MASTODON

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

BILL KELLIHER I would like to be thought of as having my own style and breathing new life into a cookie-cutter genre. I focus on songwriting rather than on playing as fast and hard as I can. I go for an early Eighties sound by plugging a 1982 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst into a Marshall JCM800 100-watt and using its natural distortion.
BRENT HINDS I play through Seventies JMP Marshalls because that’s what AC/DC used, and their sound was always great.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

KELLIHER We recently played a show in Stockholm, Sweden, that was recorded using a professional studio. You may hear it soon.

What song best represents your band?

KELLIHER “Hearts Alive” [from Leviathan]. It shows both sides of Mastodon’s songwriting: the slow pretty stuff and the teched-out parts, plus there’s heaviness and guitar solos.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

HINDS Wino from the Hidden Hand, because he is a wise man and a wizard on the guitar. You could ask him anything and he’d give you great advice.

What is the future of metal?

KELLIHER I think we’ll see a change in the sound of metal, thanks to the new Headbanger’s Ball and more recognition for underground metal bands.

 

ALL THAT REMAINS

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

OLI HERBERT I want to be able to master everything I can imagine, and that will take a lifetime. I want to broaden my technical ability and style and continue to learn. As for my sound, it comes from all of my infl uences—not only the guitarists that inspire me but also the classical violinists I like.
MIKE MARTIN Like anyone who plays an instrument, I want to constantly grow and mature and take my abilities to the next level.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

HERBERT Our latest album, This Darkened Heart. It embodies everything that I have mastered so far, and the production and song structures, as well as my playing ability, represent me at my best.
MARTIN This Darkened Heart is the best thing I’ve worked on by far. It was the first time we’ve worked with a producer [Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.] who pushed us hard, and made us play our best.

What song best represents your band?

HERBERT “The Deepest Gray,” from This Darkened Heart.
MARTIN “Focus Shall Not Fail,” from This Darkened Heart. Not only is it a strong song but it also incorporates and showcases every aspect of sound we cover as a band.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

HERBERT Jon Donais from Shadows Fall, because of his style, his passion and the expression that he puts into his music.
MARTIN Joel Stroetzel and Adam D. from Killswitch Engage. They write amazing songs and they don’t overplay or overcomplicate anything.

What is the future of metal?

HERBERT I think the future of metal is a return to the roots, almost a repeat of 20 years ago. Metal has made an extremely strong resurgence, and I think you will see this cycle continue over and over again.
MARTIN Overall, I’d say the metal scene is getting better and stronger. Bands are starting to push the boundaries of metal again.

 

DEVILDRIVER

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

JEFF KENDRICK I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my songwriting and technical abilities, as well as my knowledge of the guitar. I get my sound from my hands, through my ESP guitars into my Mesa/Boogie amps. I also use a Boss Noise Suppressor and just a few effects.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

KENDRICK “Driving Down the Darkness” off our forthcoming record, The Fury of Our Maker’s Hand.

What song best represents your band?

KENDRICK“End of the Line” [from their forthcoming record]

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

KENDRICK Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom. He’s only 25 and his technical ability is mind blowing. And Mark and Willie from Lamb of God, for their ability to write captivating, oldschool riffs that bridge the past with present metal scene.

What is the future of metal?

KENDRICK Metal will always be the termite that thrives, no matter how many times the colony is threatened with extermination. Popular music artists will continue to come and go while bands like us stick it out. Metal is the true underground and will always be underground, and that’s how the fans like it.

 

UNEARTH

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

BUZ McGRATH I would like to achieve a modest level of shred, but more importantly, I’d like to come up with as many blazing riffs as possible.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

McGRATH Probably the song on The Oncoming Storm called “Zombie Autopilot.” I’m proud of the guitar work in that song.

What song best represents your band?

McGRATH The song “Failure” [from The Oncoming Storm]. It has some nice guitar heroics and some cool harmonies.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

McGRATH Joel Stroetzel of Killswitch Engage has tone-filled hands. I’ve seen him play an old Hondo strung up with dental floss through a [Pignose] Gorilla amp, and it was the heaviest thing I’ve ever heard.

What is the future of metal?

McGRATH Not long ago, I was visited by a wild-eyed old scientist driving a DeLorean. He claimed that the vehicle was a “time machine,” and that he had returned from the year 2015. So I asked him, “What is the future of metal?” And he said, “Metal in the future sounds like off-time bird calls. Bands like Worm Eater and Pigeon Hold are the biggest bands going.” He also said that Crowbar are still the heaviest band ever.

 

CEPHALIC CARNAGE

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

ZAC JOE For me, it’s about personal satisfaction. All musicians understand how fulfilling music can be once you have the ability to unleash your imagination and see it come to fruition. Regarding my sound, it came from years of experimenting with whatever I could afford. My live setup consists of a 1967 Gibson Les Paul and a 1983 B.C. Rich Eagle, a ton of stomp boxes, and a Peavey 5150 II into a Madison 4x12 cab and an oversized Mesa/ Boogie 4x12 cab.
STEVE GOLDBERG There are always new tricks and styles to learn; I just wish I had enough hours in the day to practice the mall. As for my sound, I really like midrange; I’m not a big fan of the “scooped” sound. Midrange is where all the tone and clarity come from.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

ZAC JOE Our new disc, Anomalies. I’ve never played cleaner, and the tone is the best Steve and I have ever had.
GOLDBERG I agree. Anomalies has the tightest playing and my favorite lead playing for both of us. We’ve progressed as musicians with each recording, and I think it shows.

What song best represents your band?

ZAC JOE “The Halls of Amenti.” It’s an 18-minute doom song with some of the craziest and fastest arpeggios this side of Buckethead or Yngwie.
GOLDBERG “Counting the Days,” from Anomalies. It’s one of the few songs on the new album to feature the contributions of the entire band.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

ZAC JOE Kevin Hufnagel from Dysrhythmia. He never sees limits to what he can do, and yet he never forgets about the riff.
GOLDBERG Ben Weinman and Brian Benoit from Dillinger Escape Plan. They have some of the most insane twisted technical riffs, and onstage they jumping around like Tasmanian devils on PCP.

What is the future of metal?

ZAC JOE Experimentation is the key to evolution. But for every two years of expansion and growth, there will always be an equal amount of retro exploration happening. Ironically, the future lies somewhere in the middle.
GOLDBERG Diversity is where the future is. I think the kids are getting sick of repetition and are looking for something new and different.

 

BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

JOHN KEMPAINEN I am very interested in classical guitar. If you can play classical guitar you can play anything. As for how we get our sounds, we use ESP guitars with EMG pickups, Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers and custom road cabs built by Mike Hasty.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

KEMPAINEN My best recorded performance is on our new album, Miasma, out on July 12. The only thing better would be a recording of my third-grade orchestra recital.

What song best represents your band?

KEMPAINEN “Black Dog,” by Led Zeppelin.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

KEMPAINEN Dave Suzuki of Vital Remains is my guitar inspiration. He taught himself to play guitar without learning theory. I think that learning guitar on your own terms is very unique.

What is the future of metal?

KEMPAINEN This is a good time for metal. I think in the near future the mainstream will accept more brutal music. Metal is here to stay, and there are a lot of great bands to back that up.

 

OPETH

What do you want to achieve as a guitarist, and how do you go about getting your sound?

MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT I mainly focus on writing songs, so my technique has become less important over the years. I like to be versatile both in my playing and writing, so for me the best way to progress is to listen to loads of different kinds of music and get influenced. I don’t practice; I play guitar in order to come up with some cool licks. My setup is simple: I have a Boss GT6 that can hold all my sounds. I believe your sound is in your fingers, which should react to the pulse of your heart and the hissing in your head. No machine can help you if your body’s producing shit.

What recorded performance represents your personal best?

ÅKERFELDT “Hope Leaves” [from Damnation] is a song I’m very proud of. It turned out better than the demo, which was phenomenal to start with. My best recorded solo is that clean one in “Windowpane” [from Damnation] or my part in “Harvest” [from Blackwater Park]. I like off-the-wall stuff.

What song best represents your band?

ÅKERFELDT We’re recording a new album right now, so probably any of those cuts. But older stuff like “Deliverance” [from Deliverance] or “The Drapery Falls” [from Blackwater Park] are typical Opethsounding songs.

Which guitarists on the tour or among your peers do you most admire, and why?

ÅKERFELDT The bands on this tour are new to me, apart from Clutch and Strapping Young Lad. I guess I’ve gotta say [Strapping Young Lad’s] Devin Townsend, and I think Jeff Loomis of Nevermore deserves more credit as a guitar player. I’m into different types of players these days than the typical ones. I really like Andy Latimer, Jerry Donahue, Blackmore… and Yngwie, of course!

What is the future of metal?

ÅKERFELDT Perhaps more pretty bands that really aren’t metal? I’ve no idea, and I don’t give a flying fuck about the future of metal, as I’m sure the next big thing is gonna suck as hard as what’s big now. I’m a grumpy old-schooler that still cradles my old records and has little interest in the “metal” of today.

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