Adema Drummer Kris Kohls Plans to Continue Fighting as Band Unleashes New Album

Kris Kohls, Tim Fluckey and Dave DeRoo

Back in 2005, metal band Adema released their third album, Planets, featuring the tracks “Enter the Cage,” a song with an MMA theme, and “Bad Triangle,” featuring the vocals of former Pride fighter Ralek “Rio Life” Gracie.

Since then the band has gone through changes and hiatuses, but is now due to return with its first new album in five years.

“The last couple of years we’ve been working on a new album called Topple the Giants that is going to be released on April 2 on Pavement Entertainment,” said Adema drummer Kris Kohls. “It’s the first record we’ve had out since 2007 and it feels good to have a new album coming out.”

The album features four re-recorded songs with longtime guitarist Tim Fluckey taking over vocals along with three newly recorded tracks.

As Kohls explained to MMAWeekly.com, Fluckey’s shift over to the mic comes after original vocalist Marky Chavez left the band for a second time in 2011.

“The way it came about was out of necessity,” said Kohls. “We had a tour booked with our original singer and the night before the tour he quit the band.

“We could not abandon the tour, and Tim had been singing back-up on these songs for 10 years, so we just decided we’d go do it and, the next thing you know, he’s sounding better than our original singer and the fans are digging it.”

When it comes to the sound of the new album, Kohls feels it’s a return to the band’s roots.

“I’d say the new songs would fit in more with the first two records than the second two just as far as stylistically,” he said. “I think we kind of went back to that old writing style with Dave (DeRoo) and Tim writing all the music, which is the same as the first and second record.”

While the band has plans to tour extensively in support of Topple the Giants, Kohls hopes to get in some time to return to his other love, MMA, and continue his pro fighting career.

“We took some time off from the band for about three years from 2007 to 2010 and all I did that time was train,” Kohls said. “That was the first time in my life I’ve taken a break from music like that. I didn’t play drums, which I’d been doing since I was nine years old, but I just put all my energy into MMA.

“At the time the band got back together I was just peaking as a fighter and was coming into my own. If there’s ever another break in the band, I’m sure I’ll fight again. I am a fighter and it’s what I like to do and love the sport and I’d like to get back into the cage and go from there.”

Topple the Giants by Adema will be released on CD/digital media on April 2 via Pavement Entertainment.

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