The Contractor — Polyrhythmic Setup — Chris Adler (Lamb of God) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the The Contractor — Polyrhythmic Setup drum lick by Chris Adler of Lamb of God. From The Contractor (Resolution (2012)). "The Contractor" from Lamb of God's 2012 album Resolution showcases Chris Adler at the apex of his c...
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1. Chris Adler's Signature Licks — "The Contractor" from Lamb of God's 2012 album Resolution showcases Chris Adler at the apex of his compositional and technical development — a track that applies his mastery of polyrhythmic groove to a song with genuine political and emotional weight. By the time Resolution was recorded, Adler had spent years refining the balance between complexity and feel that defines the best groove metal drumming, and "The Contractor" represents the fullest expression of that balance in his catalogue. The drum setup for this track is configured for the demands of sustained polyrhythmic playing: Adler's snare sits in a position that allows rapid alternation between straight backbeats and cross-accent placements without breaking the flow of his ride or hi-hat work. The kick pattern in the verse sections creates a polyrhythmic relationship with the guitar riff by operating in a rhythmic cycle that overlaps with, rather than simply echoing, the riff's accent points — the result is a driving, interlocking tension between instruments that gives Lamb of God's sound its grinding, mechanical energy. Adler's ride bell is the stabilising force in the arrangement: while the kick and snare create rhythmic displacement against the riff, the bell maintains a straight eighth-note pulse that gives the listener a fixed point of reference and prevents the polyrhythmic patterns from becoming disorienting. The fills in "The Contractor" are architectural — they don't just mark the ends of phrases but actively redirect the groove into new rhythmic orientations, making each section feel deliberately constructed rather than assembled from stock patterns. Resolution-era Adler is characterised by a willingness to let the complexity breathe: the grooves are demanding but never gratuitous, and the overall performance serves the album's political narrative with the same precision and intentionality that marks his best work. For drummers, this track develops polyrhythmic independence, the ability to sustain an off-grid kick pattern under a stable hand pattern, and the compositional instinct to know when a groove needs to shift its rhythmic axis.2. Chris Adler Profile — Establish the ride bell as the straight eighth-note anchor so the listener has a reference point while the kick creates polyrhythmic tension Run the kick pattern against the guitar riff's accent cycle rather than with it — let the two voices create tension and release across the bar Keep the snare authoritative even when it lands off the main backbeat — every accent must speak with the same force as a straight-groove backbeat Design fills as redirects, not decoration — each fill should move the groove into a new rhythmic orientation Practise the kick-only pattern against a click before adding the hands so the polyrhythmic relationship with the riff is internalised
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