As Everything Unfolds' Adam Kerr: “You can have the heaviest riff in the world, but if there's nothing but palm-muted chugs leading up to it, it won't hit like it needs to”

(Image credit: XLDH Photo)

Could As Everything Unfolds end up becoming the breakout band of 2021? It seems likely, given the early reaction to the UK post-hardcore sextet’s riff-laden debut.

Tracks like On the Inside and Stranger in the Mirror could very well be anthems in the making, seamlessly splicing metal and electronic sounds with some brilliant usage of pitch-shifting effects. Here Adam Kerr, who shares duties with co-guitarist Owen Hill, walks us through exactly what we’re hearing.

Which guitars and amps did you end up using for the recordings?

“All the driven tones came from an amp that needs no introduction, the iconic Peavey 6505! As for the clean stuff, we used a Friedman Pink Taco, which I can say – without a shadow of doubt – has some of the most beautiful tones I’ve ever heard.

“The six-string rhythms were recorded with my Jackson DK2, which, thanks to the alder body and Seymour Duncans, sounds modern without becoming 'djenty.' The seven-string rhythms were with my Jackson Misha Mansoor HT7. For the leads I used my current favorite, a Charvel DK24 with Seymour Duncans and the most unbelievable caramelized 24-fret maple neck.“

How about pedals? It feels like there’s a lot of octave stuﬀ at points.

“Oh yeah, I’m absolutely in love with the octaver sound. The Digitech Drop has been a staple since I bought it, and we must’ve used it on at least half of the record. I love how it adds this Mick Gordon Doom soundtrack kind of flavor, both in the 50/50 mix setting and the full wet octave down setting.

“There was also the Electro-Harmonix Canyon, which I’d never heard before, but it sounded unbelievable, adding that sense of depth you didn’t realize you were missing. And then there was a Tube Screamer for extra drive and a Vox wah, which I’ve since become hooked on using.

What’s the secret to the AEU school of riffing?

“I think the key to a good riff is knowing the most important elements of what you’re doing, and making sure the rest of the instrumentation capitalizes on it, or at least doesn’t cover it up. It has to build nicely. You can have the heaviest riff in the world, but if the listener hears nothing but palm-muted chugs leading up to it, your riff might not hit like it needs to.“

Which guitarists influenced you most as a songwriter – and tonally?

“There’s probably an overwhelming amount of players that are subconscious influences from over the years. But the main ones I always find myself always being inspired by are John Petrucci, Intervals’ Aaron Marshall and Misha [Mansoor] from Periphery.“

Within Each Lies the Other is out now via Long Branch.

Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences as a guitar player. He's worked for magazines like Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Prog, Record Collector, Planet Rock, Rhythm and Bass Player, as well as newspapers like Metro and The Independent, interviewing everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handled lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).

More about guitarists

“I switched to a Stratocaster, then Lowell George showed me his MXR compressor”: Bonnie Raitt on how she developed her celebrated slide sound – and why you can’t teach feel

Wolfgang Van Halen goes big on the two-hand tapping in new Mammoth single – and recruits Slash and Myles Kennedy for a horror-inspired music video loaded with an Eddie Van Halen Easter egg

“After reviewing thousands of submissions from across the globe…” Chaka Khan has chosen her new guitarist after hosting open auditions – and it’s a popular Instagram shredder

See more latest

Most Popular

“We both wanted to shred. Joey wanted to be as crazy on guitar as he was on drums”: Wednesday 13 on getting his guitar confidence back – with help from some heroes – and the Murderdolls future that never happened

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins is haloed by a stage light and wears black as he performs live with his white signature Reverend electric guitar.

“I still use the Strat and Big Muff sound here and there for overdubs, but when I watched Eddie Van Halen play 3 feet in front of me, I learned that it’s about the hands”: Billy Corgan on critics, tone secrets, and how he keeps Smashing Pumpkins fresh

Andy Summers and Robert Fripp Looking at their Hands

“I subsequently became the world’s most famous guitarist with The Police. I wanted to play with somebody else to see how I’d do, like an experiment on myself”: At the height of his ’80s success, Andy Summers needed a challenge – he found Robert Fripp

“Dylan asked, ‘What’s the least amount of notes you can play?’ I said, ‘I could play one.’ He goes, ‘Do that’”: Fred Tackett compares his gigs with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Bob Seger, and recalls his friendship with Lowell George

“Dime is in there. I have a big Eddie Van Halen influence. The same goes for Eric Clapton. It all channels back to the blues”: Mark Morton explains why he’s jamming with Grace Bowers and Jason Isbell on his solo album – and those Gibson signature rumors

James Walbourne and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders pose with Telecasters against a mauve background. Hynde wears a Motörhead T-shirt.

“I’d go into a soundcheck, there’d be all these cases open and they’d say, ‘Choose one. We’ll give you a guitar.’ I’d be like, ‘No, thanks. I have a guitar’”: The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and James Walbourne on what it takes to be a real guitar hero

Rory Gallagher's 1961 Fender Stratocaster

I’ve been involved with guitars for decades, and in all that time I can probably count on two hands the vintage instruments I’ve seen with half the finish gone. Has guitar relic'ing gone too far?

Toshi Dorji plays live and is silhouetted against a deep red background.

“I’ve been to guitar shops and played fancy guitars and cheaper ones. I just don’t understand why people pay so much money”: Tashi Dorji explains why he sees little value in expensive instruments – but views improv guitar as anarchy

Adam "Nolly" Getgood Poses with his custom T-styles: his new collaboration with Bare Knuckle brings us a PAF-alike with more output, designed for the player of today's tone preferences.

“Anyone can dial in a really fat, thick, saturated guitar tone for single notes, but what happens when they palm-mute? Does it just fall apart? A lot of the time it does”: Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood busts myths about how to get great high-gain tone

Connor Wyatt and his dog standing in front of the music store GAK

“There are people out there that had paid £2,000 for a guitar…and we were still getting emails from people saying, ‘Where’s my stuff?’”: What happens when a guitar store goes bust? A former employee at one of the UK's biggest guitar stores tells all

Get The Pick Newsletter