Chris Adler , co-founder of Lamb Of God in 1994, remained in the band for 25 years. His departure was officially announced in July 2019, after he missed several tours due to a motorcycle accident in 2017. At the time, Art Cruz took over on drums and became the permanent replacement. Adler also played in bands such as Megadeth , Nitro , Blotted Science , and Protest the Hero.
In a new interview with the website Blabbermouth , Chris Adler shared that he hasn't spoken to his brother Willie Adler , guitarist for Lamb of God, since they fired him from the band in 2019. He described the situation as "strange" and "unfortunate."
Chris described the current state of his relationship with his brother: “I think the best way to put it is that I was caught off guard by all of this. I wish him all the best; I wish them all the best, and I think about him all the time, but I would say we are estranged. Since that email I received, where he wasn't even willing to talk to me about it, we haven't spoken.”
The abrupt way they cut off communication left its mark, but Chris expressed a spirit of overcoming it. When asked about his feelings regarding the estrangement, he stated: “At this point, I have to overcome resentment and regret and everything else. I’m happy where I am. I hope he’s happy where he is. Everything is fine with me.”
Despite the lack of contact, the desire for Willie's well-being remains: “I'd like to think he's okay, and I really want him to be okay. I just haven't talked to him. I really want him to be okay.”
During the interview, he was asked if he had tried to reconnect with his brother. He replied: “No, I haven’t tried. Honestly, I haven’t tried. It’s a strange situation… We’ve had our ups and downs over the years, but we’ve never gotten to the point where we haven’t spoken for this long, and I don’t know if that will ever be fixed. I don’t know. It sucks, but, like I said, I have no regrets, I’m happy where I am. And if he’s happy, then we’re even.”
Chris Adler's Silent Battle Against Musician's Dystonia
In addition to the family drama, Chris Adler also brought up his struggle with musician's dystonia, a disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions when playing an instrument. He admitted his initial reluctance to talk about it. “I didn’t want to talk about it before. It’s really a death sentence in many ways,” he revealed. However, recent discussions with fellow musicians, such as Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse , and the documentary about Nickelback , encouraged him to be more open about his condition.
Chris detailed the impact of dystonia on his performance: “You learn to adapt and you learn to overcome it, but it’s a complicated thing. It happens to some of the greatest of all time. If you look up 'musician dystonia,' you’ll be surprised how common it is. It’s not a fun thing to have, but I’ve learned to live with it and overcome it.”
This situation, coupled with internal tensions within Lamb Of God, may have contributed to Chris's decision to step away. He described the band's dynamic as "dysfunctional" and "tense." "We weren't always best friends," he said. "It was tense. Whoever wasn't in the room was the target of jokes. I was the guy outside the room."
In June 2020, Chris Adler had already issued a statement regarding his departure, assuring that the split was amicable and that he left his position as drummer "in good hands with Art Cruz, who has been a friend." The new statements, however, add layers of complexity and sadness to this transition.
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