Lamb of God will release their self-titled album on June 16, which will be their first with drummer Art Cruz. Cruz officially joined the band in 2019 after filling in for then-drummer Chris Adler throughout 2018 and 2019.
Cruz recently talked with Dead Rhetoric about what it means to join Lamb of God. He calls the opportunity "the moment that I've been dreaming of my whole life," but added his presence in the band has not altered their sound.
"I'm very thankful. I'm very excited. This is the moment that I've been dreaming of my whole life. It's a big deal. Given the circumstances, and being a new guy in an iconic band like Lamb of God, I'm just glad it's finally here! It's not my main thing in my life to do, but it's important to me to put it out there, with what I am putting to the table and let fans know that the sound is there. We haven't tainted the sound. It's still Lamb. We are just starting another chapter in the book."
Cruz also discussed being the new guy in the band.
"It’s crazy, because my entire professional career of being a drummer has been involved with being ‘the new guy’ [laughs], so I’m fine-tuned in the sense of being new and/or the outsider, if you will. But this is definitely one of the first times in my career that I have definitely not felt like an outsider. I have been welcomed by everybody with open arms, from the band to the management and label…you name it. It’s just been a really beautiful experience. So it wasn’t too difficult, other than for being a little bit nervous, and the shell shock of everything happening. How fast it happened, as well as having some keyboard warriors around the world who get upset about every situation. But at the end of the day, I’m very happy and I’m very excited. Internally, it’s a beautiful time for the band."
Read the full interview here. Pre-orders for Lamb of God are available here.
