LAMB OF GOD Drummer On New Album: 'We're Really Proud Of What We've Achieved'

Australia's KillYourStereo.com recently conducted an interview with drummer Chris Adler of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

KillYourStereo.com: I've read that you guys consider [the new LAMB OF GOD album, "Resolution"] to resemble your earlier work more closely than "Sacrament" and "Wrath", but would you say it also pushes into new directions?

Chris: By necessity it had to push into new directions. It resembles "As The Palaces Burn" and "Ashes In The Wake" in that it strips away the verse/chorus structure that was more prominent in our last two albums. We know we are coming in to do our seventh album, and I have never heard anyone say, "Oh yeah, I know that band. I love their seventh album." We always had to come into this and do something that really separates itself from everything else we've done, and we're really proud of what we've achieved.

KillYourStereo.com: "As The Palaces Burn" and "Ashes In The Wake" covered a lot of political ground lyrically. What sort of lyrical ideas are explored on "Resolution"?

Chris: Well, Randy [Blythe, vocals] wrote a lot of the lyrics and I don't want to speak for him, but the basic concept of the album is waking up from a bad dream and finding yourself in an even worse one. Randy recently celebrated a year in sobriety, and before that it didn't seem like he was so far off that. It something that means a lot to him and all those around him, and part of the "Wake the fuck up" message really comes through in the "Resolution".

KillYourStereo.com: Would you say the new album keeps you fairly busy on the sticks?

Chris: [Laughs] Yeah, it does. I got back home on November 23rd last year after our last run of shows in Australia with METALLICA. Since then I haven't drunk, I haven't smoked and I've been hitting the gym every day. I'm up to running 45 miles a week. It's something that I had to do; we're all getting older and if we want to keep pushing our music as hard as we are we have to look after ourselves.

KillYourStereo.com: If you could give any words of inspiration to aspiring metal drummers, what would they be?

Chris: Don't chase speed, because there will always be someone faster than you; that's the reality of it. Everyone asks me how I get my kicks so fast and a certain degree of it is practice, but there is only so far you can get. Get to know your instrument and have fun. If you're not having fun, then there is no point in playing that instrument.

Read the entire interview from KillYourStereo.com.