# As the Palaces Burn Drum Setup: Chris Adler's 2003 Breakout Kit

> Complete breakdown of Chris Adler's drum setup on Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn (2003) — Mapex Pro M kit, Zildjian A Custom cymbals, and the groove metal foundation that launched LoG internationally.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Chris Adler](/llms/drummers/chris-adler.md)
**Band / Album:** Lamb of God — *As the Palaces Burn* (2003)
**Genre:** Groove Metal / New Wave of American Heavy Metal

## Overview

Released on February 25, 2003, Lamb of God's "As the Palaces Burn" was the record that transformed the band from a respected underground act into a genuine international force. Following New American Gospel (2000), AtPB arrived with sharper arrangements and a production clarity — courtesy of Machine (Mark Lewis) in his first collaboration with the band — that gave their groove metal vision its most compelling shape to date.

At the kit was Chris Adler at a critical gear crossroads: his first professional Mapex Pro M Series recording, with a Zildjian A Custom cymbal setup that established the China accent vocabulary he would refine over the next decade. The album sold over 200,000 copies without mainstream radio support, bringing Lamb of God to worldwide audiences and filling the arc gap between New American Gospel (2000) and Ashes of the Wake (2004).

The Mapex Pro M and Zildjian A Custom setup on AtPB was transitional: the same Pro M kit continued into Ashes of the Wake (2004), while the cymbal setup evolved to Meinl Byzance by the time of that follow-up recording. AtPB is where the groove metal vocabulary was locked in; Ashes was where it was perfected.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Mapex Pro M Series (all-maple shells, 22" kick, 10"/12"/13" rack toms, 14"/16" floor toms)
- **Snare:** Mapex Black Panther Maple, 14" x 5.5" (die-cast hoops)
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom (14" hi-hats, 16"/18" crashes, 20" ride, 18" China)
- **Pedals:** Mapex P400 (dual single setup on independent kick drums, chain-drive)
- **Hardware:** Mapex Mars Series Hi-Hat Stand; Roc-N-Soc Nitro Throne
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5A American Classic (pre-signature era)
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear (kick batter), Remo Emperor Clear (tom batter), Remo Controlled Sound Coated (snare batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high for crack and ghost note clarity

### The Mapex Pro M: Professional Foundation

The Mapex Pro M Series represented Adler's first coherent professional all-maple drum kit — a decisive upgrade from the budget and mixed configurations of his early Lamb of God years. All-maple shells with SONIClear bearing edges provided the punch, warmth, and recording consistency that Machine required at Audiohammer Studios, Sanford, Florida. The dual 22"×18" bass drums and three-rack-tom layout (10"/12"/13") gave Adler a slightly wider fill palette than his later two-rack setup (10"/12" on Ashes of the Wake), though his economical approach — fills serve structure, not ego — remained constant throughout.

Mapex's SONIClear bearing edges maximize head-to-shell contact for consistent tone across the drum head surface, giving Machine reliable, predictable sounds to capture throughout the session. The Pro M's all-maple construction provided the midrange punch needed to cut through two guitars running high-gain distortion without sacrificing the warmth that groove metal requires.

### The Mapex Black Panther Snare

At 14" x 5.5", the Mapex Black Panther maple snare delivered the balance of ghost-note response and rimshot power that Adler's playing style demands. Maple shell construction provided warmth and body; die-cast hoops added rimshot consistency. This 14" diameter was the standard before Adler eventually moved to the smaller 12" Warbird signature on Resolution (2012) — AtPB's snare has slightly more body and sustain, with the fundamental character already locked in.

### The Zildjian A Custom Era Begins

The bright, cutting A Custom series established Adler's China accent language in its fully formed state. The 18" A Custom China marks structural moments throughout the album with snare-level precision — a vocabulary that carried directly into the Meinl Byzance era of Ashes of the Wake. The 14" hi-hats (larger than the 13" Adler would move to for Ashes) reflect the pivot technique still developing at this stage, while the streamlined crash setup (16"/18") prioritizes efficiency over variety.

The A Custom series' high-polish lathing and bell-forward clarity gave As the Palaces Burn its aggressive top-end character: immediate, precise, and expressive enough for Adler's China accent language to cut clearly through Machine's dense mix. Adler would transition to Meinl Byzance by Ashes of the Wake (2004), but the China-as-secondary-snare philosophy established on AtPB carried directly into the Byzance era and through every subsequent Lamb of God record.

## Key Facts

- Lamb of God's international breakthrough album (200,000+ copies without mainstream radio)
- First Machine (Mark Lewis) + Lamb of God collaboration — partnership behind four albums and multiple Grammys
- Recorded at Audiohammer Studios, Sanford, Florida
- Mapex Pro M Series — first professional all-maple kit; same platform continued on Ashes of the Wake (2004)
- Zildjian A Custom cymbals with 14" hi-hats — China accent language fully established
- Fills the New American Gospel (2000) → Ashes of the Wake (2004) arc in LoG discography
- "Ruin" opening pattern — most cited AtPB drum moment; China accent vocabulary fully formed
- Mapex P400 chain-drive pedals — pre-signature era, dual independent kick configuration
- Estimated kit value: $2,000-3,000 (2003 Pro M configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $300-400 (2003 Black Panther maple)
- Estimated cymbal value: $1,200-1,800 (Zildjian A Custom setup)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/as-the-palaces-burn-drum-setup

**More LLM resources:** [Site index](/llms.txt) · [Full database](/llms-full.txt) · [Master FAQ](/llms/faq.md) · [Drummer index](/llms/index.md)

*Last updated: 2026-06-29 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*