AllMovie

A combination concert film and instructional video, the home release Chris Adler/Jason Bittner: Live at Modern Drummer features accomplished percussionists Adler (of the band Lamb of God) and Bittner (of Shadows Fall) in a series of full length, unexpurgated and uninterrupted drum performances. The program segues into instructional mode for aspiring drummers, with Adler and Bittner articulating their techniques in detail, demonstrating those techniques on the spot, and discussing practice routines and stylistic approaches to percussion, via lengthy on-camera interviews. As an added bonus, this program packs in candid footage of Adler, who talks about his instruments, chats with his technical advisor, and tells the audience a bit about life on the road. Similar candid footage of Bittner has the drummer performing in a clinic in Ibbenbüren, Germany and giving an eighteen-minute lesson on how viewers can emulate his style in the song "The Light that Blinds." As part of this segment, the film boasts live, in-studio footage of Bittner and Shadows Fall recording the song. Also featured are backstage interviews with Bittner and Adler at the 2005 Modern Drummer Festival.