During his illustrious drumming career, Chris Adler has played with some incredible metal bands like Lamb of God, Megadeth, and Protest the Hero. Turns out, legendary thrash band Testament also invited him to be a member, but he opted to go a different direction.
In a recent Blabbermouth interview, Adler opened up about his career in the wake of being fired from Lamb of God, saying that it’s not uncommon for him to get invitations to join other bands. “It still happens, yes,” he said. “In the past month, I’ve done maybe three or four for-hire things. I’m able to do those from the studio that I have in my house.”
Adler explained that “for hire” jobs outside of what people expect from him are a great way to challenge himself. “I know people are going to expect me to do what I did in Lamb, but I want to challenge myself and do something else,” he said. “Part of this chapter two is something new.”
Chris Adler Was Asked To Join Testament After Gene Hoglan Left
The Grammy-winning drummer then went on to share that, after he exited Lamb of God, he was invited to join Bay Area thrash icons Testament, when Gene Hoglan exited. “I don’t think they would mind saying it,” he said. “I think Gene was leaving Testament, and they got in touch right away. That was right when I decided to start chapter two.”
Hoglan briefly played drums for Testament back in the 1990s, but then became a more established member in 2011. When he exited again in 2022, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo temporarily filled in until Chris Dovas was chosen to be the new permanent drummer in 2023. Notably, Adler did play on Testament’s song “A Day in the Death,” which was a bonus track on the band’s 2012 album Dark Roots of Earth.
“There were a lot of things going on,” Adler went on to explain, offering some context for why he turned down the offer. “I was in the middle of a terrible divorce; my mom just died. I got diagnosed with an issue that was making things a lot more difficult at the time. It wasn’t right for me.”
Adler, who is now drumming for his own band, Firstborne, added, “There are opportunities, but I’m enjoying, right now, saying yes to the ones I like and being able to be comfortable enough to turn some things down.”
Photo by Jason Squires/Getty Images
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