"The band was very frustrated with my performance": Chris Adler opens up about being fired from Lamb of God

Nearly six years after being fired from the metal band he co-founded, Chris Adler has opened up about the personal and physical struggles that led to his departure from Lamb of God.

In a recent interview with Loaded Radio, Adler gave fans a glimpse into what he called one of the most "devastating" experiences of his life: being fired from the band that he considered his life's work, per the drummer.

Talking about his neurological condition, he mentioned in part,

"I think the band was very frustrated with my performance."

Lamb of God was formed in Richmond, Virginia, in 1994. As a founding member of the band, Chris Adler reportedly helped steer the band from the underground scene to international recognition.

Lamb of God became a beloved act in heavy music throughout the 2000s. Adler played a major role in that growth. However, by July 2019, that chapter closed.

What was the reason behind Chris Adler's exit from Lamb of God?

Before the firing, Chris Adler's absence from the band's live shows had already sparked speculation among fans. It was known that he had been injured in a motorcycle accident, which broke his collarbone and shoulder.

What was not known until recently was that Adler had also been diagnosed with musician's dystonia, a neurological disorder that affected his ability to play drums, specifically with his right foot.

Below is what he stated:

"Dystonia is basically a neurological condition where the nerve that controls the movement of any particular body part basically deteriorates to the point where that motion becomes impossible. So people that repeat the same repetitive motion for decades at a time, this happens to them."

He continued:

"It happens a lot to golfers, quarterbacks, first-chair violinists, people that just practice the hell out of what they’re doing. And this happened to me with my right foot. So I would be playing a song, and my foot, when I intended it to depress the pedal, would shoot off to the side or shoot back. And that was at the point where I was coming off stage just so depressed with my performance."

Chris Adler further mentioned:

"I think the band was very frustrated with my performance. I did give them the medical paperwork: 'Here's what it is. Here's what we can do. There's just a couple songs that are really aggravating this. The rest I can get through, if you are willing to change em.' I think at the time I had also joined Megadeth, so tensions were really high. And we were never like the most functional group of people traveling around the world, if you know anything about the band. So, whoever was not in the room was basically getting picked on."

"I think the combination of things got to the point where they didn't wanna deal with it and I wasn't happy with my performances, so that kind of stopped the train. It was one of those e-mails, 'service is no longer required' kind of thing, and that was devastating, 'cause I felt like it was my baby, it was my project and I put my life into it."

Since receiving that email in 2018, Chris Adler says there has been no communication with any of his former bandmates.

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