Timothy Lambesis, former singer of Christian metal band now jailed for plot to murder wife, says he’s an atheist who faked faith for money

THE lead singer of a Christian metal band jailed for hiring a hitman to murder his wife has confessed he doesn’t believe in God and used his faith to sell records.

THE lead singer of a Christian metal band who was jailed for trying to hire a hit man to murder his wife has confessed he’s an atheist who faked his faith to sell records.

Timothy Lambesis of the band As I Lay Dying was sentenced to six years in prison after he tried to hire an undercover law enforcement officer to kill his estranged wife.

Now Lambesis has revealed in an interview with Alternative Press that he is really an atheist who faked his religion to sell more records — and says many Christian rock bands do the same.

In the past, Lambesis was forced to defend the darker lyrics of his side project Pyrithion after fans worried it was ‘satanic’.

He put out a YouTube video defending the project, which he now says was just an attempt to keep the money rolling in.

“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 told Alternative Press.

“Truthfully, I was an atheist. The strategy I had at the time was cowardly. Two of the songs on that record were about coming to grips with the idea that life had no purpose, no meaning.”

He said some of his other band members were also atheists, as are many other Christian rock bands.

Prison time ... Tim Lambesis, the lead singer for the Metal band As I Lay Dying pleaded guilty to a plot to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife.

“We toured with more “Christian bands” who aren’t actually Christians than bands that are,” he said.

“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 ... We talked about whether to keep taking money from the Christian market. We had this bizarrely noble thing like, well, we’re not passing along any bad ideas. We’re just singing about real life stuff. Those kids need to hear about real life, because they live in a bubble.”

Keeping up appearances with their devout fans was often awkward, he said.

“When kids would want to pray with us after shows, I’d be like ‘Um, go ahead and pray.’ I would just let them pray. I’d say ‘Amen’. If praying while I have my hand on their shoulder makes them feel better, I don’t want to take that away from them,” he said.

“When they would specifically ask me to pray for something, I’d say ‘I don’t really like to pray out loud, but I’ll take that with me to the bus.”

As I Lay Dying ... Lambesis, centre, with his band mates. Many Christian rockers are atheists who are faking their faith in God to sell records in the lucrative Christian market, Lambesis claims. Picture: Facebook

Lambesis, a gym junkie who says steroids clouded his thinking, jailed after pleading guilty in a plot to murder his estranged wife, who he said was stopping him from seeing his children during their difficult divorce.

Lambesis’ plot began when he asked a friend at the gym if he knew of anyone who could kill his wife.

Divorce records show his wife says Lambesis claimed he was obsessed with bodybuilding and had neglected their children.

He was arrested last May after handing an undercover agent a photo of his wife along with $1000 and telling him he wanted her dead.

Lambesis’ arrest sent shock waves through the Christian heavy metal community.

As I Lay Daying have been nominated for a Grammy and had an album crack the top ten on the US charts.

Originally published as Timothy Lambesis, former singer of Christian metal band now jailed for plot to murder wife, says he’s an atheist who faked faith for money