Chris Adler hadn't toured with Lamb of God since 2017 following a bad motorcycle accident, but it was still a shock when, back in July, the band officially announced that they'd split with their founding drummer and that Winds of Plague's Art Cruz, who had been filling in for him, had been promoted to a full-time member of the group. Lamb of God's statement at the time was brief and polite, and Adler offered up no comment on the matter — until now.
Today, October 23rd, the drummer — who is currently playing with the metal supergroup HAIL! — addressed the situation in a lengthy statement posted to Facebook. "Allow me to start with a relative concept of understanding," he wrote. "We all gave our lives to this, 26 years is not flippant. Each one of us sacrificed and lost much on a personal level to live the dream we had when we were kids. I will always love each member of the band for believing in me and agreeing to take on the world. We managed to find some love in the machine, but in turn it took things that cannot be recovered."
Adler went on to suggest that it wasn't his idea to permanently part ways with the group, explaining, "I did not leave the dream. I did not make the decision to leave my life's work." Even so, he refers to the rest of LOG as his brothers (his actual biology brother, guitarist Willie Adler, remains in the band) and wishes them "all the best in their continued ventures."
While he offered no definitive reason for his departure, Adler's statement does clarify that the accident was not the cause — "I've been well since August of 2018," he claims — and hints at creative differences within the group. "The truth is that, I am unwilling to paint by numbers," he says at one point, adding later, "There is an ambiguous concept in our world of 'selling out'. I cannot define that outside of my personal understanding, but know that being trapped in a 'creative' formula and/or playing the same song 10,000 times did not bolster my love of playing. I'm never been one to 'phone it in.'I'd rather mow the grass." Read the full statement below.
