LAMB OF GOD's CHRIS ADLER On Working With MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE: 'We Laugh All The Time'

LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler recently talked to Revolver magazine about his involvement with MEGADETH‘s upcoming studio album and tour. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about how he approached making the new MEGADETH album with the band’s leader, Dave Mustaine, Adler said: “I expected it to be kind of, ‘Do what you’re told’ kind of situation. At the same time, I’m thinking to myself, [Mustaine is] paying me a fair fee. He could call anybody else that could do what they’re told. There’s a reason he’s calling me. And he knows… We’ve toured together [almost a decade ago], and I think I had him sign, like, 12 MEGADETH vinyls or something.”

He continued: “I knew going into the process that… I thought, if I can’t contribute and I’m being told what to do, and I don’t like the material, this is a bad move for me. No matter how much he’s gonna pay, this is not gonna be a good thing. So, right away I took one of the [MEGADETH] demos [for the new album] and I said, ‘Here’s what I’m thinking about the beginning. I’m not sure about this one little part. Maybe we could speed it up or chop it off.’ And he’s, like, ‘Yeah. Absolutely. Let’s get rid of it.’ So right then I knew that, ‘Okay, I’m in. I could be involved.’ So I’m listening to the stuff and just kind of making mental notes.”

Adler added: “I don’t have a kit to rehearse with in Australia while LAMB is on tour. So, we get back, and I immediately fly to Nashville where he’s at, [and] we start jamming, Really, actually, what we did first for probably two weeks was just sit with those demos in front of the computer and just talk about what could be different, what could be better. What are the things that… I would say, ‘My MEGADETH sounds like this…’ And he mentioned that… He’s, like, ‘I like this ‘your MEGADETH‘ kind of thing. Tell me more about that. Where is that coming from? What was going on in your life then? What were those songs? Why were they special?’ You know, that kind of thing. And so he was able to just start riffing. We went back into this riff catalogue that he had from… I mean, there’s riffs on there… You could tell he’s in a bathroom [or] dressing room, just playing… it just sounds like a super scratchy tape deck or something — from, like, 86 or something. Like, ridiculous. He’s got stuff from way back. So we’re digging through stuff like that and we’re also playing together every day and trying new stuff, speeding it up, slowing it down, and all that kind of stuff. I mean, the first day I was just kind of wide-eyed… kind of scared. Like, ‘Oh my Gosh!'”

Asked about his current status with MEGADETH, Adler said: “I did the record, finished up the material, got it done. And then we decided we were gonna do this one Quebec City show. We did that, and it went super well. And in the time while I was there and through the process of getting ready for that show, Dave and I really did become good friends. There’s lots of stories out there about him, but I don’t have one. He’s great. We’ve had a great time. We laugh all the time. He sends goofy stuff, texts every day — just ridiculous, funny stuff. So it’s really interesting having a friendship with the guy. So I wanna keep [working with MEGADETH]. He was very friendly to my family. So, yes, we’re trying to make it work. We’ve got a tour coming up here in the fall that we’re gonna work together, and then LAMB OF GOD and MEGADETH are actually gonna hit the U.K. and do some shows together.”

Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro — best known for his work with ANGRA — were recruited by MEGADETH earlier this year following the departures of drummer Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick, who have since launched a new project called ACT OF DEFIANCE.

The production duties on MEGADETH‘s follow-up to 2013’s “Super Collider” were handled by Mustaine and Toby Wright (ALICE IN CHAINS, KORN). The CD was mixed by Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD, ALL THAT REMAINS and GOJIRA.