5 Questions for Lamb of God's Chris Adler: Co-Producing This Or The Apocalypse NYC Style
LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS: The only thing low-key about Chris Adler is the man himself. While he may be a bastion of calm, the rhythms that emit from his arms and legs form a veritable shit storm of electrification.
As the drummer for platinum metal act Lamb of God, there was only one thing missing from Adler’s resume: co-producing the next This Or The Apocalypse album. So he hauled his Godly self up from his Virginia home base and landed at Spin Music Studios in Long Island City. Seated next to rock producer wunderman Josh Wilbur, Adler helped the hardcore/metal hybrid TOTA rip our eardrums a new one. He gave SonicScoop the down-low on their terrifying new masterpiece, dropping this spring on NJ label Good Fight Music.
(l-r) Josh Wilbur, Chris Adler and This Or The Apocalypse
Q: Chris, welcome back to our fair city! You could produce a record anywhere. Why was NYC the choice for you?
A: This is where Josh is based and I’ve had incredible experiences recording there in the past. The vibe and pace of the city make for the perfect backdrop to recording aggressive music. If I had to record in Kansas, the records definitely wouldn’t sound the same!
Q: Not that there’s anything WRONG with Kansas. Tell us about the co-producing experience? What makes you and Josh a good team?
A: I’ve loved every second of it. It’s been challenging, but very rewarding. I’ve found that the greatest skill in this is communication: The players in this band can do anything, so my goal was to communicate ideas that help them break out of the pack and add an objective viewpoint.
Josh is the most genuinely positive person I know. Beyond that, he’s the best I’ve ever seen at engineering and vocal production. Untouchable. He and I get on very well, and have a similar sense of what is “great.”
Q: We are affirmative that Josh Wilbur is da man. The way you approach your own instrument is inimitable — how does being a drummer help you in the production role?
A: I think my experience in the studio on all of the LOG records, regardless of my instrument, is the benefit. The more comfortable you are in the environment allows you to emit that vibe, and get special things to happen.
Being a drummer did help in the pre-production where the band and I were transferring files via the Internet and using Logic and Drummer Superior to pass ideas back and forth. It helped on a communication level as well. As a fellow musician, your vocabulary makes more sense than the suit who “needs more sing-y stuff.”
You WILL do another take.
Q: Suits suck! Oh wait, I’m wearing one. So what have you learned about This Or The Apocalypse since you started this record?
A: They are some awkward dudes! I think in many ways they are all so gifted that the genius of their gift has stunted their overall social identity. I don’t mean that as an insult at all – this is a band’s band. They are capable of absolutely anything and I loved the role of trying to lasso it into shape. They’ve created a sense of identity with this record and because of that, will easily shed their insecurities.
Q: Which song is going to blow everyone’s minds first, and why?
A: My opinion is a song called “Charmer”. This tune has an up-tempo vibe, a vocal performance that you can feel and a mood that makes the hairs on my neck stand up. – David Weiss