution
A further ten songs were recorded during the album sessions, with the band currently working towards a final 10-track configuration.
The album title has also yet to be revealed.
So there are still plenty of cards sitting firmly against the bandโs chest.
๐๏ธ Early 2027 Release Planned
The ninth As I Lay Dying studio album is currently expected to arrive in early 2027 through Napalm Records.
An exact release date has not yet been announced.
Neither has the album artwork or complete tracklisting.
For now, attention turns towards 15 September, when โPolarizedโ and โRetributionโ give us the clearest indication yet of what As I Lay Dyingโs next chapter sounds like.
And considering theyโre deliberately showing us opposite ends of the spectrum, comparing the two should be bloody interesting.
๐ธ The Riff Report Saysโฆ
Thereโs something refreshingly chaotic about recording 12 songs for a 10-song album and then turning around to the fans and essentially saying:
โRight then, you lot. What do you reckon?โ
But it could make the build-up to this record considerably more interesting.
โPolarizedโ and โRetributionโ arenโt being presented as two songs that basically do the same job.
Theyโre deliberately opposing sides of the record.
One is melodic, mid-tempo and vocal-driven.
The other is apparently fast, dark and determined to smash everything within reaching distance.
And somewhere between those two points sits the rest of album number nine.
Thatโs a pretty tasty prospect.
There are still plenty of unknowns surrounding this one โ no title, no final tracklist and no exact release date โ but we now know the recording is finished and the wheels are properly turning.
On 15 September, weโll get the first proper opportunity to judge just how far apart those two musical extremes really are.
Then comes the difficult bit.
Choosing whether both deserve to survive.
Twelve songs entered the studio.
Ten songs will make the album.
Let the metalcore Hunger Games commence. ๐ค๐ฅ
๐ฟ Album Details
Artist: As I Lay Dying
Album: Title TBA
Release Date: Early 2027
Record Company: Napalm Records
Record Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Metalcore
Studio Album: Ninth
Songs Recorded: 12
Planned Final Tracklist: 10 songs
Confirmed Songs: โPolarizedโ, โRetributionโ
New Singles Release Date: 15 September 2026
Previous Album: Through Storms Ahead (2024)
๐ธ The Riff Report โ Supporting rock, metal and the glorious racket in between.
