Sam Roche
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
Latest articles by Sam Roche

Nine Inch Nails reunite with former members, including guitarist Richard Patrick, at Cleveland hometown show
By Sam Roche published
Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser also joined the industrial juggernaut to perform a selection of Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral tracks, and a cover of Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter, the band Patrick formed after leaving NIN

D_Drive's Yuki and Seiji serve up Iron Maiden-style harmonized leads in killer I Remember the Town playthrough
By Sam Roche published
The track appears on the Japanese instrumental rockers' sophomore album, Dynamotive

Watch Brian “Head” Welch play Korn classics at an Arizona high school
By Sam Roche published
The seven-string nu-metal maestro recruited a handful of students to blow the roof off the auditorium with renditions of Blind and Got the Life
![[L-R] John Frusciante and Eddie Van Halen](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C8mWgtRdPEmJRfSMhd4bLR-320-80.jpg)
Red Hot Chili Peppers' new single is dedicated to Eddie Van Halen
By Sam Roche last updated
Hear the first snippet of "Eddie", which will appear on the band's second full-length of 2022, Return of the Dream Canteen
![[L-R] Les Claypool and Willow Smith](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Gha8XtUxotzQgeKzvEV92n-320-80.jpg)
Les Claypool praises Willow Smith's Primus cover: “Fine guitar pickin’ there young fiery lass”
By Sam Roche published
Willow donned her one-of-a-kind St. Vincent signature model to play one of Larry LaLonde's signature avant-garde leads

From divisive prog-pop to a slice of classic blues: here are this week's essential guitar tracks
By Michael Astley-Brown, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche, Matt Owen published
With these guitar-led tunes from the likes of In Flames, Mars Volta, TERMINA, Buddy Guy, Living Colour and Steve Vai and Hannah Jadagu, fall's off to a flying start

Jackson unveils four head-spinning Masterbuilt electric guitars for 2022
By Sam Roche published
Three ultra-pointy, battle-ready axes and a Dinky that combines Bengal tiger and space-themed aesthetics

Wolfgang Van Halen announces deluxe edition of debut Mammoth WVH album, reveals imminent plans to begin recording a followup
By Sam Roche published
Listen to Talk & Walk – a track previously only available on the Japanese version on the album – and get ready for two never-before heard cuts arriving November 11
![[L-R] Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/r3nrVbmkzTdDidR9J4JbeC-320-80.jpg)
Ozzy Osbourne on Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen feud: “Randy didn't have a nice thing to say about Eddie – they were rivals”
By Sam Roche last updated
The Prince of Darkness has responded to comments made in a recent Randy Rhoads documentary, in which EVH accused Rhoads of stealing his guitar playing style

How Elvis destroyed his session guitarist's acoustic by kicking a gun out of his bodyguard's hand
By Sam Roche published
The King of Rock and Roll was a keen student of karate, and caused considerable collateral damage while showcasing a move during a session at Nashville's RCA Studios

From Ulrich-fueled fuzz riffs to unadulterated raucous rock: here are this week's essential guitar tracks
By Michael Astley-Brown, Matt Owen, Sam Roche published
The freshest cuts from Laura Cox, Taipei Houston, Chris Shiflett, Willow, Alyssa Day, Bush – and more!

This guitar influencer's debut single is one of the best instrumental shred tracks you'll hear this year
By Sam Roche published
Watch Jackson ambassador and shredder Alyssa Day play the brand's new American Series Soloist SL3 with a snake on her shoulders in the video for the face-melting Dread & Dream

Soilwork guitarist David Andersson dies aged 47
By Sam Roche published
Andersson's bandmates in Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra, and his label, Nuclear Blast, have all shared tributes

Joe Satriani: “You’re not going to sell out theaters or get a billion streams with finger exercises”
By Sam Roche published
The virtuoso imparts some valuable wisdom on where scales should place in an aspiring guitarist's practice routine

From wah-drenched jams to Phrygian throwdowns: here are this week's essential guitar tracks
By Matt Owen, Michael Astley-Brown, Sam Roche, Jackson Maxwell published
Put some heat into your playlist with guitar-led songs from Yungblud, Lamb of God, Joanne Shaw Taylor, The Cult, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Brutus, Wednesday, Molly Payton, Cherie Amour and more

This insane acoustic fingerstyle cover of Dire Straits' Money For Nothing is the most incredible guitar playing you'll see today
By Sam Roche published
Italian acoustic virtuoso Luca Stricagnoli showcases both his out-of-this-world playing chops and his crazy reverse slide neck device

Jackson introduces head-turning new signature models for Northlane's Josh Smith and Death Angel's Rob Cavestany
By Sam Roche published
Smith's 7-string Soloist SL7 and Cavestany's otherworldly Death Angel arrive alongside a fresh Rhoads model in Jackson's MJ Series

Jim Root on designing his first-ever Charvel signature model, his '80s metal heroes and the most common mistakes he sees in Slipknot guitar covers
By Sam Roche published
After receiving his first Charvel decades ago, the Slipknot axe-slinger has developed his very own, bending the brand's hair metal blueprint to fit his indomitable heavy-riffing playing style

Spite's Alex Tehrani and Lucas Garrigues serve seven-string carnage in this brutal guitar playthrough of The Most Ugly
By Sam Roche last updated
The heavy-hitting metalcore cut is taken from the Northern California troupe's latest album, Dedication to Flesh
![[L-R] Joe Satriani, Nita Strauss, Nuno Bettencourt and Orianthi](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KDxuE3B3B5KFpHbFWhSV6n-320-80.jpg)
Joe Satriani, Nita Strauss, Nuno Bettencourt and Orianthi to appear on new orchestral album
By Sam Roche published
Strauss proves she’s the MVP on the upcoming Kitt Wakeley record’s shred-heavy first single
![[L-R] Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Wx3Y8RtviCSxYBRpKDwf3M-320-80.jpg)
Robert Fripp and Toyah take on Pantera's 5 Minutes Alone
By Sam Roche last updated
The King Crimson guitar maestro and his wife take a stab at the Dimebag Darrell classic in the latest installment of their Sunday Lunch series

How Robb Flynn discovered his trademark natural harmonics by accident
By Sam Roche published
The Machine Head frontman recalls the unlikely origin of one of his signature techniques
![[L-R] Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FD72cnW6nz7yNHcLmTjiVF-320-80.jpg)
Zakk Wylde shreds for a minute straight on new Ozzy Osbourne single, Nothing Feels Right
By Sam Roche published
The track – the pair's first studio material since 2007's Black Rain – is the third from Ozzy's upcoming solo album, Patient Number 9

Michael Angelo Batio will join Manowar for their upcoming 2023 anniversary tour
By Sam Roche published
Will we see any Double Guitar action during the forthcoming jaunt?
![[L-R] Wolfgang Van Halen and Justin Hawkins](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NmUw6SeF6xT4p6w43qFjYB-320-80.jpg)
Watch Wolfgang Van Halen nail classic Van Halen tracks at Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins tribute show
By Sam Roche last updated
Accompanied by Dave Grohl on bass, The Darkness's Justin Hawkins on vocals and session ace Josh Freese on drums, Wolfgang paid homage to his father Eddie with killer renditions of Hot For Teacher and On Fire
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