Lamb of God guitarist Willie Adler has shared a statement through the band's social media pages addressing his absence from a series of August tour dates in the U.K. and Europe.
This isn't the first time the co-founding musician has missed dates with Lamb of God since touring has kicked back up in the wake of the pandemic lockdown. Vio-Lence's Phil Demmel has been on deck as a "bullpen" guitarist since 2021 as Lamb of God made contingency plans for the road should anything happen to either Mark Morton or Adler health wise. He even played bass in John Campbell's stead at a show due to illness and then switched back over to guitar at later stops.
For the upcoming run overseas, Demmel is in the saddle again while Adler has "got some things I need to be home for," as revealed in that new statement, which can be read in full below. He did confirm, however, that he'll be back onstage for Lamb of God's headlining fall tour in support of their new album, Omens, alongside metalcore icons Killswitch Engage and a wealth of special guests at select stops.
Hey everyone. I’m thrilled with the love we’ve been seeing for the two new Lamb songs we’ve dropped so far. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the entire ‘Omens‘ album. We’re all super proud of it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the trip to Europe for the upcoming shows this month, I’ve got some things that I need to be home for and I appreciate the band supporting my decision.
I will 100% be back on stage for the Omens tour in September & October. See y’all there!
–Willi
"[Lamb of God] are one of the biggest mental bands in the world and I've always respected them as people and as players," Demmel told Full Metal Jackie in an interview earlier this year when speaking about what it's like to be tabbed for the live session role.
"I love their music," he went on, "And it's really galvanizing to be asked to do that and to be able to step in and have the band and the fans and the crew, especially the crew [supporting you], because they know if you're doing well or not. The band's doing their thing, but the crew, the front of house guys, I'll always go to them and go, "How'd I do? How'd it sound?" If I get the thumbs up from them or the pat of 'attaboy' from them, you know you're doing something good. So it's really gratifying to be able to step into these positions and do a good job."
Look for Omens, Lamb of God's successor to 2020's self-titled release, to drop on Oct. 7 and catch the band on tour this fall at the dates below. For tickets, head here.
Hear new music from Lamb of God and more in Loudwire's playlist for '2022's Best Metal Songs' — follow here.
Lamb of God + Killswitch Engage 2022 Tour Dates
Sept. 09 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Coney Island +
Sept. 10 - Camden, N.J. @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion +
Sept. 11 - Alton, Va. @ Blue Ridge Music Festival
Sept. 13 - Youngstown, Ohio @ Youngstown Foundation Amp. +
Sept. 14 - Baltimore, Md. @ Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena +
Sept. 16 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Coca Cola Roxy +
Sept. 17 - Jacksonville, Fla. @ Daily's Place +
Sept. 18 - Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amp. +
Sept. 21 - Boston, Mass. @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway +
Sept. 23 - Louisville, Ky. @ Louder Than Life Festival (Lamb of God only)
Sept. 24 - Chicago, Ill. @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island +
Sept. 25 - Sterling Heights, Mich. @ Michigan Lottery Amp at Freedom Hall +
Sept. 26 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ TCU Amphitheatre at White River State Park +
Sept. 30 - Denver, Colo. @ Fillmore Auditorium +
Oct. 01 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Great SaltAir *
Oct. 02 - Grand Junction, Colo. @ Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park *
Oct. 04 - Fresno, Calif. @ Exhibit Hall at Selland Arena *
Oct. 07 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Aftershock Festival
Oct. 09 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center ^
Oct. 10 - Kent, Wash. @ Accesso ShoWare Center ^
Oct. 11 - Portland, Ore. @ Theater of the Clods ^
Oct. 13 - Inglewood, Calif. @ YouTube Theater $
Oct. 14 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Arizona Federal Theater $
Oct. 15 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater $
Oct. 16 - El Paso, Texas @ UTEP Don Haskins Center $
Oct. 18 - San Antonio, Texas @ Freeman Coliseum $
Oct. 19 - Houston, Texas @ 713 Music Hall $
Oct. 20 - Irving, Texas @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory $
+ w/Baroness + Suicide Silence
* w/Motionless in White + Fit for an Autopsy
^ w/Spiritbox + Fit for an Autopsy
$ w/Animals as Leaders + Fit for an Autopsy
