Chris Adler

Christopher James Adler (born November 23, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the founder and longtime drummer of heavy metal band Lamb of God from 1994 to 2019, and Grammy Award winning member of Megadeth.

Adler was a member of Megadeth from 2015 to 2016, appearing on their fifteenth album, Dystopia, and performed some touring dates in support of that album, as well as the touring and creative obligations with Lamb of God. Adler played in several local bands including Calibra, Jettison Charlie, Grouser and Darker Days before founding Lamb of God in 1994.

Adler is well recognized for his open-handed technique, his use of the heel-toe technique, and his unusual approach to the drum kit as a left handed player on a right handed kit.

Early life and influences

His influences include former Wrathchild America and current Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin, and Stewart Copeland of The Police. Other influences are John Bonham, Dave Lombardo, Gar Samuelson, Lars Ulrich, Billy Cobham, and Gene Hoglan.

In an interview with DRUM! magazine, Adler describes his first drum kit as a disaster:

"The bass drum legs were different lengths so they wouldn't touch the ground at the same time. Every time I would hit it, it would wobble from left to right. The cymbal stands were duct taped together, and I think after two or three times playing the kit, the pedalboard actually broke in half because it was made of that crappy old fake metal."

Career

In 2014, he contributed several drum tracks to the Testament album Dark Roots of Earth. The same year, he said that he could neither "confirm nor deny" whether he had performed on the Slipknot single "The Negative One". He dismissed this in a later interview.

On February 12, 2017, Dystopia won the Best Metal Performance award at the 59th Grammy Awards.

On July 19, 2019, after a year in which he did not tour with the band, Adler parted ways with Lamb of God. Art Cruz later became his permanent replacement.

In September of 2019, Adler took a job at The Home Depot in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Chris is an Associate Store Manager, providing warehouse and store management services.

Personal life

In February 2019, Adler announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend. Adler is interested in animal rights and is a vegetarian.

Equipment

• Drums – Mapex Saturn in Satin Black Maple Burl
  • 10"x9" Tom
  • 12"×10" Tom
  • 16"×16" Floor Tom
  • 18"×16" Floor Tom
  • 22"×18" Bass Drum (×2)
  • 12"×5.5" Mapex Warbird (Chris Adler Signature)
• Cymbals – Meinl

Current:

• • 18" Byzance Traditional China
  • 14" Pure Alloy Medium Hihat
  • 8" HCS High Bell
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 16" Pure Alloy Medium Crash
  • 16" Pure Alloy Custom Medium Thin Crash
  • 10" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 18" Byzance Traditional Medium Thin Crash
  • 14" Byzance Dark Hihat
  • 24" Byzance Brilliant Pure Metal Ride
  • 18" Byzance Traditional China

Cymbals circa 2016:

• • 14" Generation X Filter China
  • 16" Generation X Filter China
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Soundwave Hihat or 14" Byzance Dark Hihat
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 12" Soundcaster Custom Distortion Splash
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
  • 8" Classics Custom High Bell
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
  • 16" Mb8 Medium Crash
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 18" Byzance Traditional Medium Thin Crash
  • 24" MB20 Pure Metal Ride
  • 17" Byzance Traditional China (Prototype)
• Drumheads – Evans
  • Toms: EC2S Clear – G1 Clear
  • Bass: EMAD Heavyweight – Custom Resonant
  • Snare: Heavyweight snare batter – 300 snare side
• Hardware
  • Trick Pro V pedals
  • Gibraltar Rack System and Clamps
  • Mapex Cymbal Boom Arms
• Other
  • Roland TD-7 Electronic Percussion Module and Single Trigger Pad
  • Roland trigger modules
  • Pro-Mark TX5AXW Chris Adler Signature Sticks

Discography

With Calibra

• Demo Tape (1989, independently released)

With Cry Havoc

• Demo Tape (1993, independently released)

With Jettison Charlie

• Hitchhiking to Budapest (1994, Turn of the Century)
• Legions of the Unjazzed / I Love You, You Bastard EP (1996, Peas Kor Records)

With EvilDeathInc.

• Bedroom Compilation Cassette (1995, Funeral)
• "Full On" Now That's Metal Compilation CD (1996, mp3.com)
• Sevens and More (1998, mp3.com)

With Burn the Priest

• Demo Tape (1995, independently released)
• Split with ZED (1997, Goatboy Records)
• Split with Agents of Satan (1998, Deaf American Recordings)
• Sevens and More (1998, mp3.com)
• Burn the Priest (1998, Legion Records)
• Legion: XX (2018, Epic / Nuclear Blast)

With Grouser

• Demo tape (1996, independently released)

With Lamb of God

• New American Gospel (2000)
• As the Palaces Burn (2003)
• Ashes of the Wake (2004)
• Sacrament (2006)
• Wrath (2009)
• Resolution (2012)
• VII: Sturm und Drang (2015)

Solo

• Drum Nation Volume 3 (2006, Magna Carta) feat. Ron Jarzombek
• Chris Adler and Jason Bittner: Live at Modern Drummer Festival 2005 DVD (2006, Hudson Music)

With Testament

• Dark Roots of Earth song "A Day in the Death" (2012, Nuclear Blast)

With Protest the Hero

• Volition (2013)

With Megadeth

• Dystopia (2016)

With Thaikkudam Bridge

• Namah (2019)

With Firstborne

• Firstborne (2020, Firstborne Records)