November '09
Artist Spotlight: Richard Z
of Rammstein
September '09
Interview: Shaun Glass and Dirge Within
Artist Spotlight: Doc Coyle
of God Forbid
August '09
Artist Spotlight: Will Adler (Lamb of God)
July '09
Artist Spotlight: Page Hamilton of Helmet
Winner's Circle: Mayem Sweepstakes
AVAILABLE FALL 2009: The new James Hetfield Truckster... now in black!
ESP and Spinefarm Records bring you Children of Bodom Fall 2009 North American Tour
Download Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 Go for free and enter for a chance to win an LTD KH-602
Coming Soon: ESP Artist Podcasts
June '09
Hot New Models Coming This Fall!
Winner's Circle: "No Fear" Music Tour Sweepstakes
Get Rockin Now with an LTD Guitar or Bass Pack!
April '09
ESP Congratulates Metallica for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
ESP Artists Top Guitar World Reader's Poll!
New ESPs at 2009 Musikmesse Show!
March '09
Will Adler Appearance at Sam Ash Hollywood
ESP Gets in the Game with Guitar Hero: Metallica
February '09
Artist Interview: Ted Aguilar of Death Angel
ESP mourns the loss of Metal Mulisha rider Jeremy Lusk
January '09
ESP Announces New Models for 2009
New Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield Signature Series
ESP's Signature Series Gets 18 New Models at NAMM 2009
Artist Spotlight: Fred LeClercq of DragonForce
20 Years With ESP: Page Hamilton
ESP Artists Receive Grammy Nominations
ESP Artists Featured in Upcoming Comic Series
ESP on MySpace: Are you our friend?
Some call him Will. Some call him Willie. But everyone calls him a kick-ass guitarist.
Most of you ESP fans already know the story of Willʼs band Lamb of God, but weʼll give you a short recap anyway. It was back in 1990 that Willʼs brother, drummer Chris Adler, befriended a couple of other musicians and put together Burn the Priest, the group that would become Lamb of God. They recorded some demos and had some local success around their hometown of Richmond, VA, but didnʼt get much attention on a national basis. In 1999, one of the earlier guitarists left, opening a spot for Will to join.
Beginning with their 2000 album New American Gospel, Will Adler began really leaving his imprint on the group, as both a great guitarist and a songwriter. Over the years since, heʼs contributed some of the finest tracks to Lamb of God albums, including "Black Label," "11th Hour," "Blood Junkie," "Hourglass," "Blood of the Scribe," "Beating on Death's Door," "Ashes of the Wake," and "Again We Rise."
As a guitar player, Willie has earned the respect of millions of young players who heʼs influenced with his staccato rhythms that sound almost machine-perfect in timing. As a self-taught player, Will tends to break rules that he never knew existed, so a lot of the awesomely dissonant sounds you hear from LoG come from Willʼs unique approach to chord shapes and scales. Even as a metal purist, with influences spanning from all areas of heavy music, Willie really brings his own sound into the realm of rock.
One thing Will likes to take advantage of is his wide reach, which makes his ESP Signature Series Models (ESP Will Adler and LTD WA-600 and WA-200) perfect for his style. All three of these guitars use a comfortable 24.75” scale, and a fast-playing thin Ushaped neck contour. On the two higher-end models, musicians also get the benefit of Willieʼs killer sound, via Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and ʼ59 (neck) pickups, as well as a neck-through-body design thatʼs sure to bring out your best tones.
Whatʼs a hard rocker like Will like to do when heʼs not recording, on tour, or generally raising hell? Like a lot of guys do in their private lives, Willʼs priority is with his family, and loves spending time with his wife, son, and dogs at home. Also, word has it that Will is an excellent cook, and can perform on the barbeque as well as he can on the guitar.
With their most recent release Wrath (Epic/Roadrunner Records), Will Adler continues as one of metalʼs most impressive guitarists, relying on groove and feel to build a great foundation for the bandʼs music. If you ever feel a need to know how good ESP guitars can sound, take a quick listen to Willʼs playing on any Lamb of God album, and youʼll see why heʼs a fan of ESP, and why weʼre fans of Will Adler.
