€‹Lamb of God Drummer Chris Adler Says Randy Blythe Ordeal Bankrupted the Band

While Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe faced a possible 10-year jail sentence amid charges of manslaughter stemming from a fan's death at a 2010 show in the Czech Republic, his bandmates were in a holding pattern, left spinning their wheels and wondering what's next. They couldn't soldier on without their frontman and as it turns out, the Blythe ordeal, which lead to nearly eight months of inactivity, bankrupted the band and cleared out their reserves.

Drummer Chris Adler admitted to the Virginian Pilot that he and his bandmates thought the situation would have been resolved in a week. But it dragged on longer -- much, much longer.

"We said, 'It's all going to be over tomorrow, right? So we'll be able to tour next week,'" Adler recalled about Blythe's arrest last summer. "That was our mindset. We were just waiting for the green light to get back out on the road."

Instead, the band was immobilized until Blythe's acquittal in March. While LoG were happy that their singer and brother was cleared of the charges, they were left in the red and in a very deep financial hole.

"Not only were we not able to generate any income, but we ended up having to pay more than half a million dollars in legal fees," explained Adler, who sought other options, such as session drumming. "It bankrupted the entire band, no money left for any kind of payroll or anything. When Randy was acquitted, everything was on the line at that point. Either it was completely over, or we had a chance to get back out there and pay these bills and get ourselves back on our feet."

That's why the band quickly hit the road when Blythe was released on bail and awaited trial. It was a matter of necessity. "We have kids now, and it was nice to spend that time at home," the skinsman said. "But in the back of your head, it's always nagging you: Is my career over? What am I gonna do now?" He concluded, "I love this job. Every night is a Friday night, and when that's threatened, you get scared."

With Blythe's name cleared, LoG can begin to pick up the pieces and still enjoy a job that feels like TGIF seven nights a week.