As I Lay Dying have been pulled from next year's Resurrection Fest by organizers. The decision comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the recent return of the band's frontman, Tim Lambesis, less than two years after he was released from prison for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife in 2013.

"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," organizers of Viveiro, Spain's Resurrection Fest say in a statement, which can be read in full below.

Lambesis served three years of his six-year sentence and was released near the beginning of 2017. He returned to As I Lay Dying earlier this year, with the metalcore outfit issuing a half-hour long video explaining their decision to welcome the singer back into the fold.

Next month, the group will tour the States for the first time since Lambesis' release. December sees them heading over to Europe for a string of shows. Many of the dates have already sold out in the States, with shows overseas having been moved to larger venues. The full itinerary can be found here.

Resurrection Fest takes place July 3 through July 6 2019. Among the announced bands so far on the bill are Parkway Drive, Within Temptation, Trivium and Testament. More information, along with information on tickets, can be found here.

Resurrection Fest statement:

“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.”

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