Chris Adler says that things are "weird" between him and his brother, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Willie Adler , following the drummer's departure from the band.
LAMB OF GOD officially parted ways with Chris in July. His replacement is Art Cruz , who has previously played with PRONG and WINDS OF PLAGUE , and filled in for Adler on several LAMB OF GOD tours in 2018 and 2019.
Chris , who is a founding member of LAMB OF GOD , addressed his relationship with his brother during an appearance on "Elliot In The Morning" , a morning radio talk show hosted by DJ Elliot Segal .
Answering "yes" to a question about whether it is "weird" between him and Willie now that he is out of LAMB OF GOD , Chris went on to say (hear audio below): "[ Willie and I have] done it together. I wouldn't call it a family business, but it's kind of a cottage industry that we've put together, and it's just unfortunate that we weren't able to see eye-to-eye on it."
Pressed about whether things are still "friendly" between him and his brother, Chris said: "It is. You know, it's blood. It's kind of one of those things, and not that this is the case, but with family, there is a level of disrespect that's somehow tolerated, [where] it wouldn't be with friends or whatever. And I don't think there's any real disrespect going on here in either direction. So, yeah, we're gonna be fine."
Asked if he is still friendly with the other guys in LAMB OF GOD , Chris said: "We've spent 26 years in a bus, a train, a plane. There's not much left to talk about. We've explored our friendships to the fullest."
The drummer also talked about his recent statement in which he attempted to finally explain some of the reasons for his exit from LAMB OF GOD . Asked if his comment that he is "unwilling to paint by numbers" meant that he felt the band was no longer "pushing it creatively," Chris replied: "I didn't necessarily mean that at all. In fact, everybody in the band is very, very creative people and I'm sure the new music's gonna be great. They're pushing the boundaries of the genre, and I have no doubt that it's gonna be awesome. What I meant was that I had a dream when I was 14 years old, and I've been very fortunate to go around the world several times, and we've played the arenas, we've had the headline slots, we've kind of done everything there is to do, and I just don't really feel the need to continue to do it and miss time from my family."
Asked if that means that he will be hanging up the drum sticks for a while, Chris said: "No. Not at all. I [just got back from] the Middle East, and I was playing drums over there [with HAIL! ]. And I'm working with a guy from California right now — his name is Myrone — and we're doing some stuff right now; we're doing a 1970s Oakland Raiders theme-based album.
"No, I'm definitely not stopping [playing drums]," he reiterated. "I absolutely love playing the drums. I do two things well, and one of them is drums. So I'm sticking with it, for sure. And I look forward to any kind of other opportunities that may arise in doing it; I just don't need to spend six months a year playing the same places I have for the past 20 years."
When Adler 's absence from LAMB OF GOD 's summer 2018 tour was first announced, he released a statement saying that he had been undergoing physical and occupational therapy for injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident.
In addition to LAMB OF GOD , Adler has played drums with a number of metal artists, including MEGADETH , NITRO , BLOTTED SCIENCE and PROTEST THE HERO .
Adler is currently playing with the rotating supergroup HAIL! , whose lineup also includes EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza , VIO-LENCE /ex- MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel and former MEGADETH / BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bassist James LoMenzo .
Last year, Adler partnered with music industry executive Jason Lekberg to launch Kintsugi Management .
In November, Chris will return to India to conduct a series of drum and music-business clinics and live shows titled "The Chris Adler Experience" , presented by Gravity Talent . The live shows will see Adler supported by a number of the country's top musicians belting out the best-known LAMB OF GOD and MEGADETH material.
