Dave Mustaine allowed drummer Chris Adler to take part in the decision-making process on the upcoming Megadeth album – and the Lamb Of God man says he’d have refused to take part if it had been otherwise.
Adler is a massive fan of the thrash icons and even had Mustaine sign his album collection when the bands toured together years ago.
But despite that, he admits he hesitated when offered the chance to record, because he knew of the mainman’s reputation as someone who makes all the choices himself.
Adler tells Revolver: “I expected it to be a a ‘do what you’re told’ kind of situation. At the same time I’m thinking, ‘He could call anybody else that could do what they’re told. There’s a reason he’s calling me.’
“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.’”
So he took the initiative at the earliest moment possible. “I took one of the demos 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.’
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, absolutely, let’s get rid of it.’ Right then, I knew, ‘Okay, I’m in. I could be involved.’”
The first two weeks of Adler’s time with Mustaine was taken up with talking, says the drummer. “I would say, ‘My Megadeth sounds like this.’ He’s like, ‘I like this ‘your Megadeth’ kind of thing – tell me more about that.’”
He reveals that some of the riffs that appear on the band’s 15th album were recorded decades ago. “There’s riffs on there, you could tell he’s in a bathroom or something. It’s sounds like a super-scratchy tape deck from like 1986 or something. We’re playing together every day, trying new stuff, speeding it up, slowing down, all that kind of stuff.”
Adler was offered a full-time position with Megadeth but refused, because he wants to remain with Lamb Of God. But he says: “Dave and I really did become good friends. We laugh all the time.”
The bands tour the UK together in November, with Adler pulling double duties.
