Former Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler has opened up about his somewhat contentious exit from the band.
In July 2019, the metal band released a statement explaining they were parting ways with Adler and that ex-Winds of Plague drummer Art Cruz would replace him. In an interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, the drummer, 52, opened up about some turbulent times that preceded the split.
“My mom passed away,” said Adler as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “I was in the middle of a terrible divorce. I’d had the motorcycle accident. And I haven’t talked about this before, but at the same time, in 2016, ’17, right at the end of ’16, I was diagnosed with something called musician’s dystonia.”
Due to the condition, Adler had to adjust how he played songs at live shows, which led to a lot of tension between him and his former bandmates. The drummer then elaborated about how he felt getting fired over email.
“It was one of those e-mails, ‘service is no longer required’ kind of thing, and that was devastating, ‘cause I felt like it was my baby, it was my project, and I put my life into it,” Adler said. “It was my identity, so I had to take some time. And, of course, these other things that were going on, and, really, just trying to find a purpose, trying to decide what chapter two was gonna be about.”
Adler was one of the band’s co-founders when it was first named Burn The Priest in 1994. His little brother, Willie, joined as a guitarist in 1999. They would later change their name to Lamb of God to avoid being mistaken for a satanic metal band. Adler played on the only Burn The Priest album in 1999 and seven Lamb of God releases, ending with 2015’s “VII: Sturm und Drang.”
Related coverage:
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Murjani Rawls may be reached at [email protected]