Randy Blythe chose odd words to describe longtime Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler’s continued absence from the band last month, saying only “It’s hard to say what’s gonna happen with Chris Adler. I have no comment on him,” when asked about it in an interview.

Adler participated in LoG’s dates on the very first leg of Slayer’s farewell tour in May and June of 2018, then ceded his live role to Art Cruz (ex-Prong, ex-Winds of Plague), later revealing he had been in a motorcycle accident in 2017 from which he was still recovering. He recently resurfaced on drums with Hail, forcing fans to wonder why he was still absent from Lamb of God.

Now the band has made a Facebook announcement officially revealing Adler’s permanent departure and Cruz’s permanent membership. Here is that statement in full:

“Dear Lamb of God fans, “We returned last week from a great European festival run and our final tour with Slayer in North America. We are excited to keep the momentum going and dive into the next record. “We’d like to officially welcome Art Cruz, who has been playing drums with us on tour for the last year, as the new drummer of Lamb of God. Art will be joining us in the studio as we begin pre-production and recording of a new album. “We’re very proud of everything this band has accomplished over the last two decades. We would like to thank Chris Adler for his contributions over the years and wish him the best in his future endeavors. “Thank you,

John, Mark, Randy & Willie”

What to make of this? Adler’s identity has been inextricably tied to Lamb of God from the beginning. Excepting Randy, Adler is the MOST Lamb of fucking God of any of them. Cruz is a fine drummer, but Lamb of God without Chris Adler is fucking weird.

There is surely some part of this story that isn’t being relayed publicly, likely a significant part. In their statement, Lamb of God don’t give any reasons for their split with Adler. Adler has yet to comment himself. Both parties have been very coy about this issue lately, suggesting that all might not be copacetic ‘twixt them. The whole situation is strange.

Adler has been focusing on management lately. His Kintsugi Management company’s roster includes Dyscarnate and Betraying the Martyrs.

We’ll wait to find out more. In the meanwhile, hey, at least new Lamb of God music is somewhat sorta on the horizon.