LAMB OF GOD Drummer: RANDY's Legal Woes Reminded Me That We Are Really Doing Something Special

In a brand new interview with AOL's Noisecreep, drummer Chris Adler of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD was asked if singer Randy Blythe's ongoing legal woes in the Czech Republic tested the strength of the band. "I think on a personal level, yes," Chris replied. "It was shocking and really daunting to look down the barrel at the end of your career with something so out of left field and unexpected. In many ways, this train has been rolling a long time, you get kind of lazy and you just expect to show up at the next gig the next day. So to get derailed so violently was quite a shock. I think everyone is in a state of shock. At first you scramble around in disbelief then it sinks in. We did our best in every way to get things back on track, but during the time, there is introspection about what might be next. What is plan B? Even though I am a bit of a fatalist, I do know I have to try to find a different way to look a things and try to be able to take something from the experience that can benefit me."

According to Adler, the entire experience has helped him reconnect with the reason he began playing music in the first place and it has made him appreciate the band that much more.

"One of the things that has really shone through was that even though we've been doing this like 17 years, and it's scary to think about it being taken away — it also brings you back to reality," he said. "It reminds you that we are really doing something special; it shakes you out of that sort of safety zone that you can fall into. Not a lot of people get to do what we do, and this has certainly reminded us of that. When I realized how fragile this all is, it definitely brought me back to the level like back at the beginning — the excitement and everything."

Adler also spoke about LAMB OF GOD's successful return to the stage last month at the two Knotfest shows where he and his bandmates were welcomed like conquering heroes.

"Having the guys together was really no different; we have stood backstage together to get ready many times, of course," Chris said. "But the feeling was entirely different. There was a renewed sense of the excitement, the innocence and the lust for what it is we do, all front and center. There was tangible energy that maybe, somehow, we had started taking for granted the last few years, but now the energy was totally renewed. Outside of my continued support for Randy, that is how I have to look at it — as a wake-up call for this band."

He added, "There was a difference [in the feeling from the crowd as well]. Very noticeable from the start. It was a day, two days actually, full of bands, then us, then SLIPKNOT. So maybe a 20-30 minute changeover between us and the band before us. And almost that entire time was filled up with the crowd chanting Randy's name. As we took the shuttle to the stage we could hear it. We've heard the kids scream the band's name before. But this was special.

"Look, this was a nuclear crisis in our band and family. But we didn't know how much people out here actually knew. There was some community that formed between bands, but we didn't know how far it reached. But to have these fans excited not just about a great heavy metal show, but it was like we'd been gone for 20 years. The welcome back. The energy that came to us was just so intense. That, combined with the feeling we had between us, made for something unforgettable. That crowd created something I will never forget."