It’s taken some time but Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler has finally denied playing drums on the upcoming Slipknot album after rumours persisted that he was featured on The Negative One, the first new song from the band in six years.
“I’m flattered with the association and comparisons, but I have no involvement in their record,” the drummer wrote on Facebook. Slipknot unveiled the first taste of their forthcoming fifth album earlier this month via the new track and it didn’t take long before fans noticed a similarity between the drumming featured on the track and that of Adler’s.
When asked about the rumours in an interview with ABC News Radio last week, Adler made a series of cryptic statements about his involvement with the band, neither confirming nor denying it.
“Right now I think silence is golden,” he said. “Right now I don’t think those guys need me, or need me talking about it.” He also admited that he hears his style on the track. “You know, I listened to it and I thought it sounded a little bit like me, too,” he said at the time. “At the moment, I just don’t recall doing it.”
Those cryptic comments only fuelled the rumours, forcing Adler to take to social media to make clear once and for all that he is not involved with Slipknot’s new record. “I’ve received even more questions about my involvement with Slipknot since the ABC interview I did recently,” he wrote.
“The interview was originally about my new whiskey bar, but of course took a turn into the gossip of the day. As I told her, I’ve had and have nothing to do with it.” Slipknot’s fifth album follows up 2008’s All Hope Is Gone and will be their first without bassist Paul Gray, who died in 2010, and drummer Joey Jordison, who was let go under disputed circumstances late last year.
The band are keeping the identity of their new drummer a secret so that the music can “speak for itself.” Other musicians rumoured to have taken Jordison’s place include Jay Weinberg, son of the E Street Band‘s Max Weinberg, who according to reports has been recruited to play drums on the album and tour, which Taylor has revealed will visit Australia.
Watch: Slipknot – The Negative One
