Lamb of God’s Chris Adler Selects His Top Drummers

Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler is embarking on his first-ever drum clinic, which isn't your typical event of its kind. Adler is going to interact with fans and aspiring drummers and talk to them about real-world experience as much as he is going to demonstrate his technique. In honor of his clinic tour, the skinsman told us who his top drummers of all time are.

"I didn't play drums until I was 22," Adler told Noisecreep. "As a kid -- when I fell in love with music and heavy music -- I was much more of a guitar freak and liked people like Dave Mustaine and Alex Skolnik. I was a thrash guitar guy, so maybe that is a reason why my drumming stands out. I think like a guitar player and communicate like one, not like a drummer, since I played guitar until I was 22. I could give you a laundry list of guitarists!"

Adler did manage to narrow it down to a few drummers that he loves, saying "Shannon Larkin when he is in Wrathchild America, the Police's Stewart Copeland -- who isn't metal, but he was 'that guy' for me, creating a voice in the band. He was not just supplying a beat to great guitarist. He elevated the band with his drumming. If you take him out, it is not the same band, and that is what I hope to accomplish when I grow up."

Adler said jazz drummer Billy Cobham and metal beatsmiths Gene Hoglan and Dave Lombardo also round out his favorites. "It's not because they are fast or playing in cool bands," Adler said. "They created a voice in their band, and the project would not sound the same without them. That is the goal for me: to find and create that voice. I am not looking to be fastest or technical, but to create a style."

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