Chris Adler

His influences include former Wrathchild America and former Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin,^[2] and Stewart Copeland^[3] of The Police. Other influences are John Bonham, Dave Lombardo, Gar Samuelson, Lars Ulrich, Billy Cobham, and Gene Hoglan.^[4]

In an interview with DRUM! magazine, Adler describes his first drum kit as a disaster:

"The bass drum legs were different lengths so they wouldn't touch the ground at the same time. Every time I would hit it, it would wobble from left to right. The cymbal stands were duct taped together, and I think after two or three times playing the kit, the pedalboard actually broke in half because it was made of that crappy old fake metal."^[5]

In 2014, he contributed several drum tracks to the Testament album Dark Roots of Earth. The same year, he said that he could neither "confirm nor deny" whether he had performed on the Slipknot single "The Negative One". He dismissed this in a later interview.^[6]

On February 12, 2017, Dystopia won the Best Metal Performance award at the 59th Grammy Awards.^[7]

In early May 2025, Adler revealed that his dismissal from Lamb of God was partly due to "developing Musician's Dystonia, a neurological condition that causes nerve deterioration in limbs most frequently used by musicians", in Adler's case his right foot. After years of growing tensions within the band, particularly after his time serving as Megadeth's drummer and in tandem with his condition, Lamb of God eventually told Adler "that his services were no longer required" despite being aware of his MD.^[8]

In February 2019, Adler announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend.^[9] Adler is interested in animal rights and is a vegetarian.^[10][11]

Adler won the following Modern Drummer magazine Reader's Poll awards:

• Best Metal Drummer 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019.^[12][13]

In 2012 Adler was nominated for best drummer at that years Revolver Golden Gods Awards, then in 2016 he won drummer of the year at the 2016 Revolver Golden Gods Awards for his work on Dystopia.^[14][15]

He was nominated for 5 Grammys as a member of Lamb of God and finally won one as a member of Megadeth for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.^[16]

Current tour kit

• Drums - Mapex Saturn in Satin Black Maple Burl^[17]
  • 10"x9" Tom
  • 12"×10" Tom
  • 16"×16" Floor Tom
  • 18"×16" Floor Tom
  • 22"×18" Bass Drum (×2)
  • 12"×5.5" Mapex Warbird (Chris Adler Signature)
• Cymbals - Meinl^[18]

Current:

• • 18" Byzance Traditional China
  • 14" Pure Alloy Medium Hihat
  • 8" HCS High Bell
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 16" Pure Alloy Medium Crash
  • 16" Pure Alloy Custom Medium Thin Crash
  • 10" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 18" Byzance Traditional Medium Thin Crash
  • 14" Byzance Dark Hihat
  • 24" Byzance Brilliant Pure Metal Ride
  • 18" Byzance Traditional China

Cymbals circa 2016:

• • 14" Generation X Filter China
  • 16" Generation X Filter China
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Soundwave Hihat or 14" Byzance Dark Hihat
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 12" Soundcaster Custom Distortion Splash
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
  • 8" Classics Custom High Bell
  • 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
  • 16" Mb8 Medium Crash
  • 8" Byzance Traditional Splash
  • 18" Byzance Traditional Medium Thin Crash
  • 24" MB20 Pure Metal Ride
  • 17" Byzance Traditional China (Prototype)
• Drumheads^[17] - Evans
  • Toms: EC2S Clear - G1 Clear
  • Bass: EMAD Heavyweight - Custom Resonant
  • Snare: Heavyweight snare batter - 300 snare side
• Hardware^[19]
  • Trick Pro V pedals
  • Monolit Czarcie Kopyto Custom Drum Pedals
  • Gibraltar Rack System and Clamps
  • Mapex Cymbal Boom Arms
• Other^[20]
  • Roland TD-7 Electronic Percussion Module and Single Trigger Pad
  • Roland trigger modules
  • Pro-Mark TX5AXW Chris Adler Signature Sticks

With Calibra

• Demo Tape (1989, independently released)

With Cry Havoc

• Demo Tape (1993, independently released)

With Jettison Charlie

• Hitchhiking to Budapest (1994, Turn of the Century)
• Legions of the Unjazzed / I Love You, You Bastard EP (1996, Peas Kor Records)

With EvilDeathInc.

• Bedroom Compilation Cassette (1995, Funeral)
• "Full On" Now That's Metal Compilation CD (1996, mp3.com)
• Sevens and More (1998, mp3.com)

With Burn the Priest

• Demo Tape (1995, independently released)
• Split with ZED (1997, Goatboy Records)
• Split with Agents of Satan (1998, Deaf American Recordings)
• Sevens and More (1998, mp3.com)
• Burn the Priest (1998, Legion Records)
• Legion: XX (2018, Epic / Nuclear Blast)

With Grouser

• Demo tape (1996, independently released)

With Lamb of God

• New American Gospel (2000)
• As the Palaces Burn (2003)
• Ashes of the Wake (2004)
• Sacrament (2006)
• Wrath (2009)
• Resolution (2012)
• VII: Sturm und Drang (2015)

Solo

• Drum Nation Volume 3 (2006, Magna Carta) feat. Ron Jarzombek
• Chris Adler and Jason Bittner: Live at Modern Drummer Festival 2005 DVD (2006, Hudson Music)

With Testament

• Dark Roots of Earth song "A Day in the Death" (2012, Nuclear Blast)^[21]

With Protest the Hero

• Volition (2013)

With Megadeth

• Dystopia (2016)^[22]

With Thaikkudam Bridge

• Namah (2019)^[23]

With Firstborne

• Firstborne EP (2020, Firstborne Records)
• Lucky (2025, M-Theory Audio)