Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler speaks up for animals

Fans of the hardcore metal band Lamb of God, who are set to play at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Feb. 18, may be surprised to know that drummer Chris Adler has a soft spot for animals.

 

Nominated in 2010 for a Revolver Golden God award for Best Metal Drummer, Adler is most known for his footwork and unique rhythm choices, according to his official website. 

 

Apart from being a full-time drummer since he was 21, Adler also devotes his time to speaking up about his advocacy. He appears in an ad for peta2—the youth arm of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) US — beside the words he wrote himself: "My marriage, my relationships and family, my accomplishments with my band and my choice to be vegetarian are not only things I am proud of, they define me. I am Chris Adler, and I am a vegetarian." 

 

As a toddler, Adler “learned” to play the drums by using broken sticks and coffee cans. He was also "always really into having pets, and felt a real connection with animals," as he says in an interview with peta2.

 

But growing up, he says he never really thought about how his food got to his plate, until he read a book on a dare. Adler says reading John Robbins' "Diet for a New America" let him in on the truth, the "kind of knew but didn't want to think about."

 

Finding out how animals are processed for food for human consumption changed Adler’s perspective, and he stopped eating red meat.

 

"It wasn't something that even crossed my mind, but once I became aware of where it's coming from to my plate, I couldn't eat it. It was disgusting," he says.

 

For a while, he still ate chicken—until he saw a truck full of chickens on their way to slaughter.

 

"We were on tour and saw a chicken truck go by with these chickens that were just bleeding—it was just disgusting. And that was it. I haven't had a piece of it since."

 

Adler explains that research shows people aren't actually born ready to eat meat. "It's something you have to develop, and it's not something that you need to develop...most people don't think about it, they never get out of that phase that I was talking about earlier, where it's just food, you don't think about the process," he says.

 

Based on his own experience, Adler says it's important that people are educated about what's really happening on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. "The issue with the whole thing is education and information. Most people don't think about it." –CGL/KG, GMA News