The official music video for “The Cost To Stay” accompanies AS I LAY DYING’s latest single, with vocalist Tim Lambesis linking the song to the decision to leave behind a life held together through compromise. The track appears on the band’s forthcoming self-titled studio album, out February 5, 2027, through Napalm Records.
Built around driving riffs, pounding drums and melodic tension, the song addresses self-erasure and the sacrifices made to avoid conflict. Its movement from restraint toward release carries the same themes of transformation and letting go that run through the album.
Lambesis explains: “‘The Cost To Stay’ is about realizing that sometimes the life you’re trying so hard to hold together is the very thing you need to leave behind. For a long time, I confused endurance with strength, compromising until I was losing pieces of myself just to avoid conflict.”
“Eventually, I had to recognize my own part in that cycle and accept that real change meant being willing to start over, even knowing there would be consequences.”
“From the outside, that can look like everything falling apart. But sometimes walking away is the first step toward building something healthier. That willingness to change, rather than keep repeating the past, is a big part of the perspective behind this new AS I LAY DYING album.”
AS I LAY DYING describe their first self-titled album as “both a continuation and a reset.” The band say: “We weren’t trying to recreate one era of the band or force the songs into a narrow definition of what AILD should sound like. We wanted to bring together everything we naturally gravitate toward: melody, aggression, speed, heaviness, emotion, atmosphere, and big riffs, while making sure every song still felt unmistakably like AS I LAY DYING.”
The record took shape through collaborative songwriting and production, combining heaviness with melodic and modern elements across a range of dynamics. Its lyrics explore transformation, letting go and personal growth. “If I Fall” addresses abandonment, judgment and the strength to rise again, while “Echoes” centers on breaking free from destructive bonds within a darker atmosphere.
Chris Clancy and Tim Lambesis produced the album, with Dusten Boles producing “No Way Out.” That track features guest vocalist CJ McCreery of Immortal Disfigurement. Corey Meyers created the artwork, continuing his work on the band’s visual identity since “My Own Grave.”
The album lineup comprises Tim Lambesis on vocals and additional guitars, Chris Clancy on bass and main chorus vocals, Don Vedda on guitar and vocal harmonies, Bill Hudson on guitar, and Tim Yeung on drums. The supplied press photograph is credited to Tom Flynn.
Formed around the turn of the millennium, the Grammy-nominated metalcore band have a 25-year history spanning eight studio albums. AS I LAY DYING have sold more than one million albums worldwide and earned Top 10 positions on the Official German Album Charts and the US Billboard 200.
- Satellites
- Echoes
- Relentless
- The Cost To Stay
- Polarized
- Retribution
- A Heart Meant To Break
- No Way Out
- If I Fall
- After The Storm
The album is available to preorder in the following editions. The announcement also lists two “Polarized/Retribution” vinyl single variants.
- Deluxe 1-LP gatefold Splattered Cristallo / Black vinyl with LP-sized booklet — strictly limited Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive.
- 1-LP gatefold White Label Edition with LP-sized booklet and numbered Certificate of Authenticity — strictly limited Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive.
- 1-LP gatefold Gold vinyl — strictly limited Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive.
- 1-LP gatefold Marbled White Gold Black vinyl — strictly limited AS I LAY DYING Shop exclusive.
- 1-LP gatefold Black vinyl.
- 1-LP gatefold White vinyl.
- 12-inch Solid Verde vinyl single “Polarized/Retribution,” with an etching on side B — strictly limited Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive.
- 12-inch Solid Viola vinyl single “Polarized/Retribution,” with an etching on side B — strictly limited AS I LAY DYING Shop exclusive.
- 1-CD digisleeve.
- Digital album.
AS I LAY DYING will complete their Shadows Are Security run with special guest The Curse Within in November and December 2026. A further North American tour with special guest Immortal Disfigurement follows in February and March 2027, bringing music from the new album to the stage.
- November 18 — Santa Cruz, CA — Catalyst
- November 19 — Berkeley, CA — Cornerstone
- November 20 — Roseville, CA — Goldfield Trading Post
- November 21 — Los Angeles, CA — The Whisky
- November 22 — Phoenix, AZ — Crescent Ballroom
- November 24 — Tucson, AZ — 191 Toole
- November 25 — Albuquerque, NM — Sunshine Theater
- November 27 — Corpus Christi, TX — House of Rock
- November 28 — Dallas, TX — Trees
- November 29 — Austin, TX — Come and Take It Live
- December 1 — Denver, CO — The Federal
- December 2 — Colorado Springs, CO — Black Sheep
- February 4 — Indianapolis, IN — Deluxe
- February 5 — Grand Rapids, MI — Elevation
- February 6 — Joliet, IL — The Forge
- February 7 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
- February 9 — Ringle, WI — Q & Z Expo Center
- February 10 — Belvidere, IL — Apollo Theater
- February 11 — Detroit, MI — TSDMAAC
- February 12 — Columbus, OH — The King Of Clubs
- February 13 — Waynesboro, VA — The Foundry
- February 16 — Leesburg, VA — Tally Ho
- February 17 — Reading, PA — Reverb
- February 18 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
- February 19 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom
- February 20 — New Haven, CT — Toad's Place
- February 21 — Buffalo, NY — Electric City
- February 23 — Warrendale, PA — Jergels
- February 24 — Cincinnati, OH — Bogarts
- February 25 — Cleveland, OH — Globe Iron
- February 26 — Cadillac, MI — Venue Event Center
- February 27 — McHenry, IL — The Vixen
- March 1 — Oklahoma City, OK — Tower Theater
- March 2 — Lubbock, TX — Jake's
- March 4 — Las Vegas, NV — Backstage Bar & Billiards
- March 5 — Los Angeles, CA — The Whisky
- March 6 — Riverside, CA — Riverside Municipal Auditorium
- March 7 — San Diego, CA — Observatory North
