Art Cruz is best recognized as the drummer for the heavy metal band Lamb of God. Cruz hails from Downey, California, and was raised in South El Monte, a suburb east of Los Angeles. His passion for drumming began in high school when he joined the South El Monte High School marching band's percussion section from 2004 to 2006.
His professional career kicked off in 2008 when he joined Winds of Plague and participated in the recording of their album, The Great Stone War, which reached No. 72 on the Billboard 200. He also featured in their next album, Against the World, in 2011, which climbed to No. 60 on the Billboard 200. After leaving the band in 2012 due to creative differences, Cruz rejoined in 2015 and performed on the album Blood of My Enemy in 2017. However, he eventually left in 2021 to concentrate on Lamb of God.
In the interim, post his departure from Winds of Plague, Cruz performed with Prong, touring and recording on their album Songs from the Black Hole. He moved on from Prong in 2018. Meanwhile, in 2017, Cruz also contributed as a drummer to the alternative metal project Klogr for their single Technocracy and joined them on a European Tour with The Rasmus.
2018 marked a significant point in Cruz's career when he substituted for Chris Adler on Lamb of God's North American tour, concurrently supporting Slayer on their farewell tour. By 2019, Cruz officially replaced Adler as the band's drummer. His debut release with Lamb of God was their 2020 self-titled album.
