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 1994–2019, and Grammy Award winning member of Megadeth.
Adler was a member of Megadeth from 2015–2017, playing percussion 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.
Chris Adler | |
|---|---|
 Adler in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher James Adler |
| Born | November 23, 1972[1] |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | chrisadler |
His influences include former Wrathchild America and current Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin,[2] and Stewart Copeland[3] of The Police. Other influences are John Bonham, Dave Lombardo, Gar Samuelson, Lars Ulrich, Billy Cobham, and Gene Hoglan.[4]
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."[5]
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.[6]
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On February 12, 2017, Dystopia won the Best Metal Performance award at the 59th Grammy Awards.[7]
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.[8]
In February 2019, Adler announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend.[9] Adler is interested in animal rights and is a vegetarian.[10][11]
Current:
Cymbals circa 2016:
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Main article: Lamb of God discography |
