This monster St. Vincent riff was inspired by Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell – so much so that Annie Clark worried she was “going to be sued”

St. Vincent and Pantera's Dimebag Darrell perform live
(Image credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/Corbis / Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

St. Vincent is a 21st century guitar hero, mercurial in her quest to redefine the sound of the electric guitar and take it into electronic, otherworldly realms. All of which betrays her influences, which are, well, the same as most other guitarists who grew up playing in the ’90s.

The young Annie Clark loved nothing more than cranking up the gain and tackling Hendrix, Tool and Pearl Jam. Heck, her first band was a metal outfit covering the likes of Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Metallica, with Clark tearing it up on what she describes as an “iridescent purple Ibanez bass”.

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Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.