Chris Adler was born in Washington, DC on November 23, 1972. As a toddler, Chris
began tapping around with broken sticks from his backyard on his parents coffee
cans. As he grew he studied years of piano, vocal lessons, saxophone, tympani
and acoustic guitar before settling on playing bass for several high school
bands and recording projects.

Once in college at Virginia Commonwealth
University beginning in 1990 Chris quickly met up with musicians in the local
area (Richmond, VA). Chris played bass on several records and toured the U.S.
from ’91-‘94. When at home, Chris tinkered with his first “trading post” drum
kit in his apartment bed room while the neighbors were at work, but nothing
serious developed until the end of 1994. In September of that year, Chris met
back up with several members of his freshman dormatory experience interested in
starting a band. A bass player was already in the mix, so Chris decided to put
the bass in it’s case and turn to the drums full-time for the first time at age
21. The learning curve was extreme for the progressive metal act, soon to be
named, “Burn the Priest.”

Burn the Priest recorded two 7-inch records,
one 14 song full length CD and played hundreds of shows across the US in their
5-1/2 year career. Chris’s drumming helped drive the band and his unorthodox
playing choices and agility garnered much attention and praise. The band became
the most downloaded metal band of all time MP3.com which caught the attention of
several record labels. The band knew that they were breaking the seams of the
underground scene and forced themselves to take a leap of faith.

In the
winter of 1999, the band replaced a guitar player, changed their name to LAMB OF
GOD and signed with Prosthetic records. By September 2000, the groups’ debut CD
New American Gospel was in stores and Chris was quickly approached for his first
article in Modern Drummer Magazine. Chris’s atypical style, timing and speed
combined with the progressive guitar work made this release stand out from the
many of the underground cookie cutter metal bands of the time. Two years on the
road followed with Chris continuing a rigorous practice schedule
throughout.

In May of 2003 the band released its sophomore effort As the
Palaces Burn. Chris’s playing had vastly matured and his phenomenal performance
on this album helped land the band a review in Rolling Stone magazine, claim the
Record of the Year Award for 2003 in Revolver Magazine and put the band in
contention for a Grammy nomination in the Hard Rock category.

It wasn’t
long before the big players came knocking and in September of 2003 the band
signed to Epic/Sony records. The bands fan base continued to multiply as the
band spent the better part of the next 12 months on the road and now had four
videos in rotation on MTV2. Chris was now well known in the scene for his
playing ability and was termed “a landmark to judge all extreme players by” by
Modern Drummer.

On August 31, 2004 the band released its full length
offering Ashes of the Wake. Once again, Chris’s playing continued to evolve,
this time branching further into progressive territory with more unusual and
stylistic choices throughout the recording. The album’s first week sales landed
the #27 spot on the Top 200 Billboard Charts. The album landed them on many high
profile tours including a headlining slot on Ozzfest 2004. During this album
cycle the band released the platinum selling DVD Killadelphia, highlighting the
bands performance and personalities on and off stage.

In 2005 Chris was
asked, and performed at the prestigious Modern Drummer festival, his performance
garnered a standing ovation at the event and landed him on the ‘Best of’ Modern
Drummer Festival DVD in 2008. In addition to apearing on the 2005 MD Festival
DVD and the ‘Best of’ in 2008, Modern Drummer also broke out his performance at
the festival for it’s very own DVD.

In August of 2006, the band released ‘Sacrament’. The album landed at
#8 on the Billboard charts, was nominated for a Grammy and was the highest
selling metal album of the year. ‘Sacrament’ was praised as album of the year
from critics across the world and Chris and the band toured for 20 months in
support. Chris landed cover articles in Drum!, Rhythm (UK) and Modern Drummer
magazine for the incredibly diverse and powerful drum recording. The band once
again received a platinum award for the DVD chronicling the trek entitled ‘Walk
With Me In Hell,’ and Chris was invited to write a regular column in Modern
Drummer Magazine.

A drum clinic tour across Europe in 2008 expanded on the Modern Drummer
performance in 2005 and played to sold out venues.

In February of 2009, the band released ‘Wrath.’ On this recording Chris has
taken his greatest leap forward as a player from any one record to the next.
Chris is well known for his footwork and unique rhythmic choices, which are once
again represented well here, but the drumming on this album also showcases a
significant growth in his hand speed and dexterity. Never satisfied, ‘wrath’
represents a balanced and intense effort to push into new ground and evolve as a
player. The album landed at #2 on the Billboard charts, was nominated for a
Grammy and, again, was the highest selling metal album of the year. ‘Wrath’ was
praised by fans and critics alike as the band took a more aggressive approach in
the song writing and recording. Most bands tend to lighten up or slow down as
the career builds, but not Lamb of God. The band began touring in Dec. of 2008
and recently finished the world tour in Dec of 2010. The popularity of the album
was undeniable and in addition to all of Europe, the Americas and Japan, the
band was asked to perform in unusual places around the globe including China,
Russia, Israel, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Turkey. During the
touring cycle, the band spent an entire year on the road and in the air with
Metallica. Chris was nominated in 2010 for a Revolver Golden God award for ‘best
metal drummer’ and continued his column in Modern Drummer Magazine.

2011 begins yet another chapter with Chris beginning the year with a new
website, his first published book (1 of 6 scheduled to be published), a first
ever US drum clinic tour set for March and preparations in the works for the new
Lamb of God record, scheduled for release in February 2012.