Former LAMB OF GOD Drummer CHRIS ADLER Launches SHALLOW RISING

Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler has joined forces with vocalist Alex Villarreal, guitarist Tim Ossenfort, bassist Taylor Brandt and keyboardist Tim King in a new modern American rock band called SHALLOW RISING.

SHALLOW RISING came to life one winter in a cold basement in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where Ossenfort started writing demos and sharing them with his friend Adler. The duo initially met at a recording session in Nashville, becoming good friends and later working together on a hardcore project.

Ultimately, they decided to take these new demos to a studio in Los Angeles, accompanied by Taylor Brandt. After some work it became obvious what was missing, and they added Tim King onto the team. King, Brandt and Ossenfort had all previously toured the country together extensively. Finally, Ossenfort reached out to Alex, another longtime friend, and the new group spent the next year rewriting their songs.

In a recent interview with "The Liquid Conversations" host Shawn SixX, Adler stated about how SHALLOW RISING came together: "Well, it's been an interesting process to not only remove myself from those bands that I felt were amazing and I loved everything about doing them, but it was, in the end, pretty unhealthy. So getting myself out of that, and I had this really strange random opportunity to do a project in Nashville, just like as a session player. And so I go there, as most guys do as session players, you just show up and do what you're supposed to do. And I met Tim Ossenfort, and he and I just got along, like, we just vibed correct. There was something about the wavelengths of friendship that made sense, and we've kept in touch since. He reached out to me and said, 'Hey, I got this thing going on with a bunch of dudes, and I'd love to have you involved. Let's go to L.A. and record some drums.' So I go to L.A., and in my mind, it's like, 'Well, clearly they want death metal drums. I guess that's what I'm supposed to be doing.' So I go there and he's playing me the tracks and I go in and record 'em, and then we get to, like, song three, and I'm, like, 'This is not really death metal.' This is like — I don't want to call it 'friendly,' but it's a different animal than what I thought I was hired to do. So we kind of changed, or at least in my mind, changed the perspective and just talked about it for a good while and kind of made it into something that I think is wildly different than what I've ever done and really special. It is something that has a lot of heart… It has all the elements of all that we love about metal, but it also really carries like a positive message and a lot of love, which is something clearly I've been missing for a long time. So it's been a real pleasure to not only find the friendship with Tim, but to do something a little bit outside of what is expected."

In June 2020, Adler addressed his exit from LAMB OF GOD, saying that "everybody parted on good terms. I left my drum throne in good hands with Art [Cruz, current LAMB OF GOD drummer], who has been a friend. I think I met Art when he was 17 years old — I've got a picture of me and him standing outside the bus when he stood there waiting for an autograph. So he and I have been friends for a long time. And, obviously, the guys in the band are not only family," referring to the fact that his brother Willie plays guitar for LAMB OF GOD, "but became great friends over 25 years. And it was quite a career that we had. It didn't end — I don't think anybody from either side would say it ended really particularly well in that I think we all hoped and dreamed and wanted all the same thing but just couldn't seem to get ourselves on the same page, for whatever reason.

"As much as I loved doing what I was doing, it certainly seems like it was kind of a good time to maybe step away," he added. "And I think everybody wins in that regard. And I wish the best for them, and I'm sure they do… You have to speak to them — I'm not sure — but I hope they do for me.

"I didn't leave because I didn't want to be involved with music or play the drums. [And] I didn't leave the band because I was wanting to do something too heavy or too light or anything like that. It was just kind of a mutual crossroads… The shoe didn't fit anymore on either side.

"I'm happy to have had been a part of it. I think if I was [still] in that band, I would be pushing even further than what we've ever done before."