1980 saw the release of more classic metal albums than perhaps any other year in music. From AC/DC’s Back in Black to Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz, Judas Priest’s British Steel to Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell, the new decade was ushered in with landmark albums from some of the genre’s biggest names. Add to this list the self-titled debut from five lads from East London who called themselves Iron Maiden.

Though initially lumped in with the then-burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement (which included bands like Motörhead, Def Leppard, Saxon and Angel Witch, all of whom also released albums that year), Maiden over the course of the decade rose to become one of the biggest and most successful acts in heavy metal, a position they still hold today, 30 years later. Along the way, the band’s sound influenced generations of newer metal acts, from legends like Metallica to contemporary headliners like Avenged Sevenfold.

In 1980, however, Maiden were little more than a struggling young outfit themselves. Formed by bassist and songwriter Steve Harris five years earlier, the band burned through a slew of members before lead guitarist Dave Murray and singer Paul Di’Anno came onboard in the late ’70s, solidifying Maiden’s core early lineup.

It was then that the band’s sound – metal riffs and rhythms played with punky speed and aggression, and tempered by twin-guitar harmonies and progressive twists and turns – came into focus.

“I think if anyone wants to understand Maiden’s early thing, in particular the harmony guitars, all they have to do is listen to [British rock band] Wishbone Ash’s Argus album,” Harris says.

“Thin Lizzy too, but not as much. And then we wanted to have a bit of a prog thing thrown in as well, because I was really into bands like Genesis and Jethro Tull. So you combine all that with the heavy riffs and the speed, and you’ve got it.”

By 1978, Iron Maiden had built a solid following around London as a result of their energetic shows (which already included an appearance from an embryonic version of their fiendish mascot, Eddie).

A four-song demo recorded at the end of that year, and later released as The Soundhouse Tapes, attracted a manager, Rod Smallwood, who subsequently landed the band a deal with EMI.

And so, in early 1980, Maiden – which in addition to Harris, Di’Anno and Murray also included co-guitarist Dennis Stratton and drummer Clive Burr – entered London’s Kingsway Studios to record their debut album.

“We had done The Soundhouse Tapes, but this was a whole new thing,” Murray recalls. “Just the whole experience. You had the amps and the cabinets in there and your headphones on, and it was like, This is it: the big time.”

Adds Harris, “We did the whole thing in 13 days, which was fine. We knew the stuff backwards and forwards because we had been doing it onstage for three or four years before that. So there was no problem there.”

According to the bassist, however, there was a problem with their producer, Will Malone.

“We were all young and naïve and we didn’t know about producers and what they do– or don’t do, really,” he says. “And [Malone] was just a waste of time. He didn’t do anything. He just sat there with his feet up reading Country Life. So in the end we just bypassed him and dealt straight with the engineer.”

Harris reports that his main instrument for the sessions was a ’70s-era Fender Precision Bass, which he still uses to this day.

“Back then it was matte black, but I’ve changed the color over the years,” he says. “And I was likely playing through a Hiwatt amp. I was just trying to get as much top end and presence out of my sound as possible.”

In fact, throughout much of the album, Harris’ propulsive and melodic bass lines are pushed far up front in the mix, a sonic trait that has since become one of the band’s calling cards. On Iron Maiden, however, this was somewhat unintentional.

“The truth is that the guitars were mixed too low,” Harris says. “I think the lead sounds are fine, but the rhythms weren’t beefy enough. They sound a bit weedy, really. And I suppose because of that my bass popped out even more than it should have. And from a selfish point of view, yeah, that’s nice, but if you’re considering the overall band sound, it’s not so good.”

For his part, Murray reports that he used his trusty black 1957-era Fender Strat on the recording. The guitar, which had previously belonged to Free’s Paul Kossoff, became Murray’s primary studio and live instrument for much of the ’80s, and it is also the basis for his current Signature Series Stratocaster. “

As for amps,” he says, “I was going into Marshall 100 watts. And in between I had an MXR Phase 90, an MXR Distortion+ and a wah pedal.”

Murray recalls that co-guitarist Stratton primarily played a Les Paul. “So there was a good balance between us, with the Fender and the Gibson,” he says. “And as far as our parts, we’d sit down and work out harmony bits and stuff.

“Dennis was quite good. I used to go see him play in bands back in East London and I thought he was stand-out. So it was nice that we got to play together for a bit. And I think there are some great moments on the album.”

Indeed, Iron Maiden is an incredibly strong effort from start to finish. The album features some of the band’s most beloved and enduring songs, including the rampaging opener, Prowler, the hooky Running Free, the epic Phantom of the Opera and the pummeling, twin-guitar-laced Iron Maiden.

As for his personal favorite, Harris doesn’t hesitate: “Phantom of the Opera,” he says. “I felt that was probably the first song I’d written that was a bit more proggy. It had a lot of time changes in it and different movements and moods. It was indicative of where I wanted to take things with the band.

“And looking back on it now, I can see it was really a pivotal point in the direction of our music. I’ve always felt you shouldn’t have to do verse/chorus and that’s it; you should be able to do whatever the hell you want. And that song really proved it.

“But the album is actually rather strong all around. In a way you could argue that it’s a best-of of the first four years of the band. So it’s all gonna stand up, track-wise.”

Preceded by the release of the Running Free single, Iron Maiden, replete with cover art that presented a somewhat punked-up rendering of Eddie, was issued in the U.K. on April 14, 1980. (The U.S. version, which hit shelves in August of that year, tacked on the previously single-only release Sanctuary.)

In what was a surprise to all involved, the album shot straight into the British charts at Number Four. “We thought we’d do reasonably well, because we had a hardcore following up and down the U.K. from playing the clubs for years,” Murray says. “But the fact that it debuted so high was unbelievable for a new band.”

In support of the album, Iron Maiden spent the rest of the year on the road in the U.K., and even opened for Kiss on a string of dates throughout England. By the time the band regrouped at the end of 1980 to begin work on its second album, Killers, Stratton had been sacked.

Harris says, “Everyone always uses the term ‘musical differences’ when you’re changing a band member. But with Dennis that was the case. He was a good player, but his influences and the things that he liked and the way he saw things was totally different to where we were heading. We were hoping it wouldn’t be, but it was.”

In his place Maiden recruited Adrian Smith, a childhood friend of Murray’s who had been fronting his own band, Urchin (an outfit which, at one time, included Murray in its ranks). One album later, the band would trade Di’Anno for Bruce “The Air-Raid Siren” Dickinson and begin its ascent to the top of the metal heap in earnest.

And yet, many of the songs from Iron Maiden’s quickly recorded debut continue to be fan favorites, as well as staples of the band’s live show. “Iron Maiden is always in there,” Murray says. “And on this most recent tour we closed every night with Running Free. So it shows you these songs have really stood the test of time.”

As for why he believes this to be the case? “The album just captured something,” Murray says.

“Listening to it now, 30 years later, it’s still quite interesting. It’s very raw sounding, and for the most part quite uptempo – the songs are almost frantically fast paced. But that was our frame of mind at the time. We were very excitable back then.” He laughs. “Though I suppose we still are.”

• Originally published in Guitar World, December 2010

When does a side-project become the main event? As we set up the photoshoot for Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen at Bristol’s O2 Academy, it seems a pertinent question to contemplate.

Back in February 2020 these two star players traded riffs for the first time on the Turks and Caicos Islands – of course, a few days later and the pandemic would have scuppered the project before it even began.

However, six years on and Smith/Kotzen have a brace of acclaimed albums under their belt, from 2021’s self-titled debut to last year’s Black Light/White Noise (by comparison, Smith’s mothership, Iron Maiden, haven’t recorded since 2021’s Senjutsu).

Having completed soundcheck and now settling on a leather couch, the pair display a complementary chemistry: Kotzen is happy to hold court, while Smith prefers to sit back, hat pulled low, and chip in as necessary.

But as they explain, it’s their opposing guitar styles that has made Smith/Kotzen such an enjoyable enterprise, with both musicians happy to be nudged from their comfort zones.

How does the second album progress from your debut?

Adrian Smith: We actually recorded it in two parts. We did about six songs, then I went on tour with Maiden and Richie went off with his band. Then we came back together the following year.

So it gave us the opportunity to let the dust settle and think, ‘What do we have here?’ I think it’s a more focused album, more ‘up’, more cohesive. You know, we’re developing a writing and playing relationship. It’s more of the same – but a progression.

When did you realise that you clicked as a partnership?

Adrian: “The first time we got together at Richie’s studio. I’ve sat down with other guitarists and you just end up playing blues licks all day and not writing anything. But Richie and I went to work straight away. I had the riff and he came up with the chorus for Running. That was it – “Bang!” – in a couple of hours. We did jam, too, and came up with Scars.”

Richie Kotzen: To me, the creative process is the most important aspect. Even more so than playing, if I had to choose. That’s why I kept at playing the guitar because I wanted to make original music.

Out of everything, I get most satisfaction from an idea coming out of the speakers and going, “Yeah, that’s what I was hearing in my head.” So that’s the part we connect on, the core of what this is. Because anybody can go jam some covers.

Have the songs evolved as you play them live?

Adrian: Yeah, to see that song breathing and living in front of an audience…

Richie: The songs take on this whole other life. And I’ve never done this, but it’d be interesting to write a bunch of music, have the band learn it, then take it on the road and play it for a year – then record it.

Adrian: The trouble is, if you do anything now, it’s on the internet the next day.

Richie: That’s true. The creepy, evil internet!

How do you approach the solos in this band?

Adrian: Richie and I are very different. I’ve been playing in Iron Maiden for such a long time, and the solos are part of the song. Almost without exception, they’re 16 bars and that’s it. There’s no extended solos. And most of the solos I play with Maiden [live] are the same as on the record because that’s what people want to hear, especially with old stuff like The Trooper.

But the way Richie plays is much more improvisational and it’s encouraged me to be more like that in S/K. Trying to keep up with this guy, y’know? And I’m getting more confident about branching out. I’ve only got three solos in the whole set that I play the same every night. The rest is off the top of my head.

Richie: That’s the way I’ve been doing it since I started recording myself. Like, ‘Well, I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but let’s see what happens.’ I’ll do a take and typically I’ll hear a melody in my head. Then I’ll go off from that, record it and say, ‘Okay, I liked the way I started and ended, but I got lost in the middle. Let me see if I can pull this off.’ So I’m kinda constructing in real-time.

On the other side of the coin, there are solos, like, at the end of a song, where I’ll just go for it. That’s a lot of fun. I grew up playing with guys that would jam and improvise, so that’s relatively easy for me.

I know a lot of guys that sit at home and write out the solo: ‘Okay, I’m gonna play this, let me practise it seven times then I’ll go to the studio…’. I’ve never done that. Maybe I should. But it’s a different approach.

It helps that you have a killer rhythm section…

Richie: They’re fantastic. Julia Lage is the bass player and Bruno Valverde is playing drums, and they just really lock in and make it so easy for us. Especially on the solos where we’re improvising. You need a support mechanism. And that was a great thing that I learned from my short time with Stanley Clarke’s band.

We had a band called Vertú in 1999, which seems like a thousand years ago. But I learnt that when someone’s soloing, everybody else is there to support. You don’t go, ‘Look what I can do!’ when someone else has the floor. When the four of us play together, we have that same mentality. So the solo at the end of Running, Adrian can go for as long as he wants and the foundation is always gonna be there.

What particular guitars have you brought with you on the road, Adrian?

Adrian: This is my Jackson San Dimas signature model. It’s a slightly later one because it’s got the adjustable truss rod that you can get at more easily. It’s a great working guitar. Stays in tune. Sounds great. It’s light, easy to play, big frets. That’s a Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge.

It’s a slim neck. I don’t really like chunky necks. That’s why I don’t like old, old Les Pauls. This has a kind of flat profile. When I first hooked up with Jackson, I took an old Strat to the factory and they copied the neck dimensions because it was so comfortable.

I also use this Les Paul Classic. When I was a kid, I had a black Les Paul copy. It was my first guitar and I loved it, and I modded it and put in Gibson pickups. I just maxed it out as much as I could. But, eventually, I sold it. I wish I still had it.

But this one, I bought in New York. It’s not an old guitar. I think it might be a reissue. I use it for a few songs and it’s got the mojo factor. I suppose you play it a certain way, get more sustain, so you can maybe play a little less if you want and get away with it.

And then, this Les Paul Custom, Gibson gave me a few years ago. It’s my favourite guitar, looks-wise. Just absolutely beautiful. But it’s got slightly smaller frets. My hands were slipping, so I’m going to put bigger frets on, then it’ll be back in action. The tuning can be volatile because it’s not got the locking nuts. But it’s a lovely guitar.

Talk us through your guitar rack, Richie.

Richie: This is my signature Fender Telecaster. My ‘main’ Telecaster is at home, and the reason is because that guitar stays tuned at 440 [standard tuning] – whereas with S/K we tune down a half-step.

So this is the dedicated Telecaster for everything Smith/Kotzen, and it’s completely stock, off the rack, with the exception that I take sandpaper to the neck – I just like the way that feels. The pickups are a DiMarzio Chopper T with a regular replacement Tele single coil. And that’s not a tone dial – it’s a series/parallel knob.

I only have two guitars on this tour – and the other one is my signature Strat, in this one-off custom baby-blue colour. They used a really nice piece of maple for the neck. It almost looks like birdseye and it’s not quite as chunky as the Telecaster. And, you know, I love the gold hardware and DiMarzio pickups. I play both guitars almost equally in the set, but I finish the show with Running on the Strat.

I’ll tell you something: all the decisions with my gear were made very early on, very deliberately, because my focus has always been, “What am I going to write,” y’know? I don’t like to exhaust too many resources mentally on gear because I like to reserve that for my creative process.

And all the S/K guitars are dropped a semitone?

Adrian: Yeah. Tuning down was more for the vocals. It’s just the way Richie and I started working together. We immediately dropped. I mean, he’s got more range than me, but it helps me. So this white Jackson, for example, it’s the equivalent of a standard tuning drop D, but this would be a C#. So you get that heavy kind of barring situation. The one-fingered bandit, I call it.

The way a guitar interacts with a physical amp is such a big part of the excitement of rock ’n’ roll. What’s your take on that?

Adrian: With S/K, we’re pretty old-school. We both use amplifiers. I mean, a lot of bands now just don’t use backline: it’s all processed and they’ve got in-ears. We’ve got the wedges and half-stacks and we just go for it. And there’s so much choice of amps these days.

Back when the electric guitar came to the fore – the ’60s and ’70s – there wasn’t much around. You really had to work to get a sound. Having said that, a lot of it is in here [holds up hands] and in here [points to head] and what you feel. You’ve just got to have something that enables you to express that.

Richie: It doesn’t have to be loud to be good. A lot of times, being loud can be a problem.

Adrian: And if I go to see a band, I don’t like ’em to be too loud.

Richie: I want them to be good.

Adrian: Exactly!

What was your go-to amp for the album, Richie?

Richie: In the studio, I had my four-input Marshall Super Lead 1959 Handwired. Adrian was using it as well. I plugged into the top-right input, which is the ‘normal’ channel. And then the cabinet is obviously in another room with microphones on it.

I’ve got a lot of Marshall heads. I have one from 1967, a Super Bass. I bought it when I was in my early 20s at a guitar show in Texas. And back then, I paid, like, $1,100 – now I see ’em go for 12 grand. But I haven’t recorded with that in years because it was blowing fuses.

On the road, I’m using reproductions, like this 1959 HW. When I plug into it, I know what I’m in for. It’s not a guessing game. Again, my concern isn’t gear. It never was. It’s like, ‘Let’s get to it, let’s make music.’ This is the most responsive head I’ve ever played through. If I hit it hard, it barks. And it takes pedals really well.

I don’t use a lot of wah in Smith/Kotzen, so my signature Tech 21 [RK5 Fly Rig] pedal is not with me on the road. But I have my Fly Rig, and this one is modified with more switches for my Leslie simulators.

Then there’s the SansAmp, which is how I get a bit of rock ’n’ roll grit in the sound and not have it absurdly loud. And just as I said that, my tinnitus just kicked off, like it knows that I’m talking about it [laughs].

How about your backline, Adrian?

Adrian: A lot of my equipment is in England and we record in America. And I lost a bit of gear in the LA fire last year as well. So I do some stuff at home with a JVM. But mainly I used Richie’s amp because it’s so easy. It’s so fast: you’ve got an idea, plug in and ‘bash’. Maybe I put a Tube Screamer with that amp [on the road, Adrian is using a Marshall JVM210 with 1960A and 1960B cabinets].

So what’s next for Smith/Kotzen?

Richie: Well, we’ve got more shows and we’re very excited about how well received the album was. It’s a great creative outlet and something that I think both of us would like to see carry on, right?

Adrian: Yeah, I’m having a great time on the road. I love taking these songs on stage. I’m up there and I’m lost in a world where I get to play solos and rhythm, sing, do harmonies – there’s so much going on. It’s so fulfilling.

• Black Light/White Noise is out now via BMG.
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

Adrian Smith might be a member of one of the most iconic heavy metal bands of all time, but the Iron Maiden guitarist – whose journey is documented in the new documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition – has recently looked back on a time when the band was impacted by the explosion of grunge.

“In South America and Europe, the band was still big, but in America, I think it struggled,” Smith tells Forbes. “Nirvana came along, and that changed everything.

“It was like punk in the late ’70s. I’d been probably playing in bands for about five years, and our bands were getting to a certain level [of success].”

He continues, “You work hard and all of a sudden, bang! You couldn't get a gig unless you had spiky hair and played punk. You thought, ‘Who are these people?’ They've only been playing for a year, and they're proud of it that they can't play. And yet everyone's buying their records, and they're selling out gigs.”

Ultimately, Smith likens the grunge era to the punk movement, calling it a “changing of perspective”.

“For bands like Maiden, it was hard,” he admits. “But like I said, the driving force is still there, and you just got to weather the storm a little bit.”

As for the experience of Maiden falling out of favor in the ’90s and being forced to play smaller venues, Smith says he cannot directly comment on that, as he left the band in 1990 – right before grunge went mainstream.

“I never did it with them. I never did the club thing,” he explains. “I mean, I’ve done clubs since then. I did a club tour with Bruce [Dickinson] in the States in the ’90s.

“So I did have a taste of that, but I just like playing whether it’s in a club or in a stadium, obviously I’d rather play stadium,” he adds with a laugh.

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition will be released in cinemas worldwide on May 7.

In more recent news, Iron Maiden will finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, after more than two decades of eligibility.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its yearly list of inductees, and the class of 2026 comprises Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan, all in the Performer category.

Other inductees include Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons, who will be honored with the Early Influence Award.

Producers Jimmy Miller, Rick Rubin, and Arif Mardin, alongside songwriter Linda Creed, will be presented with the Music Excellence Award. Rounding off the list is American television host and impresario Ed Sullivan, who will be posthumously bestowed with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony – it’s going to be an unforgettable night.”

Nominees who were snubbed this year include Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, and Shakira.

While Phil Collins was inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010, he has now received the nod as a solo artist. As for Billy Idol, he was overjoyed when he heard the news, telling Rolling Stone, “We’ve been building towards this, and it’s a perfect payoff. You couldn’t have dreamed it better, really.

“It’s absolutely perfect…To be recognized by your peers is incredible. You don’t really know what people think about you, but this gives you an indication.”

After three nominations, Iron Maiden have finally made it to the Hall of Fame. “We’d like to thank the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for including us (and former members who were all part of our story) in the 2026 roll call of inductees,” commented Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood.

“Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it’s always nice to be recognised and honoured for any achievements within the music industry too!”

Oasis have previously expressed skepticism about the Hall of Fame, with Liam Gallagher issuing controversial statements to The Sunday Times in a 2024 interview, “As much as I love Mariah Carey and all that, I want to say: Do me a favor and fuck off.

“It’s like putting me in the rap hall of fame, and I don’t want to be part of anything that mentally disturbed. Besides, I’ve done more for rock & roll than half of them clowns on that board, so it’s all a load of bollocks.”

However, Gallagher changed his tune upon the announcement, as he tweeted, “Reverse psychology vibes in the area Oasis RnR hall of farmers I mean famers.”

“I wanna thank all the people who voted for us it’s a real honour ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I’d dream about 1 day being in the RnR hall of fame it’s true what they say anything is possible if you have a dream.”

Meanwhile, Joy Division co-founder and bassist Peter Hook took a more heartfelt approach and dedicated the induction to the sorely missed Ian Curtis. He also confirmed he’ll be attending the ceremony.

“Hi. I’d just like to say how wonderfully pleased I am to be finally accepted into the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,” he said in a video posted to social media, while notably wearing an Oasis T-shirt.

“I’ve been looking forward to it for years, so I definitely am gonna make the most of it. I’d like to say that this is for Ian Curtis, and for all our fans of both bands. Without you, we would be nothing. So thank you so much.”

While it remains to be seen who else will attend the ceremony, it will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on November 14 and air on ABC and Disney+ the following month.

Last year, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers was forced to drop out of the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, after previously confirming reunion plans.

Adrian Smith says his work alongside Richie Kotzen is more freeing than life in Iron Maiden, as he has more room to express himself.

The Jackson signature artist joined Maiden in 1980, five years into their existence, and has remained with them ever since, save for a spell away during the 1990s when he was in the running to join Def Leppard. During that time, he's proved an invaluable figure.

But though he and Richie Kotzen come from very different worlds – Smith says he learned to play to get girls, in contrast to Kotzen’s want to master the craft – the pair have proved a formidable partnership in the eponymous duo, Smith/Kotzen.

“Richie and I are very different,” he says in the new issue of Guitarist. “I’ve been playing in Iron Maiden for such a long time, and the solos are part of the song. Almost without exception, they’re 16 bars, and that’s it. There’s no extended solos.”

Outside of Maiden, then, he’s able to solo outside of those rigid constraints. Though cuts like his Powersalve solo – recorded while hungover, no less – showcase his chops, he prefers being able to spread his wings.

“Most of the guitar solos I play with Maiden [live] are the same as on the record because that’s what people want to hear, especially with old stuff like The Trooper,” he adds. “But the way Richie plays is much more improvisational, and it’s encouraged me to be more like that in S/K.”

He admits that keeping up with Kotzen – whose signature Strat was finally rolled out worldwide last summer – isn’t easy. But he’s embraced the challenge.

“I’m getting more confident about branching out,” he says. “I’ve only got three solos in the whole set that I play the same every night. The rest is off the top of my head.”

The pair welcomed a surprise guest to join them on the Maiden classic, Wasted Years, in London recently, as they continue to promote their second album, Black Light/White Noise.

Elsewhere, Smith has become the latest big-name player to spend some time with Kirk Hammett’s iconic ‘Greeny’ Les Paul – and promptly fell in love with it – while Kotzen revealed why he didn’t get the Nine Inch Nails gig, despite being the best man for the job.

The latest issue of Guitarist is out now, and features a bumper celebration for the Telecaster’s 75th anniversary, including a deep-dive into the new anniversary models, as well as a new interview with Eric Johnson.

Head to Magazines Direct to pick up a copy.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its Class of 2026.

Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden spearhead the ballot for this year’s potential nominees, and have been joined by a diverse cast of music legends that span Britpop icons and post-punk pioneers to rap and hip-hop heroes.

Other big names on the ballot include Oasis, whose reunion tour last year was billed as the “biggest of all time”, as well as The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, and Joy Division/New Order.

Melissa Etheridge has also been given the nod, along with the late, underrated guitar great Jeff Buckley, Genesis drummer Phil Collins, Wu-Tang Clan, Shakira and New Edition. Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Sade, P!NK, and Luther Vandross complete the list of nominees.

As per the Rock Hall’s rules, artists and bands become eligible for inclusion into the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Iron Maiden’s selection for the 2026 ballot, then, arrives 22 years after they first became eligible for nomination.

In other words, it’s been a long time coming, and for fans who have long-pointed out the Rock Hall’s aversion to giving heavier bands their flowers in these inductions, Iron Maiden’s inclusion will be welcome.

“Iron Maiden created the blueprint for how heavy metal bands should look, sound, and tour,” the Rock Hall writes in its promo. “Throughout the 1980s, the British group released seven high-octane albums that solidified them as one of rock & roll’s biggest bands.”

Oasis has also been re-nominated after failing to enter the Hall of Fame following the band’s inclusion in the 2025 ballot. The snub likely wouldn’t have bothered the Gallagher brothers, though. Liam once said he wasn’t interested in receiving recognition from “some geriatric in a cowboy hat” (via BBC).

Fans will also be pleased to see Jeff Buckley’s name involved in the running. The iconic singer-songwriter is widely regarded as an unsung guitar hero whose genius defies categorization; the mastermind behind 1994’s Grace, with a highly individual style that blended a number of nuanced inspirations.

A ballot for the fan vote has been opened. Inductees will be announced later this year, and a full induction ceremony will take place in autumn.

Head over to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for more info on each nominee.

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith invited a familiar face onto the stage as he and Richie Kotzen performed in London over the weekend (February 21), with Bruce Dickinson making a cameo on a blazing take of Wasted Years.

Away from the galloping rhythms and stadium tours of Iron Maiden, which recently afforded him the chance to babysit the legendary “Greeny” Les Paul for an afternoon, Smith has allied with Strat stalwart, Kotzen.

The straightforwardly titled Smith/Kotzen partnership has produced two studio albums so far, with 2025’s Black Light / White Noise seeing them reveling in their shared love of the blues. And with the group hitting the English capital – marking a hometown show for Smith – the pair were joined by heavy metal royalty for a performance of the Smith-penned song.

The track, inspired by Smith's purchase of a Roland guitar synthesizer, has been on the Smith/Kotzen setlist since day dot, but this is the first time Dickinson has (lovingly) gatecrashed their party.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Mr. Bruce Dickinson,” Smith says, introducing the singer to the stage while wielding one of his Jackson signature guitars.

Of course, the trio of musical heavyweights made nailing the song look as simple as breathing; some credit has to go to the band's bassist, Julia Lage, who played Steve Harris's parts superbly. And what a tone.

Each string-bothering member of Iron Maiden was recently bestowed with a new Fender signature model, with Smith staying true to his Jackson loyalty, after Grover Jackson personally convinced him to trade Les Pauls for Super Strats.

Last Summer, Kotzen's sought-after Strat was finally rolled out worldwide, having previously been a Fender Japan exclusive.

NAMM 2026: British metal heavyweights Iron Maiden are the latest to be honored with a signature Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, with a special Killers edition of the iconic pedal paying homage to the band’s earliest days.

First launched in the mid-1960s and quickly immortalized by Jimi Hendrix on Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), the Cry Baby wah has long since been a pedalboard staple for many.

Over the years, everyone from Slash and Dimebag Darrell to Joe Bonamassa and Jerry Cantrell has been bestowed with signature editions as its empire has grown, and now the band that “emerged from the rough-and-gritty streets of late-’70s London” has joined the clan.

From classic Killers cuts like Wrathchild and Innocent Exile to The Number of the Beast – the wah has been a trademark effect for Maiden’s shredders. Cue this collector’s edition stompbox, emblazoned with Killers era Eddie for a pedal you won’t miss on a darkened stage floor.

Beneath that embossed tread – which looks pleasingly grippy – the pedal is essentially a redressed version of the GCB95 Cry Baby Standard Wah.

That means there are no bells and whistles with this edition, instead focusing on the classic sound that made the pedal one of the world's best-sellers in the first place. The Killers image that takes up the entire bottom plate, and the Iron Maiden logo along its side are neat touches, though.

Wah enthusiasts Kirk Hammett and John Petrucci are among the first players in the world to get their hands on the new pedal, with the pair sent mystery boxes to open for their social media followers.

While Hammett jokingly says he hopes it's food or coffee inside the box, there's an audible gasp when he sees what's inside.

“Oh my gosh, this is very special,” he purrs. “I love Iron Maiden, and I love this album. I'm getting a warm feeling in my heart right now.”

Petrucci is similarly impressed, beaming, “How cool is that?” as he holds it up to the camera.

“This collector’s edition Cry Baby Standard Wah celebrates that sonic connection with an exclusive collector’s edition finish and custom tread inspired by that record,” says Jim Dunlop.

“Whether it’s mounted on your pedalboard or standing at the heart of your shrine, this pedal is a torch held high for rock ’n’ roll.

The Jim Dunlop Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby wah is available now for $229.99.

See Jim Dunlop for more.

The pedal’s release comes quickly after Fender launched a band-wide run of signature guitars for Maiden, meaning Janick Gers finally got his moment in the limelight.

The history of rock ’n’ roll is full of interesting “What if?” moments, and looking back on his unsuccessful Def Leppard audition, Adrian Smith has thrown up another one.

In the early 1990s, the British glam rock giants were looking to replace Steve Clarke, whose alcoholism struggles had already seen him take a leave of absence to focus on his recovery, as the group worked on their fifth LP, Adrenalize.

Though Vivian Campbell – the man who still holds the position to this day – would eventually get the job, the Iron Maiden guitarist has confirmed he was in the running for the prestigious gig.

“I went over to L.A. for a couple of days,” Smith nods (via Blabbermouth). “Phil [Collen, the band’s other guitarist] phoned me up and said, ‘Would you be interested in coming over?’”

Smith had recently left Iron Maiden, citing clashes with chief songwriter Steve Harris as the trigger. Sensing the opportunity, Collen and co. included him on a shortlist of players – alongside former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake great John Sykes.

“I went to L.A. I played with him for a couple of days,” Smith develops. “I sat down with Phil. We went through some songs. It sounded good, and they're a great bunch of guys. But it didn't work out.

“Plus, my album with Psycho Motel [the band he formed after his Iron Maiden departure] was just about to come out. But who knows? It was worth pursuing. They did okay without me.”

In a 2023 interview, Collen said Dio’s former foil, Campbell, “fit in straight away,” while also confirming Sykes, who passed in 2024, also auditioned.

“With Adrian,” Collen added, “he played in context with what we were doing when we were rehearsing. We weren't doing Iron Maiden songs, we weren't doing Dio songs. So, whoever comes into our house has to play by the same rules.”

In more Adrian Smith news, the guitar player has recalled the time he got to spend an afternoon with the infamous “Greeny” Les Paul.

Recently, Iron Maiden and Fender collaborated on a host of new signature guitars for the band's legendary players. Now, Fender has revealed a touching behind-the-scenes story, shining a light on the luthier who played a key role in the project.

Andy Hicks, a Masterbuilder at Fender’s Custom Shop, says the moment he first picked up a Fender Stratocaster aged 12 changed his life forever. He has two passions in life: his family and building guitars.

As such, building a Stratocaster for Dave Murray – who just so happens to also be Hicks' ultimate guitar hero – was a real pinch-me moment.

“I can't talk about my favorite builds without first talking about the Dave Murray Strat,” he says in a new video from Fender, entitled Meet the Builder. “I built this for him two years ago to take on tour with Iron Maiden.

“It's a surreal experience to receive a phone call and ask if you want to make a guitar for your favorite guitar player ever,” he smiles. “What's absolutely insane is seeing photos of him on my social media feeds every day, with them on tour, and I can see my little signature decal [on the back of the headstock], and it's like part of my soul is on stage with my favorite band every single night.”

For the Maiden gang's new signature drop, Murray’s super-clean and sharp white Strat was reissued as a Masterbuilt model. Elsewhere, Steve Harris was honored with a Precision Bass, Adrian Smith stayed loyal to Jackson, and Janick Gers also got his own axe.

It's not the first time Hicks has spoken about how much this project meant to him. Speaking to Guitar World during a recent Fender Japan event – where Hicks' Godzilla Strat was unveiled – he said the Murray Strat and the Godzilla guitar were his two prized builds.

“This is the most fun guitar I've done. I would say it's between that and the Dave Murray Strat. Dave Murray is my favorite guitar player,” he said at the time.

“To best describe what it is to be a Masterbuilder, I first have to describe what the Custom Shop in general is,” Hicks continues in the Fender interview. “It is the dream factory. You come to us with your dream guitar, and we're going to make that dream come true.

“I'm literally talking with customers at the beginning of their ordering process, and my job does not stop until I carry the guitar to the shipping department. I'm responsible for every aspect of the guitar.”

In related news, Murray recently attributed much of Maiden’s success to the fact that their lead songwriter is a bassist, and his bandmate, Adrian Smith, also recalled the time he got to spend an afternoon alone with Kirk Hammett’s prestigious “Greeny” Les Paul.

Adrian Smith has become the latest in a growing list of superstar players to have become infatuated with the illustrious “Greeny” Les Paul.

When Kirk Hammett became the third high-profile owner of the legendary Gibson, he had no intention of keeping it as an ornament. The electric guitar, famous for its quirky and quacky middle position – and for its starring role on a host of classic blues rock tracks – is a key part of his touring rig, and he’s also been keen to share the love.

Already, Jack White’s played it, Al Di Meola has taken it for a spin, and Jake E. Lee said that when he played it at Back to the Beginning, he didn’t want to put it down.

Greeny's charm, it seems, is infectious, and Hammett’s willingness to let other guitarists play it has afforded Iron Maiden’s Smith the chance to test it out, too.

“I bumped into him [Hammett] in a hotel in Canada,” he explains to eonmusic. “We were just waiting for the lift. We're just checking in, and Metallica were there. The first thing I said to him was, ‘Oh, you bought Greeny.’ He goes, ‘Yeah. I've got it. You want to play?’”

Suffice to say, Smith – who’s just released a new signature guitar as part of a band-wide Fender drop – eagerly took Hammett up on his offer.

“I went to his room. Ross Halfin [photographer] was there as well, because he's a mutual friend, and he gave me the guitar and a little practice amp, and of course, I did [Fleetwood Mac’s] Oh Well.”

The blues rock classic is one of the most iconic tracks to be associated with “Greeny”. Gary Moore bought the guitar after its original owner, Peter Green, left Fleetwood Mac. Hammett then bought it for an undisclosed fee.

But Smith’s playing session didn’t end there. When Hammett and Halfin left for a photoshoot, Smith was left to babysit.

“He said, ‘Take the guitar’, so I took it to my hotel room, and I had a little practice amp in there,” Smith says. “I played it all afternoon. It plays great. It's the intonation, the feel, the sound.

“There's no doubt about it, that is a special guitar. The mojo is off the charts. I'm glad somebody's using it, and it's not on a wall in somebody's climate-controlled guitar locker. It's out there being played, as it should be.”

Gibson produced a reissue of the guitar in 2023, with an Epiphone version arriving shortly after. Smith is just the latest star to fall head over heels for “Greeny.” He certainly won’t be the last.

Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

The start of the EVH digital revolution, a landmark update for the Fender Tone Master Pro, a whole collection of Iron Maiden signature guitars... all that and more can be found below.

EVH 5150III Hypersonic 6L6 1x12

Here’s a big one: EVH has launched its first digital amp, the 5150III Hypersonic 6L6 1x12 – which, as the name implies, looks to channel the crushing all-tube amp tones championed by Eddie Van Halen in a more convenient, portable package.

After Fender went to great lengths in order to win EVH’s approval for the Tone Master Pro’s flagship EVH amp model, the Hypersonic combo seems like the logical next step. It’s an interesting move for a firm whose heritage is so deeply rooted in traditional tube amp heads and cabs, but one that is entirely logical. It’s a sign of the times.

These days, amp modelers, modeling amps and digital combos are becoming increasingly popular. Not only are they far lighter than their tube-loaded counterparts, they also come with a handful of expansive extras. Here, you get an XLR out with IR cab sims, valve attenuation from one watt to 50, and USB-C for updates.

It’s a new era for EVH, it seems, so expect more digital amps in the future.

For more: EVH

Fender x Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Signature Guitars

What’s the best way to celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden? Well, with a fully stocked stable of signature Fender guitars, of course. This week, the Big F dropped signature guitars and basses for Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers and Steve Harris to mark the five-decade milestone and, unsurprisingly, they are pretty damn sleek.

Murray gets two Strats – including a Masterbuilt Custom Shop model, while Gers gets one Strat, and Harris gets a P-Bass. Smith, meanwhile, bucks the trend and gets a Jackson that pays homage to his favorite guitar specs.

Of course, these are very metal – expect Seymour Duncans, compound radius fingerboards, Floyd Rose bridges aplenty – but they’re not just significant for their Iron Maiden celebrations.

Instead, they are also a spiritual reminder of a milestone moment for Fender, with Masterbuilder Andy Hicks observing that Iron Maiden proved to him – and the world – that Fender “absolutely belongs in the world of heavy metal”.

For more: Fender

Fender Tone Master Pro update

Days after Neural DSP treated its Quad Cortex to a monophonic synth, Fender pulls out the big guns with a major firmware update of its own that introduces new polyphonic synths to its flagship Tone Master Pro modeler.

It’s a pretty big move, one that reminds the rest of the industry that Fender is still very much a force to be reckoned with in the modeler market. With Neural DSP overhauling both its Quad and Nano Cortex pedals, Line 6 ushering in its next era with the Helix Stadium, and Fractal unveiling its most affordable modeler to date, it was important that Fender responded in kind.

And respond it has. The new update, synths aside, is pretty major, with a suite of new amp models, cabs, effects and more also joining the party. Nicely done, Fender.

For more: Fender

Jackson Chris Broderick Soloist SL6 & SL7

Another week, another signature release from Jackson, which – after releasing a string of signatures for Misha Mansoor – has now honored former Megadeth axeman Chris Broderick with not one, but two guitars of his own.

Six and seven-string models are on tap here, and both are irresistibly metal. They’re not quite true Soloists, either. It takes aesthetic cues from a guitar Broderick himself built when he was in high school, resulting in a strange asymmetrical shape and unique contours that look like the guitar itself is in motion.

High-end finishing touches include DiMarzio pickups, Gotoh hardware and a through-body maple neck design. All in all, it’s a really nice reimagining of the Soloist template.

For more: Jackson

D’Addario Comfort Strap

Got a heavy guitar or bass? Suffering from back pains? Can only play standing up for short bursts at a time? If you answered yes to any of the above, you might be in luck, because D’Addario has designed a Neoprene Comfort strap designed specifically for heavier instruments that could help alleviate your back pains.

With its wider strap and comfort material, the strap distributes weight more evenly and molds to your body, promoting proper posture and hopefully reducing the heft. If all goes to plan, those back issues could be a thing of the past – and you could be playing for longer.

For more: D'Addario

Ross Electronics Relaunch

This isn’t a gear release, per se, but it is certainly a big headline in the world of guitar gear. After JHS Pedals’ failed re-launch of 2023, Ross Electronics – the famed effects brand founded by Bud Ross – is officially back for its sixth era, now under the stewardship of another family member.

Josh Scott attempted to revive Ross a few years back, but after initial excitement surrounding the launch, a disappointing second year return eventually resulted in the brand pulling the plug. It was a shame, because Ross is one of those brands the guitar world needs.

Well, it’s now under the guidance of Bud’s grandson, Cameron, who has teased a bold new generation of Ross Electronics pedals. Each will be rebuilt with player-driven improvements and “the exacting standards of modern pedal design”. It looks as though the future is bright. Let’s hope Ross is here to stay this time.

For more: Ross Electronics

Wampler TCD

The original Fulltone OCD is one of the most recognizable overdrive pedals out there, and has been the subject of a fair few clones and replicas. It’s not quite as cloned as the Tube Screamer, granted, but it seems to be well on the way. Now, Wampler has offered its own take on the ‘tube-like drive’ box with the TCD.

In true Wampler style, though, it’s got a few tricks up its sleeve. There are a bunch of additional parameters that expand the tone-tweakability of it, with knobs for Bass, Mids, Treble, Level and Gain. There’s also a mode switch with four clipping options. That’s a helluva lot more control than on the OG OCD, that’s for sure.

Tone-wise, it’s part overdrive, part distortion. It will do the ‘OCD thing’ and then some. It looks like a Swiss army stompbox of top-notch gain sounds – one that Brian Wampler himself says he’s “always wanted to build”. And I promised myself I wouldn’t buy another overdrive…

For more: Wampler

Gamechanger Audio Recoder

Forget everything you think you know about looper pedals, because Gamechanger Audio – in true Gamechanger Audio fashion – has completely reinvented the humble utility pedal with the Recoder. Can it even really be called a looper pedal? The jury is still out. Even its maker says it still doesn’t fully know what it is.

It needs to be heard, really. Recorded phrases can be sent into spectral realms with an array of oddball controls, some of which are wheels mounted to the side of the pedal. Not for the faint of heart. A pedal built for true tonal experimentalists.

For more: Gamechanger Audio

Electro-Harmonix ABRAMS100

EHX busied itself this week with the launch of the ABRAMS100 – a 100-watt solid-state guitar amp that weighs in at just 2.5lbs – and just shy of $300. The simple, single-channel amp has positioned itself as a perfect companion for those looking for an easy-to-transport, no-nonsense amp head that can serve as a suitable pedalboard platform for your existing rig.

It’s blissfully simple. A three-band EQ, onboard reverb, a Bright switch, and a Volume knob head up the front panel. There’s also an effects loop, plus a speaker output for 4-16 ohms. No messing.

For more: EHX

Dirty Boy – Silver Boy

Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a pedal inspired by a virtual amp. As Dirty Boy puts it, the Silver Boy flips the script on conventional pedal practices, and instead of turning a sought-after piece of analog gear digital, it does the opposite, turning a popular digital amp sim into an analog stompbox.

There’s method behind the madness. Demand for such a pedal has apparently been rife, ever since the SilverBOY TSM-Ai amp – a collaboration with Two notes for the GENOME platform – was lapped up by players.

It was noted for its clean sparkle and snarling, fuzz-soaked saturation – so, now it’s been made available as a pedalboard-compatible stompbox, with plenty of tone-tweaking parameters and a gnarly, industrial look.

For more: Dirty Boy

Solar VA1.6FR – 27 Fret

Speaking of metal guitars, Ola Englund’s brand Solar Guitars has once again experimented with a firm-first by unveiling its flagship 27-fret model. That is soooo many frets. Personally, I can’t imagine any scenario where I’d need that many. But hey, I ain’t a shredder. If this is your thing, power to you.

For more: Solar Guitars

Fender has celebrated the 50th anniversary of Iron Maiden by dropping a fully stacked catalog of electric guitars and bass guitars – one for each of the heavy metal pioneer’s legendary players.

That means there are six-strings for Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith, as well as a Precision Bass for Steve Harris. Leveraging the full stable of its brand family, Fender has given in-house Stratocaster to Murray and Gers, while Smith has been honored with a Jackson.

Naturally, all the models channel the guitar identities of each player. Murray, for instance, has long been a proponent of floating tremolo bridge-equipped Strats with either an HSH, or a three-mini-humbucker, pickup configuration.

As such, his two 50th Anniversary guitars – a standard model and a Custom Shop one – both play into that. The Masterbuilt variant, built by Andy Hicks, is a mirror of Murray’s “ultimate touring guitar”, with a walnut Oval C neck, compound radius rosewood fingerboard, and Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and JB Jr pickups.

It’s finished with an NOS Olympic White finish, stainless steel frets and FU-Tone hardware. This Masterbuilt example, which was comprehensively road-tested, has since become Murray’s new #1 guitar.

It is, as Fender calls it, a ‘high-performance’ guitar, designed directly with Murray himself, to handle the rigors of global touring. It was a dream project for Hicks to work on.

“Dave Murray has always been my favorite guitar hero,” says Hicks. “Not only is his style absolutely brilliant but he also proved to me long ago that Fender absolutely belongs in the world of heavy metal.

“It was an absolute honor to build this guitar for him and I will never get over the excitement of seeing my favorite player from my favorite band playing one of my guitars.”

The second Murray Strat, meanwhile, looks to combine “the best features of Dave’s favorite Fender guitars”, offering a Floyd Rose R2 double-locking tremolo, and three Seymour Duncan pickups: a JB TB-4 and ‘59 SH-1N in the bridge and neck, respectively, and an Antiquity Texas Hot in the middle.

A black finish and compound-radius rosewood fingerboard are also among its specs.

Janick Gers, who joined Iron Maiden in 1990, also has a new Strat, which has a slightly more vintage vibe to it.

Sure, it has Seymour Duncan JB Jrs in the neck and bridge positions, but it otherwise keeps with up with ‘SSS’-style appearance of orthodox Strats, with a 7.25” fingerboard radius, vintage-style synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles, and vintage tall frets.

The final Fender proper is the Steve Harris Precision Bass, fitted with Precision split P Bass and Fender Vintage Precision Bridge pickups, a maple fingerboard, and Satin Black finish.

In the Jackson camp, Adrian Smith – who has helped prop up Iron Maiden’s signature multi-guitar harmonies since he first joined in 1980, and later re-joined at the turn of the century – has been honored with an SC1 Superstrat.

Again, it’s a culmination of Smith’s favorite guitar specs, complete with DP 100 DiMarzio and Fender Noiseless Sumerian Cobalt pickups, a 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard and a top-mounted Floyd Rose tremolo.

It’s not often that you see a brand go all-out with a complete stable of signature guitars to celebrate one band in particular, but this seems like as good an occasion as any to break the mold.

As Hicks himself puts, the worlds of Fender and Iron Maiden are closely linked, with Murray – and the rest of the group – helping cement the brand’s position as a serious metal alternative.

Head over to Fender and the Fender Custom Shop for more info on each of the new models.

Typically found shirtless on stage left in leather trousers with a Les Paul hanging under his waist, Enslaved guitarist Arve Isdal could very well be the Norwegian answer to Slash.

And much like the cat in the hat, he’s a musician in high demand, having collaborated on all kinds of releases over the years thanks to the bluesy charm at the epicenter of his barbwire riffing and tasteful shredding.

The Bergen native has recorded 10 albums with progressive metal titans Enslaved, and another seven with hard rockers Audrey Horne (yes, named after the Twin Peaks character), in the process tallying up six Spellemannprisen awards – which anyone in Norway will tell you is their equivalent to a Grammy.

We meet at legendary Bergen concert hall Grieghallen. It’s home to the city’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and for one weekend every year, the Beyond The Gates Festival, when its quaint surroundings are invaded by heavy metal worshippers from around the world.

Next, we stroll to Earshot Studio, which the guitarist co-runs with one-time Enslaved keyboardist Herbrand Larsen. As well as recording their own bands here, the creative hub is also where they’ve worked with Immortal, Gorgoroth, Taake and more.

It’s an Aladdin’s cave of gear, packed with Peavey, Vox and Marshall amps, stacks of pedals and racks of guitars. Naturally there are some mid-’90s Les Paul Customs in the building – the guitar of choice for the man affectionately nicknamed Ice Dale.

“I remember having to decide between a Custom and an Ibanez seven-string,” he says. “I’ve always felt like more of a rock ’n’ roll guy, so it made sense to go with Gibson. I love Slash, Page, Wylde and Rhoads, who are all Les Paul players. Ace Frehley got me started on the whole guitar thing.

“I’ve never regretted it. That 1994 Custom was my main guitar for 20 years. But it got fucked up – I don’t dare take it out anymore, which is sad. My main Custom now is from 1996, fitted with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pros, like what Slash uses.”

Some of the instruments here are not what you’d expect to find, including some Rivolta offsets and Fender Custom Shop showpieces. The Rivolta connection was made when Isdal was on the hunt for an affordable baritone.

“I looked at reviews of their higher-end models, which are still not that expensive at around $1,000,” he says, handing over one of his Mondata Classicos in Cats Eye Burst for closer inspection. “I got one, then another. They play well and sound different to Gibsons. They’re a great company; I’ll probably end up buying more.”

Those Fender Custom Shop guitars are pretty different to what you use live.

“I’ve got three: one Tele and two Strats, including a Dual-Mag II Journeyman Relic from 2020. People say you start buying more Strats as you get older – I guess that’s true. My first Fender was a Mexican Strat I bought in the States. I started writing on that, which made me want to upgrade.

“I tried a Standard in a shop and then got told to check out the custom ones. I never thought I’d spend $5000 on a guitar – but I tried one and went, ‘Oh fuck!’ It’s funny how you play different on certain instruments. What comes out on a Strat is different to a Les Paul. That’s interesting to me.”

What’s your touring rig at the moment?

“I’ve stuck with the Peavey 6505+ for a while. I like how they sound and the versatility when you turn the gain down. Ivar Bjørnson from Enslaved also has one. We used Kempers for a while, but now we use the Quad Cortex. Thomas Tofthagen, who plays guitar with me in Audrey Horne, has always used Marshalls. We figured a blend would work better than two Marshalls with Les Pauls.

“In that band my set-up is simple: a tuner, a delay and the Xotic EP Booster for solos. I used to run a Tube Screamer but for some reason it didn’t boost enough on a Peavey, even though it did with Marshalls.”

Not many people know you played with Paul Di'Anno. What was it like playing those Iron Maiden classics with the original frontman?

“It was a fun experience. Before I joined Enslaved, there was a festival that was similar to what we have now with Beyond The Gates. For the second year they booked Paul and told me I was playing for him! He had bands in different countries to make touring affordable.

“The show was packed – and it was the first time I played with leather pants and no shirt! Paul said we were the best band he’d ever had and booked us for a tour. Later on, we recorded a DVD in Poland [The Beast In The East].”

How did it all end?

“He booked another tour, but it felt like he was on his way down. He was a nice guy but pretty crazy. He started talking shit about Iron Maiden while playing their songs, which made us feel uncomfortable.

“But we had a great time playing Running Free and Wrathchild. That’s how I met Enslaved – they saw me after kicking out their old guitarist, and asked if I could help until they found a replacement.”

You played on the last Immortal album, which you also produced. You’ve played in Gorgoroth, Abbath and God Seed. It seems like you’re the go-to guitar hero in Norway.

“Maybe! At least in the Bergen scene, which has always been collaborative. People help each other out, playing in different bands. As well as Enslaved, Ivar had been in Borknagar and even did stuff with Satyricon.”

You formed a supergroup called Temple of the Black Moon with Dani Filth, Rob Caggiano and John Tempesta. What happened?

“We released a demo ages ago, but that’s about it. King Ov Hell started the band and Joey Jordison was involved early on. Eventually Dani came in, because Rob had worked with him. They came to Bergen and we hung out.

“Then Tempesta recorded drums for the album in LA. When we got a management and record deal, it got complicated. There were contracts about obligations, making it a priority, but I couldn’t leave Enslaved. It became a problem for Rob when he joined Volbeat. We were about to record guitars, then it all fell apart.”

Ground has one of your most classic Enslaved solos. It almost sounds like Gary Moore in places.

“I like my solos to have a good starting point and blend well into the next part. I’m not a shredder looking to show every skill in 20 seconds. With Ground, I played through a few times and then edited something together.

“I sent it back and everyone said, ‘Fuck yeah!’ Some leads can be more difficult. I don’t think anyone has mentioned Gary Moore before – people usually say it reminds them of David Gilmour. I love both.”

The Fusion of Sense and Earth solo, on the other hand, is pretty intense.

“It’s flashy, but it fits the song’s aggression. I wanted to bring energy. There’s always some melody in my solos, even when they’re fast. That track is atmospheric and dark, so I went for a harmonic minor feel.”

Which solo are you most of proud, then?

“I really like Neogenesis from the Isa album. That one presented more of a challenge because the solo section is a few minutes long, plus there’s an outro solo. I played a bunch of different ideas, from Beck and Gilmour stuff to Slashy things.

“If there’s one lead that combines all of me, it’s that one. I come from more of a pentatonic background, to be honest. I don’t know if many extreme metal guitar players throw much blues into the mix.”

You’ve gone on record admitting how much you love John Frusciante – something extreme metal musicians don’t tend to say!

“I listened to Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Mother’s Milk religiously to practice my rhythms. When John came back for Californication, I loved what he did because it sounded pure and simple. Not many people could pull that off – playing a couple of notes as your leads.

“Just listen to what he did on the title track. It’s simple, but it works. John Frusciante can be amazingly soulful and atmospheric at the same time. I almost started crying when I first saw him play live. When I got involved in extreme music, people would say ‘Don’t mention RHCP,’ which felt weird!”

From Jeff Beck to your prog heroes, you clearly wear your influences with pride.

“There’s Blow By Blow and Wired, but I also love what Jeff did with other artists, like on Jon Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory. He played some crazy parts on Roger Waters’ Amused to Death. He was the only one who could do stuff like that. It’s not easy to copy.

“When I got serious on guitar I discovered King Crimson, Yes and Genesis. Sometimes I might use fourth and fifth intervals like Steve Howe. Robert Fripp is rhythmically interesting. I particularly love the Discipline album. It’s obvious Adam Jones took a lot of inspiration there; you can hear it in Tool. I hope to see the tour with Vai soon!”

• Enslaved have a handful of European festival dates lined up this year.

A Venn diagram showing the similarities between heavy metal legends Iron Maiden and alternative rock icons Radiohead won’t show much overlap. That’s why news of the collaboration between Dylan Gers, son of Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers, and Noah Yorke, son of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, made headlines in 2022.

The track in question, Red Skies, was notable for its hypnotic acoustic rhythms, icy synths and Celtic melodies – culminating in an intriguing three-and-a-half minutes of deep reflection that left listeners wanting more.

The good news is it wasn’t a one-off. Gers Jr returns this year with his Melancholic Madman EP, which features his friend Noah on drums, and it’s a more electric affair than the song they first released. After its John Frusciante meets Jimi Hendrix intro, opening track Feel My Heart soars into a symphony of harmonized guitars flanked by a fiery solo.

Then there’s Talisman, which explores a darker shade of alternative rock and features some impressive vocal work from the singer/songwriter. Moonlight Lies is a somber ballad intensified by generous amounts of phaser and reverb. Young Boy is the simplest in terms of structure – showing just how impactful you can be with one acoustic and a handful of cowboy chords.

“I started playing guitar when I was 16,” says Gers. “But even before, I’ve always had music in my head, especially having grown up around Iron Maiden. I’ve been surrounded by guitars for as long as I can remember; then one day I decided to pick one up, and fell in love.

“I’m fascinated by certain guitar heroes. It feels like they aren’t as big a deal these days, compared to when you had people like Tony Iommi or my dad, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. It’s disappearing a bit. That’s why, on this EP, I decided to make my guitar moments more impactful, like on the riff section of Moonlight Lies.”

It’s interesting how this EP leans more on alternative rock influences than metal.

“The influences are coming from all over the place. I wrote Moonlight Lies thinking about The Doors and ended up crooning like Jim Morrison. Talisman is a proper riff-induced song, partly inspired by Black Night by Deep Purple, in terms of how the guitar riff hits you in the face.

“Noah Yorke drummed on all the tracks. I don’t have many modern influences, but Noah is a big inspiration. Some of the tracks feel a little Celtic-driven. You can imagine people playing flutes a couple of hundred years ago and dancing around a fire to them!”

You’re holding an HSS Strat on the EP cover. What does that guitar mean to you?

“My main guitar is called Jasmine. She’s never far away from me, and she was the first guitar I paid for. I found her on Facebook Marketplace, went round some random geezer’s house, and I could tell this was the one. I had a beaten old acoustic, and I’d occasionally borrow guitars my dad left around, but this was my first proper guitar.”

It appears as if you’ve changed a few of the parts.

“Yeah, I’ve changed loads of stuff. The scratchplate used to be white and it’s now pearl, to emulate Dave Murray, who uses a shiny one. I put a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge. Kurt Cobain used that pickup, as does Dave. The nut because was plastic, which was typical for Mexican Strats made in 2015. It now has an ivory nut.

“A lot of the song ideas for the EP were written on Jasmine. I have an Ovation acoustic, which also got used a bit.”

What kind of amps and pedals were you using for the sessions? There’s some sparkly modulation added to Moonlight Lies.

“That was just a MXR Phase 90 with reverb, running into an Engl amp. Sometimes we’d put the phaser on zero, just to thicken the guitars with some extra movement and soul. It changes your tone, helping it all breathe. I think it’s a trick Eddie Van Halen used.”

How did you and Noah get to know each other?

“We met at university – I only found out who his dad was later on. It was kinda bizarre! We lived together for a few years, making crazy noise. Red Skies came from a jam in the living room. Noah plays in a great band called Hex Girlfriend. I never listened to Radiohead before I met him, then I learned how incredible they are. A Moon Shaped Pool is seriously good.”

You sound like you’ve taken influence from all three guitarists in Maiden, rather than just the one you’re related to.

“I’m a big fan of my dad – he’s my favorite, of course. But the three of them are like the greatest players for different reasons. They all bring something dramatically different to the table. Dave has this lucidity and fluid motion. My dad brings this magnificent chaos coming out of pure passion. Adrian has this mind-blowing melodic blues feel.

“On this EP I’m trying to pay homage to all the greats. The title is a nod to Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne, which had some incredible playing from Randy Rhoads – he was unbelievable.”

Who else has shaped your sound?

“I’m really into Marillion; Steve Rothery is a magical player. I adore Script For A Jester’s Tear and Clutching At Straws. I looked up to Dave Mustaine as a kid. I saw him at Download Festival once and he walked right past me. I went up to him, saying, ‘Nice to meet you!’ and he was probably wondering who the hell I was!”

What was it like growing up with a guitar god as a dad?

“He never pushed me into it, which I found admirable. His attitude was, ‘If Dylan doesn’t want to do it, fair play!’ I didn’t start until later and even then he was hesitant to teach me until I showed him how serious I was.

“One thing he told me was to focus on the picking hand. The fretting hand will always come naturally, but the right hand is what brings it all together, whether you’re playing fast or slow. He didn’t teach me much in terms of technique, but I learned a lot by watching him play.”

What did he show you when you finally sat down together?

“I remember him making me learn House Of The Rising Sun for the picking rhythms, as well as Long Train Running by The Doobie Brothers for more of an intense strum.

“He’s a master to watch. The way he’s able to move about and play those leads and rhythms in time is insane. Every time I see him I’m like, ‘Oh my god – this guy is really great!’”

• Melancholic Madman is out now via sly-tone Records. You can follow Dylan Gers on Instagram.

Somehow both no-nonsense bloke and consummate showman, Steve Harris has become a master of role-play in his 50 years living heavy metal.

Bassist, lyricist, businessman, rock star, athlete, and family man – he is all these and more. Of course, he is known mostly for one especially grand role: father of metal's most beloved group Iron Maiden.

Among bassists, Harris distinguished himself as one of rock's most intense performers, ably contributing to our technical playbook. In a genre rife with bland eighth-note pounding and rote pentatonic riffs, his agile finger-style galloping, swift melodic runs, and multi-part compositions have inspired legions of bass players to improve their game.

Yet Harris is quick to point out that he is no bass hero – in his mind, he simply plays his part.

“People tell me that I invented that rhythmic gallop, but I'm sure it was around before I was,” Harris told Bass Player in 2012. “I just brought it more to the fore, but speed was never important to me when I first started playing.”

The opening moments of The Trooper are one of Iron Maiden’s great calling cards. A highlight from the band's fourth album Piece Of Mind, Harris altered the concept just enough to fit Maiden's raw power.

“In the case of The Trooper, it's just what the song needed, since the song is about Alfred [AKA] Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Hallowed Be Thy Name from The Number of the Beast is another fun one because it has those big, ominous, low E sounds in the beginning.

“Some songs are fun to play because they are technical, and other songs are fun because I don't have to think about them; I can just let myself go.”

There’s no disputing the fact that Harris really has seen and done it all in a career spanning five decades – so did he have any advice for those bass players who want to follow his path dominating live stages?

“Always hit people hard and fast in the first few songs. That also gives more leeway for the soundman to get things in order. You can't play anything big and dramatic first. Plus, it just feels good to do that. You can just go crazy, get the adrenaline going. But you do need to psyche yourself up before you go on.

“If anything, I think hanging around too long on the day messes you up. If you're off doing something completely different – being a tourist, or whatever – it's more spontaneous when you get there and go on. I find it much better if I play a round of tennis or some football or something on the day of the show. I'll do a few exercises just to loosen up. Then I'm much more fired up.”

Harris’s bass style has lead to him relying on a fairly unchanged gear line-up over the years.

“I don't mess with my sound too much, and I’m not into the technical side of things. I've tried other bass guitars, other rigs, and God knows what else. You name it, I've tried it. It may not sound very adventurous, but I don't care about being adventurous. A big part of my sound is simply the way I play.”

While his bandmates may claim that his volume levels border on the excessive, Harris needs all the help he can get to fill the arena-sized venues that Maiden play.

“I have to be pretty loud to cut through the guitars. But I've actually cut back a lot; it's not as loud as it used to be. All I’ll have in the monitors is a bit of kick, snare, and toms. And there are points in the set when I'll come back to my little space onstage next to my amp. I like having my own pocket of sound.”

Performance aside, Harris remains a living example of the vision required to make it in music. From the beginning, his single-minded drive has powered Maiden. In fact, Harris has accomplished much in his life by being a strong leader and a determined (some would say stubborn) visionary.

“Sure, you make some mistakes that way, but being stubborn isn't such a bad thing. It gives you a directness, and I like that. There's no messing around. If you've got a strong focus on what you're doing, people will go, ‘Right – let's do it.’

“If you start second-guessing things, people are going to wonder what's going on. That kind of fear filters through to everybody involved. People feed on positive thinking, not indecision.”

The age-old cliché is that in a band, be they heavy metal or psych rock, the guitarist writes the songs. To extend that further, the singer never helps with load-in, and the drummer is always late to practice. Iron Maiden's ever-present riffer Dave Murray, however, believes the band's success has come from the fact that they break that mold.

Since forming in 1975, when they originally leaned into the punkier side of metal, bass player Steve Harris has been their most active songwriter. Their most definitive hits, from the war-mongering gallops of The Trooper to the proto-prog epic Hallowed Be Thy Name, have come from Harris' imagination and perpetually twitching fingers. Murray believes that has been to their benefit.

“I think when Steve writes a song, there's an identity to it,” he tells MusicRadar. “And it's probably something a guitar player wouldn't write, some of the melodies and the time changes. That’s great because it pushes you, and stretches you as a player.”

As a result of Harris' songwriting leadership, the roles in the Maiden camp are a little against the usual grain. Though Murray does have several co-writing credits across the band's back catalog – the likes of Still Life, The Prophecy, and Judas Be My Guide spring to mind – he's happy to take a back seat. The big decisions, then, are deliberated over by Harris, vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and longtime manager Ron Smallwood.

“You do need someone upfront, and Steve's had that from the very beginning,” he explains. “Personally, I prefer to just be part of the team. I’m fine being laid back. It takes a lot to annoy me, because to me it's a waste of time. I don’t need to have that anger.

“And a lot of this stuff you can kind of channel through playing,” he expands. “Playing is like a form of self-therapy. So I don’t need anger management. I just enjoy playing the music.”

The songs Harris presents him with, he ascertains, keep his fingers busy enough. “We're not just a twelve-bar blues band playing four chords,” he laughs.

He's one of the few Maiden men not to have said fingers in other pies. Harris has kept the momentum with British Lion since they started in 2012, Bruce Dickinson is going through a solo career purple patch, and Adrian Smith has a fruitful guitar tandem with Richie Kotzen.

Murray? Well, he knows “when to push the ‘off’ button.”

“It’s all-encompassing when I’m doing Maiden,” he details. “I don't really feel I need to go out and play in clubs and travel in the back of a tour bus – I think I've done that!”

In more Iron Maiden news, Murray's bandmate Adrian Smith has recently explained how he became a Jackson Guitars convert, blaming one fundamental flaw for ditching his Gibson Les Paul.

Iron Maiden have been headbanging away since 1979, anchored by bassist Steve Harris, who told Bass Player: “We’re still pretty fit and we can still run around the stage. I’ve got more grey hairs, but we’re not at the zimmer-frame level yet!”

Born in Leytonstone in London, Harris originally wanted to be a footballer – and to this day, he's just as happy to chat about West Ham as debate the finer points of a bass guitar's tonality.

Football aside, the young Harris also harbored ambitions as a drummer – but didn't have anywhere to practice. “I thought the next best thing would be to play bass and play along with the drums. So I bought myself a cheap bass, but I managed to get a half-decent one. It was a Fender copy – a Shaftsbury, I think.”

“Then I started trying to learn songs by Free, Wishbone Ash, all different kinds of stuff. I bought a few songbooks too, but most of them didn't have any bass parts and the ones that did were all wrong! So I just used to play by ear.”

His second bass was a Hayman. Harris then tried a Fender Jazz and Telecaster before falling in love with the Precision, which has been his instrument of choice ever since.

“My main one is a ’71 and the other is a ’73. I've got others of various ages and they all sound different. That's not a Spinal Tap thing – they just do!

“I'm not one of those people who thinks because it's older it's got to be better, but the density of the wood they use seems to make a hell of a lot of difference to the sound. The denser the wood the heavier or harder the sound. Suffice to say that the ones I have hanging around my neck are so heavy that after a couple of weeks on tour I feel like my neck's hanging off.”

In his quest for perfection, Harris has tried virtually every make of bass, but always come back to the Precision.

“I tried a Gibson Thunderbird and I didn't like it at all, which is weird because some of my favorite bassists played them: Martin Turner from Wishbone Ash and John Entwistle from The Who.

“For a start, they're top-heavy and the top hangs away from you, so you're constantly fighting to hold the damn thing up. More importantly, the sound I got with the Thunderbird was just... horrible!”

Harris also tried a couple of Canadian Lado basses.

“The craftsmanship was unbelievable, but for me they just didn't have the bottom end that I wanted. I like a really tight bottom end rather than something that's just wallowing around. I like a lot of treble as well so I can cut through the noisy guitar players! That's what I was trying to achieve in the early days – to be heard!"

Harris is the only surviving founder-member of Iron Maiden, who made their noisy debut at the Cart & Horses pub in East London. Although different members have come and gone, the band have remained successful despite a distinct lack of radio support.

“Iron Maiden has been more than half my lifetime, and when I look at it like that, it's incredible. I can't believe it.”

One reason for Maiden's longevity, however, may be their staunch refusal to bow to outside pressure.

“What's most satisfying is that we've had success on our own terms. We've kept outside the music business a lot of the time. We've been stubborn and not let record company people bully us about.

“As far back as the third album we banned the record company people from the studio. They were freaking out because the single was so different to the last one, which had been a success. We just told them to get out!”

“You've just got to be strong in your convictions and don't do what you don't want to do. We've been lucky in that we've got a very good manager. We tell him what we want to do and he goes and does it. He's a bullet shield for us against the flak we might get from record company people.”

Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith has explained how he became enamored with Jackson Guitars, blaming one fundamental flaw for ditching his Gibson Les Paul.

The guitarist has been part of the British metal heavyweights since their second album, Killers, but has since come to stand as one of Jackson’s biggest-name artists, resulting in a series of signature guitars.

It turns out he was headhunted by the firm’s founder, with Smith’s growing discontent about his electric guitar’s suitability for touring the final straw for the pivot.

“What happened originally was Grover Jackson himself used to come down to [Iron] Maiden shows when we played in California,” Smith tells Guitar World. “He was a really lovely guy, and he is very easy to get on with, very easy to talk to.

“I was using a [Gibson] Les Paul at the time, and I had so many tuning problems with it that I’d get very frustrated,” he continues. Jackson, ever the businessman, saw his opportunity.

“Grover Jackson used to bring down these guitars, but some of them weren't even finished,” Smith recalls. “It was just like raw wood, and he’d change the pickups backstage. He’d say, ‘Try this,’ and I’d go out and try it on that night, you know?”

With Smith well and truly on the hook, he was invited to the Jackson factory where the seeds for his Stratocaster build – which uses a Charvel San Dimas body – were planted.

“He brought me to the factory, and I copied a neck off an old Strat. That's basically the guitar but with a few refinements. The truss rod was more accessible, so you could adjust the truss rod without taking the neck off. It’s just a superb, easy-to-play, great-sounding, reliable guitar.”

He admits that the guitar has seen “a few little mods over the years,” but has otherwise stayed true to its original Strat-gone-metal template. A quote from Smith on the Jackson website says, “if I have to mess around with a guitar too much, I kind of lose interest in it,” and so it was vital Jackson nailed the recipe at the first time of asking. His first signature model arrived in 2007.

Adrian Smith has also revealed how he pushed through the pain barrier to track a Powerslave solo while hungover as the band completed their transformation from punk band to world-conquering metallers.

Looking forward, Smith is readying another guitar duo record with ex-Poison and Winery Dogs guitarist Richie Kotzen, the project rather creatively named Smith-Kotzen, having swapped signature guitars on their 2021 debut LP.

Among the thousands of buildings decimated and damaged by the ravaging L.A. wildfires are the homes of Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and Primus guitarist Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde, both of whom confirmed the news via social media.

Smith's wife, Natalie Dufresne-Smith, shared the news on Instagram, writing, “We are safe. We have each other. We will start again. #malibustrong,” before thanking everyone who has supported the family during this difficult time.

Primus founder and bassist Les Claypool shared the news that LaLonde's house had suffered the same fate, sharing images of the ruins of his bandmate's home.

“All that is left of our good friend Ler Lalonde’s home,” he wrote. “When Mother Nature gets up on her hind legs, it can be brutal. My heart hurts for him and his family.”

Meanwhile, Anthrax's Scott Ian confirmed that he and his family evacuated their home and thanked the Los Angeles Fire Department for their vital work. “Sending all our love to the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department,” he shared on social media. “Over and over you risk your lives to save ours and I can’t thank you enough. Tonight is going to be a hellish night for so many. Stay safe my friends, that’s all that matters.”

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan also shared a personal video recounting his experience: “Wanted to share with everyone as last night we had to evacuate as a family from where we were staying. The situation here in Los Angeles is very overwhelming and at times chaotic but our love to the first responders who so courageously run into these situations...

“Praying for everyone today as hopefully this can come under control for the entire area, which is vast in scope and so full of nature. The loss overall is awful and unspeakable and that is what I wish to highlight; as the fires touch every strata of society.”

The LA wildfires are being described as the most destructive disaster in the city's history, with losses expected to exceed $250 billion.

In an effort to assist the thousands of musicians impacted by this catastrophe, Guitar Center has launched an initiative to replace instruments and gear destroyed in the blaze, while MusiCares, the NAMM Foundation, and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund are providing immediate financial assistance to musicians in need.

Going into 1984, Iron Maiden were on the precipice. They’d gone from a raggedy-assed quasi-punk outfit posing as a metal outfit to a certifiable powerhouse bursting with pomp and circumstance. 

Part of that shift was due to Adrian Smith, who, after replacing Dennis Stratton in 1980, cozied up alongside holdover Dave Murray. It was all too easy, as Smith, like Murray, was a real-deal gunslinger who got off on plugging his ax directly into a Marshall and diming it.

Smith’s blues-inspired, gentle arpeggios and modal stylings were the proverbial yin to Murray’s Hendrix-worshiping, legato yang. They’d rattled off two albums together, Killers (1981), The Number of the Beast (1982) and Piece of Mind (1983), that proved it. But now it was time to firmly cement themselves as halcyon greats. 

And so, after Christmas of ‘83, Maiden hauled ass to the Channel Islands in Britain to begin writing their fifth album, Powerslave, with world domination on the brain. The pressure was surely ratcheted up, but if that bothered Smith, he doesn’t let on.

“As far as our intent, it was still about the song,” Smith tells Guitar World. “We’d just write the song, and then Dave and I would worry about the solos after.”

Despite Smith’s oversimplification, solos were critical. On Powerslave, there are 14: seven by Smith and seven by Murray. With those solos came dueling harmonies and raging bravado, but perhaps unsurprisingly, little thought was put into it. 

“Dave and I rarely spoke about it,” Smith says. “I’d started writing more, but Steve wrote many of the harmonies. Steve wrote the harmony sections on Aces High, which was typical. When I’d write, I never had harmony guitars; I arrived at things differently. So it came down to Dave and I knowing each other rather than talking.”

Murray and Smith never riffed harder or soloed more melodically than on Powerslave, where guitar magic was conjured, secret sauces were crafted and Kool-Aid was drunk. Of course, with a guitar-loving producer like Martin Birch twirling the knobs at Compass Point Studios, that was never in doubt. “Martin worked with all the giants,” Smith says. “When he suggested something, you took notice.”

As for how Birch impacted him directly, Smith says, “Considering all he’d done, it was a matter of trying to impress him and wanting to do a good job. You were probably doing pretty well if he thought highly of you.”

With the heroics heard on songs like 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, odds are that Birch was indeed impressed. But even if he wasn’t, there was an unexpected guest who was. 

“As we were working on Powerslave, AC/DC came into the studio to work on their new album. I remember Bruce [Dickinson] and I got to talking with Brian Johnson, and we played him the final version of 2 Minutes to Midnight. He seemed quite impressed. Brian seemed very positive about it, but maybe he was just being polite!”

Johnson aside, 2 Minutes to Midnight is a rager featuring Murray and Smith peeling off righteous solos. Smith says the song “originated from a demo done on a four-track recorder.” Then there was Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which Smith says was “recorded in sections, as we couldn’t play it all the way through because it was 13 minutes long.”

But neither of those tracks stood out like Powerslave did for Smith, who laughs, saying, “I remember doing the solo for Powerslave. I was extremely hungover. We were a bunch of young guys, and we’d go out at night and party very hard. We were out until three in the morning, and I went home thinking, ‘We’re not working tomorrow, we’ve gone too hard.’ 

“But at 10 in the morning, Martin – who partied harder than any of us – called me into the studio, and he was sitting there with Robert Palmer – the Addicted to Love guy. He had me sit at the desk and do the solo. I was really in pain, but I pulled it off. Funnily, it’s my favorite.”

Of the seven solos Smith signed his signature to, of note is the sweet yet rage-filled tone he harnessed, which shockingly, he did without much help. “I was using Lado [Earth] guitars,” he says. “All I paired them with was a 100-watt Marshall and maybe an [Ibanez] Tube Screamer. Believe it or not, that was it as far as the guitar sound of Powerslave goes.”

Despite the partying, AC/DC intrusions and hung-over solos – and before the world would see to it that Powerslave would race to Number 21 on the Billboard 200 and go platinum – the vibe at Compass Point was that Maiden were sitting on a stunner. 

Even an overly critical guy like Smith knew it. “I just plowed ahead and played my guitar,” he says. “I didn’t think about it, but knew we had something. I was too close to it. I knew it was good, but there was no being objective.”

With 40 years having passed and the wounds of self-analysis closed, Smith offers up his final word on Powerslave, that album that put Maiden on the map.

“It was important,” he says. “We were out for 13 months supporting it, and maybe that was too much. That affected Bruce badly. Singing for 13 months straight was hellish. We had no life other than touring for Powerslave. I wasn’t married, I had no kids, but I needed a break. The whole process pushed a few people over the edge. 

“Don’t get me wrong – we had good times, and Powerslave was important, but in the end, it was a bit too much, which led to a lot of changes after.”

• Powerslave is out now via Rhino.

Iron Maiden’s muscular riffs and breathtaking endurance have kept faithful heads banging since the late 1970s, anchored by bassist Steve Harris, who told Bass Player: “A lot of people say I've got a strange style, but I never sat down and tried to copy someone else. You pick up different licks here and there and eventually get your own style, but you can't force it. My style just happened.”

Harris relies on the fingernails on his plucking fingers to deliver his famous, trebly tone. “The nails on my left hand are down to next to nothing because I don't need them, but I grow the nails on my right hand as long as I can without splitting them, so that I can get that trebly sound. If they split I might have to increase the treble on my bass to compensate for it, if that happens.”

And the secret to playing live? “I play my best when I’ve got a lot of adrenaline flowing. It’s a natural thing that just happens – some nights you get more than others. When it's really steamin', you just get this rush.”

Wrathchild has been a staple of Iron Maiden’s live shows since the song was first recorded for 1981's Killers album, back when the band was fronted by Paul Di’Anno. “If you don’t like Wrathchild, then you’re not an Iron Maiden fan!” said the late Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison.

Though it's just under three minutes long, Wrathchild is a riff-packed workout. Harris kicks off the tune with one of the coolest bass guitar intros in the history of metal. When the rest of the band enters, he moves the open E's up an octave to create more forward momentum. Be sure to lean hard on every downbeat to cop the same feel.

In the chorus Harris answers Di’Anno's “Wrathchild!” call with fills on beats three and four. The syncopation sounds tricky, but it's actually the same rhythm Di’Anno sings with the lyrics “coming to get you.” Listen out for the bluesy lick, which closes out the chorus. You'll be hearing that again later in the song.

When Dave Murray launches into a guitar solo at 1:01, Harris isn't far behind, answering the main riff with ripping fills in every other bar. The A# passing tones owe a debt to the blues, and an E harmonic minor lick hints at more exotic influences. Lay out for the two-beat drum solo before heading into the bridge.

Don't be fooled by all of the accidentals in the bridge – the minor pentatonic riffs are essentially the same, just transposed up a fret or two each time. Again, notice the bluesy passing tone that's worked into beat three after each shift. 

If you haven't already mastered that lick at the end of the chorus, now's a good time – it comes back to lead into the final verse, and the tune's death cry sees it played three times back-to-back.

In November 1983, two years after Iron Maiden recorded Wrathchild, Guitar Player interviewed Steve Harris and guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray. Harris gave the following insight: 

“I won't take a song to the band if I don't think it's good enough. Ego doesn't come into it. If one of us writes a song that's not good, deep down we know it.

“There have only been a couple that I haven't bothered to take, because I spend a lot of time working them out. I'll work out the melody lines and riffs, and build it up layer by layer. I've written most of my songs on my own.”

Since 1980, when Iron Maiden dropped their self-titled debut onto the masses, the London-bred NWOBHM icons have been defined by a multi-guitar attack.

During the band’s heyday, that was delivered by Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, and later, Murray and Janick Gers, who arrived in 1990 after Smith departed. When Smith returned in ’99, it became a triple-guitar attack.

But prior to that, Murray was positioned alongside Dennis Stratton, who says he brought the band’s definitive approach to the forefront. “I was never totally heavy metal like the other guys in Maiden were,” Stratton tells Guitar World.

“I listened to heavy rock like Whitesnake, Bad Company and UFO, but they weren’t really heavy metal. I brought a few things to Maiden that they still use today. They still use the harmony guitar style, which they weren’t doing before me. I’m very proud that whatever I took into Maiden, it’s still there.”

After leaving Maiden, Stratton formed Lionheart, who made a record in ’84 called Hot Tonight, before disbanding a few years later, when he joined a rebooted Praying Mantis in 1990, remaining until 2003. From there, he laid low until reforming Lionheart.

Two new records – Second Nature (2017) and The Reality of Miracles (2020) followed – and now the band has released another, The Grace Of A Dragonfly.

“It’s a concept album,” Stratton says. “People are saying it's about war, but not about war; it's about the people who fought in wars that served their countries – who sacrificed their lives during the war so that we can live a free life.”

Asked how he approaches the guitar in Lionheart compared to his days in Maiden, he shrugs. “I’m kind of off-the-cuff still,” he admits. “But I still look to add soaring harmony guitars and brilliant things that generate interest.

“I’m not the sort of guitarist who is angry or trying to outplay everyone. I do the best I can, but the arthritis kicks in now and again in my wrists and fingers. I’ve matured enough to where I can work around that. Beyond that, I compliment the song and let the rest care for itself.”

What sparked your interest in heavy metal?

“Probably joining Iron Maiden! I was into hard rock. Steve Harris and Dave Murray would come to watch me play with a band I was in at the Bridge House pub on Sunday nights, and that’s where we met in ’79. 

“Maiden had just signed a deal with EMI, and after seeing me play, they asked me to join. When I joined, there was only Steve, Dave, and [vocalist] Paul Di’Anno, but then they got me, and we found Clive Burr on drums. Off we went.”

Maiden’s self-titled debut is a favorite of many. It sounds like – despite your differences in taste – you got on well. 

“I was quite lucky because Steve and Dave already knew what I did, who I was and how I played. Even though I’d never played metal before, I could take what I knew and feel comfortable.

“All the bands I’d been in were tremendous and had two-part harmony guitars, so I could take that into Maiden and introduce it to them.”

Was the chemistry between you and Dave immediate?

“More or less. It was quite lucky that they knew what I was like and that I could bring the harmony in, and because of that we got along fine.”

What gear did you use on Maiden’s debut?

“I had an old HH amp that was kind of like a Fender Twin Reverb – but obviously not a Fender. It was this great old combo amp, and I got great tones out of it.

“I also have a Silvertone Twin from the ‘60s that I put great big JBL cone speakers into. The thing weighed a ton; once we went out on the road, the crew didn’t like it!”

Did you deploy any effects pedals?

“Oh, yeah, I had a few foot pedals. All of them were very old, and I can’t remember the brand of any of them. I know I had a reverb pedal, but the amp also had reverb. The way I got distortion was I kind of pushed the amp and got a lot through using gain. For the most part, the pedal I used was an old chorus pedal, which was great for clean sounds.”

Do you recall what guitar you used while recording classic songs like Iron Maiden and Transylvania?

“For the entire record, I used just my one Les Paul Custom. I liked that guitar as I was a big fan of [Free’s] Paul Kossoff, and he used one just like it. Paul collected Les Paul guitars. He had so many of them, and I fell in love with them.

“But mine wasn’t a Gibson; it was a Zenta Les Paul Custom copy. I bought a real Gibson Les Paul Custom once we went on tour, along with a Gibson Firebird, which I thought looked flashy and in line with the metal scene.”

On that tour, Iron Maiden opened for Kiss. What was that like?

“It was fantastic. Maiden hopped on as openers for Kiss’s European tour while they were promoting Unmasked, I believe. We had so many fans at the shows to see us, and we put on a great show. I think that’s why Kiss decided not to have us support them in the UK – we had too many fans coming to see us!”

Did you get on well with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons?

“Oh, yeah, I got on really well with Paul and Gene. We used to have lots of chats backstage. When we went to Stockholm in October of 1980, Gene and Paul took me to dinner for my birthday with Dave Murray. That was quite a special treat for me.”

And how about your fellow guitarist, Ace Frehley?

“Ace played great on that tour – but unfortunately, he was very, very quiet. He never really came out of his dressing room at all, so I only got to meet him a few times for a few moments.

“I got a few photos with him, but he would really only come out of his dressing room when Kiss were about to go on stage. So, sadly, I didn’t have many words with him. But Eric Carr was brilliant and very kind.”

There have been conflicting reports regarding your departure from Iron Maiden. Can you settle the score?

“The truth is that I never saw eye-to-eye with Rod Smallwood, who managed Maiden back then. He was basically the headmaster, which was really about trying to keep five young kids together. I was older than the other guys, so I was used to having my freedom, which caused issues.”

How so?

“Sometimes I’d travel from gig to gig with just the crew for a laugh or a change of scenery. And then, sometimes I’d go from venue to venue in one of the trucks with a driver, just to keep them company, to see different parts of the world, and for different sorts of conversations. But Rod didn’t like that.”

Do you regret not sticking around, considering how massive Iron Maiden became?

“No, I don’t regret how it was. At the end of the day, Maiden were a new band, and it was all about gelling and learning. It wasn’t just musical learning, but learning habits and all that.

“But my being fired was premature because we hadn’t been together long enough. When I was fired, we’d already wrapped pre-production on the second album, Killers. I’d worked on the whole album but I never got the chance to record.

“The entire thing was premature, but what’s done is done. You’ve got to admire what Maiden have done, how far they’ve come and how big they are.”

• The Grace Of A Dragonfly is out now via Metalville and available from Stratton’s website.

There is a school of thought that to play better solos you need to know what you’re playing, you need to warm yourself up, you need to be ready. Preparation is everything. But Janick Gers, one of the prongs on Iron Maiden’s electric guitar trident says forget all that – and he has been doing this a long time.

Checking in with Total Guitar, he argues that you need some kind of danger in the enterprise lest you go stale, and also that we have to think about solos as art, not sport. There is no better, no best, he says. But you’re going to get more out the more imagination you put in.

You have to experiment

“You can use a lot of different tunings. I keep a lot of guitars around the house in different tunings. That way, when you pick one up different things come out. You have to experiment and see what interests you. Once you know, you have to carry on and try to push your boundaries. 

“Practice is important but use your mind and think. Everyone has a different way of playing. There are a lot of guitar schools where you learn the same chords and scales, which ultimately means people ending up sounding the same. 

“You have to be innovative and remember that nobody does it right. There is no right. There is no best. Everything is what you make it. Try to find the best way to get what’s in your mind into your fingers and onto your guitars. That’s how you find melodies. Put your personality onto your guitar…”

Think about what you actually want to do with a solo

“You need to practice your alternate picking and scales, but you have to remember a lot of those things you can’t actually put into songs. You need to have the ability to do more than that. What people tend to do is learn licks and then try to stick them into the solos, and that’s not really the way to do it. 

“You should think about what you actually want to do with each solo. But what I say is not right, you’ve got to make your own mind up. Nobody is wrong. A Rolls Royce is the same as a Mini. If you’re excited enough you can get moving. Everything is equal. 

“A Led Zeppelin album costs as much as the guy playing the pub round the corner. It’s down to you to find what you believe in, how you practise and what you hope to achieve. Practice is important, because you have to be able to play whatever you are thinking. You need to know how to put it onto the guitar.”

Warming up is overrated

“I find that before a gig, I very rarely touch the guitar. I want to see what happens when I get out there. I don’t like to warm up; the first time I’ll pick up my guitar is when I’m about to walk on stage. I find that exciting because I don’t know what’s going to happen! 

“I’m not backstage with a metronome, thinking I’m not ‘on’ tonight or anything like that. I’ll check the tuning and then I’m out there, feeling that buzz every night. It’s always a shock. We don’t soundcheck, because when the halls are empty, the echoes are ridiculous. 

“We’re playing these huge arenas and you can barely hear what’s going on, the sound goes round and round. So our stage crew do a line check in the afternoon. The sound is set before the audience are in, but as you know, once people are in the arena, the echoes disappear. 

“A lot of bands soundcheck for five hours and then come on stage thinking, ‘Oh, now it sounds shit!’ And of course it does, because they’ve set it up for the echo, but really you need to do it for when the people are in. 

“So going out there and not knowing what the audience will be like and how the gig is going to go, I find that exciting. It’s like jumping into a freezing cold pond and wondering what will happen next. It hits you in the face. The excitement is refreshing!”

Keep solos spontaneous

“Spontaneity is important. For me personally, if that disappears, it becomes a cabaret act. So I like to change the solos slightly, not to the point where people get pissed off, but utilise different areas within the solo. 

“Every night I try to make it a little bit different, but still keeping the main melodies. The one thing that would kill me is doing the same thing every night. It can’t be like that with me. Even my chord inversions change, I’m looking for better ways all the time. I never wanted to be in a cabaret band. I’ve seen that happen to people and it becomes mundane. 

“I never work out my solos. I purposely try to and do something different every time – if I cut a solo on a track three times before choosing, each one will be different. Looking for something different every time keeps you on edge – you feel the rage and the excitement. 

“If I knew exactly what I’d play every night, after 10 gigs on a nine-month tour… Some people do that and that’s fine; people like Steve Howe will play exactly the same lines – and he’s incredible – but that’s not for me. I need more excitement, otherwise it becomes cabaret… I can’t be having that!”

• Senjutsu is out now via Sanctuary.

Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray has officially joined Fractal Audio’s ever-expanding lineup of artists using the Axe-Fx III Turbo amp and effects modeling unit.

The major shakeup to the electric guitar player’s rig was confirmed simultaneously by both Fractal’s social media channels, and a video posted to Iron Maiden’s YouTube channel, which served as a rundown of his updated rig.

The Axe-Fx III has been drafted in over Murray’s previously championed Marshall JMP-1 valve preamps, which had been the crux of his setup for nearly three decades.

Despite the hardware overhaul, though, the overall sound of Murray’s tone has remained the same, with his guitar tech Colin Price revealing the Axe-Fx has merely been used to replicate the JPM-1.

As Price says in the video, “It’s just a direct copy, [but] more reliable, more flexible, more sexy, more knobs, more flashing lights… what’s not to like?”

“The Axe-Fx creates any sound you can dream up,” Murray added via Fractal. “[It] has all the dynamics of tube driven amps. An amazing versatile unit of great sounds and pure tones.”

Murray joins a growing army of guitarists who are defecting to the ranks of Axe-Fx in the wake of a rapidly increasing modeling boom. Steve Vai, John Petrucci and Devin Townsend are just some of the names using the amp and effects modeler, with Fractal also boasting the likes of The Edge, Jason Richardson and Misha Mansoor on its roster.

John Mayer, famously a flag flier for boutique tube amps, is also an official Axe-Fx artist, having used a Fractal amp modeler for some of the standout moments on his most recent studio album, Sob Rock. He’s also been spotted using it live on the odd occasion. 

One artist who reverted back to the ranks of tube amps following a stint with the Axe-Fx, though, is Tosin Abasi. The former poster boy for Fractal’s modeling unit – who reverted back to pedalboards and amps over the past few years – recently overhauled his backline with Bad Cat amps.

Abasi is somewhat in the minority, though, with more and more players looking for digital alternatives to guitar amps as brands such as Neural DSP, Line 6, Kemper and Fractal itself continue to improve modeling technology.

Elsewhere in Murray’s rig tour video, Price also revealed there had been a significant shakeup in the six-string department. Joining the Axe-Fx is Murray’s new number one – a fresh Andrew Hicks Master Built Fender Stratocaster, which features a notable walnut neck.

Other specs include a rosewood fretboard, stainless steel frets, a Dave Murray/Seymour Duncan loaded pickguard, and a sleek Olympic White colorway. Since it's the new number one, the guitar is reportedly used for around 80% of Iron Maiden’s current live shows.

As per Price, it’s Murray’s first new guitar in quite some time, and has made its way to the front of the guitar rack, ousting Murray’s previous go-to guitar – a similarly spec’d Tobacco Sunburst alternative – to the second fiddle spot in the process.

The 2023 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were revealed today (February 1).

Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden and The White Stripes lead a nomination class that also includes seminal post-punk acts Joy Division and New Order, country-pop superstar Sheryl Crow, hip-hop legends Missy Elliott and A Tribe Called Quest, and pop auteurs Kate Bush, Cyndi Lauper and George Michael.

R&B legends The Spinners, country icon Willie Nelson and the beloved singer/songwriter Warren Zevon round out the 2023 nominee class.

Crow, Elliott, Joy Division/New Order, Lauper, Michael, Nelson, The White Stripes, and Zevon are all on the ballot for the first time.

“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” John Sykes, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's chairman, said in a statement. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”

Nominations will be voted on by a body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry, but fans can also participate in the Hall of Fame selection via a process called the Fan Vote.

Through April 28, fans can vote online at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's websiteor in person at the Museum itself in Cleveland, Ohio. The top five artists in the Fan Vote will then comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2023 inductees. 

The 2023 inductees will be announced in May, with the induction ceremony set to take place this fall, though the date and venue have yet to be announced as of press time. 

The 2022 ceremony saw the long-awaited (and overdue) induction of Judas Priest, along with that of Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and influential blues guitar player Elizabeth Cotten, among others.

For more info on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum and this year's inductees, visit the organization's website.

With the millions of channels out there, it can be hard as a YouTuber to get your content seen. That’s why creators are resorting to more and more ambitious projects in order to catch the gaze of the masses. 

Bradley Hall, for example, blew us away last year when he turned the first Lord of the Rings movie – The Fellowship of the Ring – into a three-hour metal song.

And now, another guitar YouTuber by the name of Thomas Zwijsen has attempted a project that’s similarly ambitious: transforming the entirety of Iron Maiden’s 1984 album, Powerslave, into a 47-minute nylon-string acoustic guitar arrangement.

Though the audio has been pre-recorded – totally understandable given the scale of the endeavor – the new video finds the Dutch guitarist, armed with a range of Ortega guitars and accompanied by guests including flamenco guitarist Ben Woods, violinist Wiki Violin and drummer Nathanael Taekema, reinventing the album’s array of guitar riffs in an unplugged format.

Highlights include the album’s fast-paced opening cut, Aces High, during which Zwijsen harmonizes in effortless style with Ben Woods, a unique acoustic guitar-and-violin rendition of The Duellists, and an intricate take on the record’s closing track, Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Check out the full video above.

Whilst transforming Powerslave would have been no mean feat, Thomas Zwijsen was always the man for the job, as he’s made a habit in recent years of giving Iron Maiden songs the acoustic guitar treatment. Last year, he did so with the band's latest album, 2021's Senjutsu.

He's covered a wealth of other Maiden tracks, too, with his series of Nylon Maiden cover albums. The fifth and most recent installment of the series, Nylon Maiden V, plays hosts to unplugged renditions of The Wicker Man, Out of the Silent Planet, Children of the Damned, Darkest Hour and Stratego, among a host of others.

To see more of Zwijsen, head to his official YouTube channel.

Iron Maiden have been honoured by Royal Mail, the UK’s largest postal service, with a new range of postal stamps.

The “bona fide rock legends” – as Royal Mail describes Bruce Dickinson and co – now feature on 12 unique stamp designs for 2023, in the company’s fifth run of stamps dedicated to music acts, after the Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, and the Rolling Stones in 2022.

Eight of the 12 stamps show photos of the band – with all members featured, including Dickinson, guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers, bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain – while four depict various iterations of the group’s mascot, Eddie.

Live shots range from 1980 to 2018, and feature a photo from the band’s 1983 gig in Hammersmith, one from their 2008 show at Twickenham Stadium, and various other group photos.

“We were all absolutely astounded – in a good way – when we first heard about the commemorative project, and equally pretty much speechless when we saw the stamps for the first time,” says Harris. “They look superb and really capture the essence and energy of Maiden.”

Echoing Harris’s sentiment, the band’s manager, Rod Smallwood, explains: “As a band who have never played by anyone else’s rules for over 40 years, it’s very gratifying to see them honoured in their home country in this way.

“We’re proud to show how these six band members are still appealing to more and more fans every year with their music and their legendary shows – which I think these stamps really capture well.

“It’s also fantastic that Eddie has been honoured, too. It’s incredible to think that Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II], may she rest in peace, saw these and lent her iconic silhouette to them, too.”

“Few bands in the history of rock music can be called bona fide rock legends – but Iron Maiden are just that – and more,” adds David Gold, director of external public affairs and policy at Royal Mail. 

“With legions of devoted fans of all ages and from every corner of the globe, not only have they changed the way rock music sounds, but they have also changed the way it looks. We fully expect their fans will love these stamps as much as we do.”

A pack of all 12 Iron Maiden stamps are available now to pre-order for £17.70, and will go on sale from January 12. For more information, head to Royal Mail. Other items are also being released as part of a wider collection, including framed stamps, postcards and more.

Formed in London in 1975, Iron Maiden have sold more than 130 million albums worldwide to date, and are widely regarded as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

The band were notably left off the list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 2021, in a decision Kiss frontman Gene Simmons called “disgusting”.

Thrash metal is not known for its bass guitar players. There are too many guitar riffs for a start, played at ridiculous speeds, making the musical environment a difficult one for bassists. But then there’s Frank Bello, the most notable exception, whipping out super-melodic fills with amazing fingerstyle precision – and headbanging like a demon at the same time.

Bello plays an unusual style for the thrash idiom, which rarely has space for elaborate basslines. His fills and runs often expand around the main guitar parts, counterpointing the riffs and frequently shifting octaves to add dynamics. As well as his unique choice of notes and playing style, Bello is unusual among thrash bassists for his tone. "What most people don't understand is that your tone is really in your fingers," he says. "I love that Tom Petersson has a piano-like top end vibe, but I'll always have my sound because of the way I play."

All these years down the line, Bello is still aspiring to match the standards set by his bass heroes, he tells us. "We once cut a bunch of covers for the reissue of Worship Music and one of them was 'Anthem' by Rush. Now, I'm the biggest Geddy Lee fan, and I couldn't get this one lick in this song. It was bothering me so much, I was having sleepless nights.

"At four in the morning I'd go downstairs and get my bass and I'd be looking at YouTube and thinking, 'What is he doing?' while my wife and kids were asleep upstairs. I watched every live clip of that song I could find, and finally, there it was. Sometimes you can hear it but something's missing and you have to see it."

As a veteran of the New York thrash scene, we asked Frank to nominate five bass players that influenced his melodic fingerstyle bass playing.

Tom Petersson - Cheap Trick

"I grew up listening to Tom Petersson. He’s a very underrated bass player. It was his tone that got me – from his 8-string and 12-string basses. The lines weren’t complicated, and I don’t think they needed to be, because that piano-like tone – which came from three octaves of strings because of the little piccolo strings – just blew my mind. I used a 12-string in an Anthrax song in the 1990s, just in the background – and how he got the right amp for that tone I have no idea."

Paul McCartney - The Beatles

"Paul McCartney has been such an influence on me over the years, and I haven’t ever really thought about it. Talk about a guy who is not just a songwriter but who added so much to the songs with his basslines. He had a beautiful voice, and the bass adds so much melody to the songs. Listen to ‘Penny Lane’, where he plays a descending line in one verse and then plays it again – but an octave lower – in the next verse. And we’re still talking about it all these years later."

Geddy Lee - Rush

"Geddy Lee is one of my biggest influences. The intricacy of his scales and the synching-up with the drums really add up to a celebration of the bass. The Moving Pictures album is so inspiring to me to this day, and when I listen to a song like ‘YYZ’ I have to pick up my bass and play. The bass is meant to be played like that and I just have to follow it. Synching the bass and drums like Rush do is not a thought process, it’s just a natural talent. I was just listening to it the other day and it’s beautiful."

Geezer Butler - Black Sabbath

"I know the whole Ozzy period of Black Sabbath was amazing, but I love the Dio era too. Listen to the song ‘Heaven And Hell’ – Geezer Butler is having so much fun in that song. He's telling a story within a story, just with the bass part. When you can sing a bassline like that one, how much of a compliment is that?" 

Steve Harris - Iron Maiden 

"Every song on the first Iron Maiden album is like a bass exercise, but fun. That’s how Steve Harris writes – on the bass. Listen to the bass solo from ‘Phantom Of The Opera’. I love this stuff more than ever. I’ve got to know him over the years and I’ve asked him lots of questions about how he did it. Steve is one of my favourite bass players in the world, and he still has the fire."

Anthrax and Black Label Society are returning for round two of their 40th Anniversary Tour, which launches on January 17 at the Revolution Concert House in Boise, ID, and concludes on February 18 in Oakland, CA at the Fox Theatre.

Visit anthrax.com for updates.

Jimmy Page has taken to Instagram to share a photograph of himself, alongside Brian May, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris and Dave Murray and British comedy metal band Bad News.

The latter was a parody rock band formed by the comedians Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall and Peter Richardson an episode of ‘80s TV show The Comic Strip Presents... which followed them in a faux fly-on-the-wall rock documentary. It was filmed in 1982 and broadcast in 1983 – a full year before This Is Spinal Tap’s release. (There were many parallels but the main difference is that Bad News could not play very well at all and argued in a much more anarchic fashion.)

Like Tap, Bad News proved so popular that they soon undertook their own tours and even wound up supporting Iron Maiden on tour in 1986. 

Page and May agreed to appear in a live onstage showdown with frontman and lead guitarist Vim Fuego (played by Edmonson), which was set up to occur after Fuego was found to have been miming to their lines and is forced to bring them out from behind his amp stacks. 

Page explains in his post that things didn’t go entirely to plan, but fortunately – given the setting – it worked out. 

"On this day in 1986, I appeared with Bad News at the Hammersmith Odeon, with the fictional English heavy metal band supporting heavyweights Iron Maiden,” says Page.

“Bad News had two extra guitarists that night, Brian May and I. During their set there was a guitar duel between Vim Fuego (Adrian Edmonson), Brian and myself. During my bit, my amp mysteriously cut in and out but it just added to the comedy of the send up!”

You can hear bootleg audio of the appearance on the YouTube clip below. 

Despite comic appearances to the contrary, Brian May was a frequent collaborator with Bad News and co-produced much of their material. It was a favor the group returned with their legendarily awful Bohemian Rhapsody cover, complete with numerous arguments…

It’s a well-known fact that some of the best metal songs ever produced were written in a minor key, and that the genre seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the ominous-sounding sonic universe that is the antithesis of the major key.

While there are exceptions to the rule, most metal hits that immediately spring to mind – think Megadeth’s Killing is my Business..., Metallica’s Enter Sandman and Iron Maiden’s Hallowed Be Thy Name – all have one thing in common: they’re minor through-and-through.

What, then, would these songs have sounded like in a parallel universe? One where Hetfield, Hammett and co woke up on a sunny day in the early '80s and decided to write Ride the Lightning as a happy-go-lucky pop-punk romp, for example?

Lucky for us mere mortals who are incapable of traveling the musical multiverse in search of such answers, the Happy Metal YouTube channel has put in the hard work, with guitarists Ben Bouissieres and Andy Xiong reimagining some of the biggest hits in metal realm in a major key.

And the results are, perhaps rather surprisingly, superb.

The aforementioned Ride the Lightning is a particular highlight from the catalog, featuring a breakdown section that reinvents Hetfield’s riff as a swashbuckling powerchord jolly and Hammett’s guitar solo as a two-hand tapping trip down sunshine lane.

Megadeth isn’t safe from the Happy Metal treatment, either. Elsewhere in their repertoire, Xiong and Bouissieres work their magic on Symphony of Destruction, Dystopia and A Tout Le Monde, the latter of which sounds like a punk rock – dare we say Green Day-esque – ballad.

The Happy Metal duo seem to have returned from a three-year long hiatus, and in the space of one month have tackled four Megadeth tracks. It looks as though more videos are in the works, too, which will no doubt come as good news to traditionalist metalheads.

In their back catalog, Xiong and Bouissieres have also turned their attention to Slayer, Scorpions, Judas Priest and Pantera, as well as The Offspring, Amon Amarth, System of a Down and many more.

Head over to the Happy Metal YouTube channel to browse the full catalog of transformed tracks.

It’s not the first time the world of metal has been infiltrated by guitarists on a quest to shed some sunlight on minor key hits.

In 2020, Periphery’s Misha Mansoor turned Stairway to Heaven into Escalator to Hell when he transposed the Led Zeppelin classic to a major key romp.

Likewise, YouTuber Börje Unchained! gave Metallica’s Battery a similar sonic pick-me-up, reinventing it as an easycore/pop-punk anthem.

Dutch classical guitar virtuoso Thomas Zwijsen – the man behind the Nylon Maiden albums – has shared his latest masterwork, a full nylon-string re-working of Iron Maiden’s 2021 album Senjutsu.

The latest collection once again proves the strengths of both Maiden’s writing and Zwijsen’s knack for complex, classical adaptations – deftly melding the original rhythmic, lead and melodic elements into successful nylon-string compositions. 

It’s a genuinely stunning accomplishment, and the crisp playing and spacious-yet-lush arrangements on seven-minute epics like Lost In A Lost World show an incredible ear at work. And he still gets the riffs in.

Of course, this being a YouTube project first and foremost, it is all available with a video backdrop of some appropriately Spanish scenery – complete with dusty roads, dog cameos and some great string accompaniment from YouTube violinist Wiki Violin. There’s even a samurai who drops in periodically.  

As a guitarist who studied at both the Netherlands ArtEZ and CodArts schools, Zwijsen has some form in this area. He has previously recorded five albums of Iron Maiden classical covers under the Nylon Maiden banner, alongside a wider selection of material from rock and metal, and has worked extensively with former Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley. 

Zwijsen has also collaborated on a number of signature guitars with forward-thinking nylon-string luthier Ortega, including the TZSM-3, which features a solid Canadian spruce top, spalted maple back and sides and a satin-finished mahogany neck. 

For more information on his activities, head over to Thomas Zwijsen. 

Dylan Gers – son of Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers – has released his debut single, Moon Rise.

A far cry from the galloping, full-throttle electric guitar work of his father's legendary metal outfit, the track is considerably more minimalist, with a sparse electric guitar-and-vocal arrangement driven by enveloping, reverb-soaked cleans and subtle lead work. 

A notable highlight comes when Gers offers up a soft and emotive solo from the 1:18 mark, channeling contemplation with a carefully curated set of notes. Check it out below.

“Writing this was an interesting task,” Gers says, “as before I had never written a song – I just played my guitar and I was happy. The next thing I knew I had Moon Rise completed. I was trying to find a way to let myself be heard and that was only through music at that time.”

Dylan Gers isn't the first child of an Iron Maiden member to dip their toes in the musical pond. Frontman Bruce Dickinson's two sons have pursued their musical passions; first Austin, who fronted metalcore outfit Rise to Remain until their breakup in 2015, and now fronts As Lions; and Griffin, who was the vocalist of now-defunct English metalcore band SHVPES.

In other Maiden-related news, Bruce Dickinson revealed earlier this year that the band have plans to perform their latest album, Senjutsu, in its entirety on a future tour.

“We all appreciate that that is something that really diehard fans will probably love and other people will go, ‘Hmmm, I'm not gonna go see that,’” he told Chris Jericho in January. “So the answer is you play smaller venues so that they sell out with just your diehard fans. ‘Cause it's a musical thing to do – it's a musical thing.”

Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen took to the stage for their first-ever live gig as Smith/Kotzen last night (January 20) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

As well as hearing debut live performances of tracks from the pair’s self-titled debut album those in attendance were also treated to a rendition of the 1986 Iron Maiden classic, Wasted Years.

Thanks to a few eagle-eyed attendees, plenty of up-close-and-personal footage from the gig has made its way online, meaning we get to see Smith roll back the years and – with the help of his new bandmate – revisit the track he originally wrote.

With his Jackson X Series signature guitar in hand, Smith can be seen reeling off the intro’s open-string motif, before taking up the lead vocal baton that had previously been held by his Iron Maiden bandmate Bruce Dickinson.

As per the original, a return to the opening melody precedes Smith’s solo – a fiery tour of the E minor pentatonic scale and surrounding area that culminates in some flashy bends and a dive on the whammy bar.

There’s no room for a Kotzen solo, which perhaps feels like a missed opportunity – having the pair trade open-string licks, or maybe harmonize a run or two, could have provided a neat addition to the track.

Joining Smith and Kotzen onstage was Kotzen’s wife and bass player Julia Lage, whose credits include the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock band Barra De Saia. A selection of videos from the concert can be found below.

Last year, Smith and Kotzen teamed up to release their self-titled debut effort, which was followed up with a four-track EP titled, Better Days. 

Smith/Kotzen have five more dates in the US as part of their current tour, in a run that will see them play Les Vegas, San Diego, Morro Bay, Ventura and Roseville between the January 23 and 28.

After that, they will head over to the UK to play a string of cities across February and March.

For a full list of tour dates, visit the Smith/Kotzen website.

Bruce Dickinson has revealed that Iron Maiden have plans to play Senjutsu in its entirety on a future tour.

The British metal legends’ 2021 record clocked in at an impressive 82 minutes, but most of that material will not see a live appearance when the band resume (and finally complete) their hits-based Legacy Of The Beast tour this summer. 

Instead, frontman Bruce Dickinson has revealed in an interview with Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho that the band have discussed a separate tour in which they can perform that album in full.

 “We've talked about doing the entire album start to finish, but not this time around,” says Dickinson, in conversation on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.

“And we all appreciate that that is something that really diehard fans will probably love and other people will go, ‘Hmmm, I'm not gonna go see that.’ So the answer is you play smaller venues so that they sell out with just your diehard fans. 'Cause it's a musical thing to do – it's a musical thing.”

In the same chat, Dickinson says that fans will reportedly get some taste of Senjutsu on the forthcoming Legacy Of The Beast shows, but it’s likely to be limited to a couple of tracks. 

“People have all paid their money to see the Legacy Of The Beast show, with Spitfires and flamethrowers and Icarus and everything that goes with,” says the frontman. 

“So they're gonna get all that. But the first three tracks are probably gonna be the first three tracks on the album… And I just think [the title track] Senjutsu is just such a great opening song… so dramatic… We’ll have a stage set to go with it - [and] once you've done that, you're back to the kind of Legacy world at that point.”

There’s no official word yet on when or where the Senjutsu shows will come to pass, but given the mammoth Legacy tour will be running through to the end of October, fans of the latest record might have to hang on for another year…

Keep an eye on Iron Maiden's website for more information about tour dates.

Here we have it, the top 20 guitar albums of 2021, as chosen by you, and you didn’t disappoint. You could glue all of these album covers to a whiteboard and it could well be a mood board taken from the editorial prow of the good ship Guitar World.

There are some evergreen choices here, with guitar players who always find themselves in the guitar-playing community’s good graces. But even among them, no two are strictly alike, with blues-rock titans sharing space with grunge trailblazers and pioneers of shred.

But there are some new players, too, those making their presence felt for the first time. Not all here are necessarily technical virtuosos, and many who ration that instinct to cut loose. After all, what makes a great guitar album is no different to what makes a great album. 

As the player and songwriter behind your number one choice argued when he spoke with Guitar World earlier in the year, the song has got to come first – no matter how satisfying it is to feel those strings under your fingers, your ear must always have the casting vote.

• The 10 best guitar riffs of 2021
• The 10 best guitar solos of 2021

20. Samantha Fish – Faster

Samantha Fish has been threatening to make an album like Faster for years. Well, not threatening, more like drip-feeding the idea into her sound like a work of subliminal advertising that would have marked her for a successful career on Madison Avenue.

Now that she has taken the plunge and hired the estimable Martin Kierszenbaum (aka Cherry Cherry Boom Boom) as producer, she can turn loose all those pop elements and demonstrate just how resilient an art form blues-rock can be, and how conservative and staid we have been with its housekeeping over the years.

You can hear the influence of Prince, of Lana Del Rey, and of course Lady Gaga, whose name is inextricably linked with Kierszenbaum. But recording Faster at The Village, where Fleetwood Mac tracked Tusk, feels like an act of surreptitious pop engineering, and it takes her guitar playing into new and exciting spaces. 

It’s still a guitar record. Kierszenbaum got Fish to dial in a tone, and that was the tone – a Gibson SG into Fender Super Reverb and Deluxe Reverb amps – with less emphasis on the pedalboard. And it’s further proof that she’s one of the best blues-rock players around. But it shows that, given the chance, she could and should cross over. Why not go pop?

19. Jerry Cantrell – Brighten

A master of deploying acoustic guitars alongside electrics to heighten the depth of a mix, Jerry Cantrell this year debuted his first solo album since 2002’s Degradation Trip. It traffics in a gauzy ‘70s feel, the mood effortlessly modulating between downbeat and optimistic, with a three-dimensional production job and compositions anchored by those yowling drones that have become the hallmark of Alice in Chains over the years. 

Again, this is another audiophile record, with Cantrell taking the connoisseur approach, plugging his Les Pauls and trusty G&L Rampage into a variety of amp heads – most certainly his signature Friedman heads somewhere – and playing a bunch of Gibson Songwriters alongside Martin and Guild acoustics.

18. The Black Keys – Delta Kream

Delta Kream is a lovingly created work of musical revivalism that finds the Black Keys paying dues to their Hill County blues heroes R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough on an album of blues standards. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are joined by the likes of Burnside’s longtime sideman Kenny Brown and others sitting in on album that’s celebratory, poignant, and a reference point for vintage electric guitar tone.

And there is some sorcery in those sounds. Most of us are not from North Mississippi, and yet the area will come alive in our imaginations when we press play. That’s the power of blues storytelling, sure, but also of guitar tone, and its power to sell us the illusion and color in the gaps. Not to get all sentimental or anything, but that is pretty magical.

17. Julian Lage – Squint

Jazz guitar phenom Julian Lage’s Blue Note debut would be way higher on the list if jazz enjoyed the same exposure as pretty much any other style. But as things stand, maybe jazz is just too dangerous for mainstream audiences to get behind. That’s right, Lage might well be a mild-mannered mensch but his playing style, note choices and compositional sensibility are 100 percent danger. He is a musically book-smart Evel Knievel. 

Of course, it’s Lage’s name on the cover, but the improvisational brio brought to bear on this stylistically adventurous deep dive into the history of jazz, and how it is contextualized by the blues and rock ’n’ roll artforms that orbit it, is facilitated by the stellar contributions of bass player Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King. The chemistry within that trio is something we all aspire to.

16. Tremonti – Marching in Time

Listening to Mark Tremonti’s latest solo album is a little like following Dwayne 'The Rock’ Johnson on Instagram. You will find yourself all set to embrace a shapeless Sunday, and after some French toast and maple syrup – two rounds, you deserve this – you might have some pentatonic noodling planned from the comfort of your easy chair, maybe a cold one to slake your thirst. “Siri, just where did I leave my Blues Junior?” 

But such indolence is brutally punctured by the urge to ‘put in the work and get some gains’. For the fitspo set, that means the gym, grunting and Lycra. For guitar players, that means three to four hours of regimented, structured practice; the gains we’re chasing are the ability to attain a level of insouciant virtuosity, the kind that allows Tremonti to transition from the poignant to the spectacular and back again. Fast and furious, if you will.

15. Billy Strings – Renewal

Billy Strings is a ridiculous player. Again, the virtuosity feels unrehearsed and instinctive – with as communal and celebratory a genre as bluegrass, it has to be. The songwriting is wise beyond his years. Well, we say that, but wisdom and foolishness lies in every demographic, and all it takes for a great songwriter of any age is to be able to scan the horizon and intuit the universal truths that shape and color our all-too-brief time on this planet.

There are many highlights on Renewal. Secrets is as action-packed as the third act of Avengers: Infinity War but is written and composed in such a way as to invoke the Wachowskis’ bullet time, as though the world slows and all that musical information can make a beeline straight for your heart. 

High-tempo music from a superhero songwriter can still make you cry. And if it doesn’t, then Love and Regret will. No matter where we are from, who we are or on which slice our bread is buttered, that speaks to us all.

14. Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram – 662

Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram is playing fast and loose with his at-home privacy here, giving away the first three digits of his telephone number – well, the area code. But that is thematically judicious, as the music here and stories told are all rooted in his Mississippi locale. 

There were a few things about Kingfish’s playing that identified him as a next-gen bluesman of some repute, but his tone and his vibrato have got to be right up there. Just listen to the spanky scratch of the title track’s rhythm figure, and then that piping hot Strat juice that arrives by way of the lead. 

His phrasing is righteous, too, which is only appropriate; for if you are going to hold a note and bend it for the audience to lose their minds to, then it had better be the right note.

13. Spiritbox – Eternal Blue

The Canadian trio’s much-anticipated debut is an exercise in dynamics, tension, atmosphere, and, on occasion, just surrendering all of this to the cleansing nuclear fire of Mike Stringer’s xenomorph guitar. 

The explosive shifts in tone are perhaps something learned from the post nu-metal cognoscenti – “My, Mr. Stringer, that verse/chorus shift really does have Stephen Carpenter’s eyes” – but Stringer’s abrasive down-tuned style, made possible by extended-range guitars from the likes of Abasi Concepts and Aristides, is a beast all his own. 

Does it feel shallow to admit we’re suckers for a pick slide that sounds like there is a tear in the space/time continuum? For all the big ideas here, it’s often the primal triggers that hot-wire the audience’s critical faculties.

12. Gojira – Fortitude

Gojira’s blockbuster metal has always been underpinned by an arthouse sensibility, and that’s what makes albums such as Fortitude sound so profound and yet fundamentally satisfying in the rock ’n’ roll sense of the word. 

Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu’s guitars work in lock-step over the virtuoso time-keeping of Joe’s kid brother and drummer Mario, creating grooves that command a physical reaction from those exposed to them. And yet Duplantier is writing about things that make us consider our position in this world, expanding his arrangements accordingly, subsuming elements of prog, post-metal and electronic music. 

From anyone else we might call this ambitious but, for Gojira, this is second nature, instinctual, and they made sure to capture it in every take in the studio by going all-in chasing an inspiring sound and then recording it while the energy was fresh.

11. Paul Gilbert – Werewolves of Portland

How much fun can one grown man have on his own? Werewolves of Portland is like an exercise in solo musicianship that from the outset might seem like a Herculean task akin to swimming the Atlantic, but in Gilbert’s antic and outsized imagination it’s just what you do when the occasion arises. 

Yes, Gilbert plays everything here, and it’s a record that reminds us that instrumental rock can be primarily fun. Gilbert’s humor is all over this. Turning idle thoughts of, ‘Should we move away from Portland? Things are a little hectic’ into a bonkers paean to the fifth least populated state in the US, Hello! North Dakota, and creating a battle-shred spectacular advancing the idea that a piece of great pie will bring comity and unity to the world, Argument About Pie.

There are no vocals, but in a sense there are. Gilbert wrote lyrics and expressed them with slide guitar, a process that seems like the most organic way to incorporate one of our more traditional techniques into most spectacular arrangements, making the guitar instrumental not only fun but a singalong experience.

10. Smith/Kotzen – Smith/Kotzen

Smith/Kotzen? That sounds like it could be the name of a delicatessen in downtown Kansas City, but in our timeline it is a project of prodigiously talented guitar players and neighbors Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, who turned some downtime into studio time for a hard-rock two-hander.

Remarkable, isn’t it, even more so that former tennis star Pat Cash made the introductions. Here, the Iron Maiden guitarist Smith and former Poison guitarist Kotzen dovetail politely, like two old friends shooting some pool. 

With most of his gear in storage, Smith even used Kotzen’s rig, but when he steps up to the table, there’s no denying it’s him. Like on Running, which echoes Maiden classic Moonchild with a Pat Thrall-inspired solo. As for Kotzen, he pulls out all the tricks, goes a bit nuts with the rotary speaker effects, and meets Smith in the middle when the project circles back to blues-driven hard rock.

9. Billy F. Gibbons – Hardware

Billy F. Gibbons only gets cooler the hotter he gets, and out there in the California High Desert, not far from Joshua Tree National Park, where Hardware was tracked, things were mighty hot. 

Hardware sees Gibbons joined by guitarist Austin Hanks and drummer Matt Sorum and rocking out. There’s a little more engine grease to these arrangements than on his bluesier releases, with tracks like She’s On Fire making use of Sorum’s power, and West Coast Junkie making full use of whatever gear was already there when Gibbons arrived at the studio. 

Just what do you do when you find a vintage Fender Jazzmaster, a ’61 Fender Piggyback amp and Fender Reverb tank idling in the studio? Well, of course you write a track that’s electrified by the antic energy of surf rock. Hardware is testament to what you can get down after spending three months under the sun with only cacti and rattlers for company.

8. Mastodon – Hushed And Grim

Hushed And Grim sees Mastodon process the loss of their friend and manager Nick John with one of their most audacious albums of an audacious discography. Guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher are masters of mining the borderland between melody and dissonance, the savage and the philosophical, and here they shift feel on a dime. 

One moment might find them in a holding pattern around a vocal harmony, the next they are referencing the riff firestorms of earlier releases Remission and Leviathan, which harnessed the apocalyptic influence of Neurosis and the weight of the Melvins to spectacular effect.

Quite where they go from here is hard to say. This is a double album that leaves nothing on the floor. Tracks such as Pain with an Anchor weave tangled roots of guitar textures, in which you could get lost for days. Skeleton of Splendor has a fairytale airiness to it. 

More Than I Could Chew, meanwhile, is like the band’s career in just under seven minutes: the inordinate spectacle of the riff, Brann Dailor’s lead drumming exploding like popcorn in the microwave, then a reach for the sky prog middle-eight and outro solo.

7. Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH

For a guitar community still processing the loss of one of its most brilliant elders, Mammoth WVH’s debut is right there with you, with Wolfgang Van Halen paying tribute to his father’s work on tracks such as Mr. Ed, and indeed his life, on Distance. 

We might all know what Distance is explicitly about, but it’s a song that speaks to anyone who has lost a loved one. Although we might recognize some of Eddie Van Halen’s hard-rock grammar here, the language and dialect is all Wolfgang’s, on a hard-rock sound that is very much his own, perhaps augmented and shaped by the influence of Soundgarden and Tool, which makes 21st-century hard rock a very different – and more knowing – beast than its ‘80s counterparts. But then, these are very different times.

6. Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate

Greta Van Fleet were born too late but are not alone in their predicament, and they have duly created a sound offering succour and enlightenment to those who continue mourn the aesthetic largesse of classic rock’s big beasts. 

Most of which, if not all, are artistically extinct, but their lifeblood courses through the veins of Jake Kiszka and company, and GVF have the imagination and ability to reinterpret this sound for the digital age. If there’s a sense of melancholy under the triumph of their bold arrangements, perhaps it’s from the recognition that popular culture is convulsing in the information age. 

Kiszka talks about The Battle at Garden’s Gate being cinematic, and it is; this is Peter Jackson’s Deep Purple, Spielberg’s Zeppelin, with Kiszka cast as a Fitzcarraldo figure hauling the GVF steamship over the hill. But cinema as we know it is being killed, too. Maybe all that’s left is grand gestures of defiance such as this.

5. Dream Theater – A View From the Top of the World

Few bands have been more aptly named than Dream Theater. The creative horizons imagined by John Petrucci appear beyond the limits of the conscious mind. He might dress in black, dig metal, and have a rig that could be seen and heard from space, but there’s something of an 18th-century composer’s sensibility to how Petrucci arranges his songs. 

Take the title track. To call it epic feels a little redundant; it’s 20 minutes long, but even after six we get the feeling we’ve left Earth behind, as though the atmosphere itself has changed. Petrucci’s playing is, of course, redoubtable, inspired and peerless, and it makes for a great study piece for guitar players with designs on expanding their repertoire and musical vocabulary.

But that’s not what Petrucci has in mind for Dream Theater, at least we don’t think so. It’s all about the gift of surprise. Progressive music is not easy. It can be a stultifying torture if the ideas don’t match the ambition. 

But with Dream Theater, the ideas just keep coming at you, with Petrucci generous in lacing his songwriting with the gift of surprise, because he knows that long-form musical entertainment is not meant to be a chore. And if that means getting his friends at Ernie Ball Music Man to design him an eight-string Majesty so he can rethink the instrument anew and write a hulk jam such as Awaken the Master, then so be it. Now, that’s entertainment.

4. Joe Bonamassa – Time Clocks

The world’s highest-grossing bluesman doesn’t get enough credit for his off-menu musical choices. Sure, he’s a blues-rock player to his bones, but he’s a blues-rock player who is often at his best when taking the genre off the beaten path. Time Clocks is a prime example.

This, he once told us, was to be the ‘NY subway album’, which he made sound like it was to be almost improvisational, recorded with a minimum of fuss and using the 24/7 rhythms of the Big Apple to inform the jams. 

But once he unloaded some choice picks from Nerdville – a 1959 Les Paul Standard here, a ’68 Thinline Tele with an all original Parsons/White B-Bender there – the songs decided otherwise, with Bonamassa bringing all his Chris Squire, prog influences to bear to the fore.

Yes, he can shift to bar room melancholy if and when the song requires it, but the compositions on Time Clocks are often too elegiac to shake themselves into a 12/8 shuffle. That was not the rhythm of New York City in the winter months of February 2021.

3. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Iron Maiden have always been one of the more ambitious bands to arise out of the NWOBHM cohort but back in 1981, few could have looked into the tea leaves, seen Eddie’s face staring back at them, and forecast an album like Senjutsu.

Senjutsu is built on the maxim ‘more is more’. Perhaps it is written this way by happenstance, by virtue of Iron Maiden’s unorthodox approach of showing up at a studio with a bunch of songs written before writing in situ until an album presents itself.

If their antic debut and the midnight thrills of Killers offered the gratification of a cheeseburger and cold lager, Senjutsu offers a 12-course tasting menu with wine pairings, and it leans fully into the three-guitar dynamic for maximum effect. 

In Janick Gers, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, Maiden have myriad options and exploit them throughout, weaving guitar harmonies in and out, doubling parts and lending the gamed-out expanse of Senjutsu’s more progressive tracks a sense of theater.

2. Gus G – Quantum Leap

Gus G is the Willy Wonka of mainstream metal shred guitar. Every now and then, somebody has his ear exclusively, and taps into his electrifying style for their own gratification. In the recent past, Ozzy Osbourne was Charlie with his golden ticket, maintaining his unerring reputation for always securing the services of a top-tier guitar player before doing anything.

But on Quantum Leap, Gus G is getting high on his own supply of everlasting gobstoppers and working an almighty sugar rush on his signature Jackson Star. Quantum Leap does not shy away from the noble business of fretboard fire-raising, but throughout Mr G keeps that melody front and center.

There’s a Japanese video game sensibility to how he builds the solos on this. Big Friedman-esque gestures will resolve themselves in tricksy diminished scale runs, before riding off into the sunset atop a burnished steel power metal riff. 

And if the riff doesn’t get you, then a flagon of fizzy lifting drink will. Carbonated, highly sugared, delicious. And, okay, serious point, we could also look at Quantum Leap and call it a work of shred postmodernism, with the G man referencing the leading lights of the Satch generation and putting his own imprint on it. 

1. John Mayer – Sob Rock

The idea for Sob Rock could have come from a therapist. Here we are in the frantic present, and if you have been keeping up with affairs, you might notice things are a little topsy-turvy. Perhaps recognizing the scale of our present-day funk, John Mayer – arch entertainer and master guitar player – takes evasive action through the medium of soft rock, executing a Toto 180 and planting us back under the protective shoulder pads of a late ‘80s aesthetic.

And what do you know, even those too young to be familiar with the candied scent of Harmony hairspray were all in, too. This time capsule of Mayer’s construction has everything we need; there’s some beautifully manicured guitar tones here, with that carefully worked quality that suited the era’s production styles. 

As Mayer explained to Guitar World, much of it was inspired by his fantasy of having a song of his turn up on Eric Clapton’s Journeyman. “I loved him so much that I’m not afraid to go, ‘I just want to feel what that’s like…’ Like, the experience of plugging a Strat with noiseless pickups into a Soldano with a chorus pedal. And to hear that back on your own song is funny, poignant, touching, exciting, titillating.”

That in essence, is Sob Rock. It is an album of fantasy. It has guitar solos all over it, each delivered in conversational style – a little like how Mayer speaks, right? – with meticulous chops. But they are grounded in reality. They know the song is the boss. And Mayer knows it’s not 1988, which is why it was important to sound like it is.

• The 10 best guitar riffs of 2021
• The 10 best guitar solos of 2021

Here we have it, folks: your favorite riffs of 2021. The votes have been counted and, by the power invested in the crude democratic efficiency of the online poll, we can see which ‘short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song’ reigns supreme.

This year was big for metal. Indeed, only two out of the 10 could be described as something other than metal, and even then, one is hard rock, and the other was written and performed by a guy who knows Slash. It’s impossible to decipher what this list tells us about the riff, and our tastes in it, but maybe it's the same thing that every year-end Best Riff list tells us – that, even within the one subculture of guitar playing, there are innumerable ways to get the job done, and that rhythm is key to making these parts work.

After all, there are only so many notes. How we arrange them, and the pockets of groove that we can summon out of the raw ingredients of electric guitar, is crucial. 

This list also begs the question: are the best riffs always on electric guitar? These certainly are, but we would argue that a great riff will sound just as great on a parlor-sized acoustic guitar as it does through an enormo-rig. For evidence, check out Melvins’ Five-Legged Dog, which saw Buzz Osborne rearrange some of the most inventive riffs for acoustic. 

Are there any glaring omissions here? Well, there are so many riffs it's hard to keep score, but it is strange that Greta Van Fleet missed out after taking top spot in your Best Solos of 2021 list. And to have such a metal-heavy list but then no Carcass, when Torn Arteries presented such a smorgasbord of gourmet hesher’s delights, seemed like an oversight.

But that’s life. And you’ll just have to check in later in the week to see if any of those turn up in your favorite guitar albums of 2021.

• The 10 best guitar solos of 2021
• The 20 best guitar albums of 2021

10. Architects – Animals 

Architects have something philosophically grand but ultimately pessimistic to say about humankind’s place on this planet – something about us not quite fulfilling the promise of our Darwinian triumph. Or perhaps its just misanthropy; there’s a lot of it around. Either way, to articulate this, the British metalcore band dress the guitars in a gorilla suit and go 100 per cent silverback primitive on our unworthy asses. It’s quite spectacular.

It is maybe too early in this list to go referencing the Brown Note, but what Adam Christianson does with his seven-string is in effect a chemical-free colon cleanse, with a style of songwriting that invites crude analogies to such profound physical reactions from its audience. This is a chug inspired by the mind’s sharpness but delivered via high-volume low frequency blunt force. Crude, effective and, yes, animalistic.

9. Spiritbox – Circle With Me 

Mike Stringer loves nothing more than taking contemporary metal into ever more progressive and technologically augmented spaces, and Circle With Me is a prime example of this aesthetic sensibility in action, with the trance-y, aerated electronic parts endowing the track with the soul of the machine.

But for all this future-forward, metal 4.0 frontiersmanship, Stringer is at his best when he is engaging with the manual pleasures of electric guitar manipulation, scoring the strings with the pick and introducing the timbre of his Abasi Concepts Larada 8 Legion to seismologists the world over. He might keep us waiting for the riff to detonate but we know it’s coming. As Hitchcock explained, that is the definition of suspense.

8. Iron Maiden – Stratego 

Written by Janick Gers and team captain Steve Harris, Stratego is something of a throwback for the British heavy metal institution: a work of 21st-century NWOBHM that captures the quintessence of the Iron Maiden anthem. You’ve got a gallop, octave guitars, harmonies, melodies, and the riff so favored by the six-string triumvirate of Gers, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith is more rapier than battle axe. The flash of the blade, if you will.

While Senjutsu – the latest long-form heavy metal odyssey from Iron Maiden – puts some distance between these dramatic moments of derring-do, when they come together like this, with Bruce Dickinson channeling Sun Tzu and his Long Beach rocking self, it’s pure gold, and all the invitation we need to park a sand-shoe on a wedge monitor and toss our Stratocasters around without a care in the world. 

7. Dream Theater – Awaken the Master 

Why did no one think to make John Petrucci an eight-string electric guitar before now? You'd think it would have come up in conversation at one of Petrucci and Sterling Ball’s epic barbecues, a platter of franks evoking that mega-hench low F#. No matter, it’s here now, and as soon as Mr. P took receipt of the prototype Majesty 8, he wrote Awaken the Master.

The extra fretboard acreage sure doesn’t slow him down here. This is a lithe groover, the jolly green giant in tap shoes, and it lends what is otherwise a 10-minute prog-metal jam a sense of physicality to contrast the otherworldly arrangements that stretch out and color in what is yet another epic Dream Theater soundscape – and indeed extend what’s possible with an eight-string guitar. Never mind the beard oil, JP, we’d need liniment on the fingers after attempting this one at home.

6. Bodom After Midnight – Paint the Sky with Blood 

The tragic death of Alexi Laiho casts this posthumous release in a bittersweet light, but there could be no more appropriate track to sign off on than this. Paint the Sky with Blood is a distillation of the Laiho ethos and a typically extravagant guitar spectacular that carries on in the Children of Bodom tradition of mainstreaming extreme metal for the broadest audience possible.

This subversive act is to be commended, and facilitated by Laiho’s gifts as an entertainer. The melody is foregrounded but not at the expense of the aggression, for holding both in equilibrium is key to making this material work – that and the imagination to make it come alive.

5. Trivium – In the Court of the Dragon 

The riff that Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu hatch on the epic title-track from the Orlando, Florida metal stalwarts’ 10th album, is all muscle and sinew – a veritable boa constrictor. Some occasions call for Trivium to invoke the hyper-animated power of Skolnick/Peterson but for others, such as this, they need something different, and what is, of course, prima facie a kinetic, powerful metal riff is really kind of like a blues turnaround, weaponized and taken out of context.

Where did that style of riff-making come from in popular metal? Dimebag Darrell was certainly one of its architects, and Lamb of God use a similar construction for their riffs. What links all three is that sense of groove and swing, proving that metal can sound all the more physically imposing when it can move its hips.

4. Gojira – Born For One Thing 

This is a list of greatest riffs, and so first off the kudos has to go to Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu for rewilding metal with this thrashing squawker. But Duplantier’s kid brother Mario on drums gets a little co-ownership of this one, for his beat really makes that riff shift and turn.

Indeed, there are two principal riffs here. There’s the squawker, and a head-down chug to test the tensile strength of the Earth’s crust. Like everything in the Gojira catalog, both are executed exquisitely, but not at the expense of the human feel. No-one grooves quite like them. It’s perhaps a lesson learned from listening to Sepultura in their pomp, but this uncanny sense for finding the pocket and stretching it a little to defy metal’s rigid form is something you are born with.

3. Mammoth WVH – Don’t Back Down 

In a list dominated by the box-office pummel of today’s contemporary metal set, the feel-good defiance of Mammoth WVH’s Don’t Back Down is a welcome change of pace. It’s a fun, Friday night fuzz jam that leans into a sort of plaid-shirt Kyuss groove, albeit without the desert sand under the fingernails. 

Just when you think you’ve got a bead on it, Wolfgang Van Halen will throw in a passing note to keep you honest. But really the triumph of this riff is in its adaptability and how it informs the song, reprised as a melody to sit under the lyric. Then, when it’s time to come out into the foreground, it strong-arms its way through the mix, doing as all great hard-rock rhythm guitar does: commanding all that goes before it and carrying the song forward on broad shoulders. 

2. Myles Kennedy – In Stride 

Myles Kennedy slides into our affections and takes silver with a track that sounds like he has turned American popular guitar culture into a big ol’ engine, and he's revving it up to hurry everyone out for a summer-long road trip. 

Oh, yes, this is a fun one. A delectable truffle shuffle that sounds a little anachronistic for our overly serious and fraught present, and would play better if we all lived life at the pace and zen temperature of Dazed and Confused’s David Wooderson. That would be all right, all right, all right. It also reminds us that in rock ’n’ roll the slide can do a lot of heavy lifting when you need to write something effervescent and instinctive like this. But then it is a track about a preparing for a zombie apocalypse, and that really would be a bummer for the summer.

1. Tremonti – Now and Forever 

Let’s talk about Mark Tremonti’s right hand. There has always been a physicality to his playing, something of the Green Beret wrestling champ 2006 about his manipulation of the strings. But here, proving once more that rhythm is the lifeblood of the metal guitar riff, his wrist has got a Federer-esque mastery of its brief. 

Is this the triumph of science? Has Alter Bridge Inc. amassed a team of specialists to train our point man and riff-master general 2021, to make sure that, when the time comes to lay down a take, he is in prime physical condition. Or is this just years spent umbilically tethered to a metronome – “Hi, everyone, the name’s Tremonti, Mark ‘Soundbrenner’ Tremonti” – and stopping just before the point of passing out? It’s probably the latter. Or alien tech. Either way, Tremonti’s Now and Forever riff is a tour de force of power and precision, shock and awe. 

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Dave Murray is laughing at Guitar World’s question, and, honestly, we can’t really blame him. We’ve connected with the Iron Maiden guitarist to discuss his iconic metal band’s new record, Senjutsu. 

It’s an epic double album bursting with complex, head-spinning guitar action – and we’ve just asked him to pick out its single most challenging six-string moment.  “Anything that sounds difficult… was difficult to play!” he says with a chuckle. 

Murray’s good-natured jibe aside, Senjutsu is a truly formidable work of art. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal trailblazers’ 17th album is a 10-song, 80-plus-minute collection of classic Maiden grandeur and inimitable triple-guitar assault, courtesy of Murray and his compatriots Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. 

It’s stacked with Iron Maiden’s signature calling cards: dual-guitar harmonies, soaring solos, galloping rhythms, loud-soft dynamics and more merge with enthralling lyrical tales to lead listeners on one hell of a headbanging journey.

“Senjutsu is very cinematic,” says Smith of the stirring title track, which features taiko-esque drums, exotic guitar runs and multiple fiery leads. “There’s a lot of dramatics on the album: Days of Future Past has a modern vibe, The Writing on the Wall has a folky vibe. [Bassist-songwriter] Steve [Harris] has come up with some classic stuff. His songs are getting longer and longer. He’s gonna need a triple album next time. [Laughs] But if you’re a Maiden fan, you’re going to love it.”

“Because of our past we’re a band that can afford to do that,” says Gers of Senjutsu’s extended running time. “We take chances. There’s no set three-minute song that goes exactly where you want it. … You can have your fast metal stuff, Death of the Celts where there’s all the Celtic things, the Eastern-kinda [sounds] of The Parchment. You’ve got the huge choruses of Hell on Earth. It all adds to the album. So many ideas – it’s quite breathtaking, really.”

As Gers points out, any Maiden fan knows that the band has a well-established track record of pushing boundaries and continually raising their own creative bar. They helped set the standard for the NWOBHM sound with the one-two punch of their 1980 self-titled debut and the following year’s Killers – before elevating the form to its stadium-filling, album-selling and artistically ambitious heights with their ensuing five-album run of stunners: The Number of the Beast (1982), Piece of Mind (1983), Powerslave (1984), Somewhere in Time (1986) and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988).

Iron Maiden continued to follow their own course during the shifting musical trends of the '90s and the new millennium – and they’ve been rewarded. They’ve sold more than 100 million records, headlined thousands of shows across the globe and created some of metal’s most identifiable sounds and imagery, the latter built around their ever-evolving mascot Eddie (whose latest samurai incarnation ties into the themes of Senjutsu – a Japanese term that loosely translates as “tactics and strategy”).

 Along the way, they’ve influenced countless musicians – many of whom would become huge stars (including Kirk Hammett, Dimebag Darrell and John Petrucci). Iron Maiden have accomplished all this despite weathering multiple key personnel changes over the years. 

Their current long-running lineup – which has been in place since 2000’s Brave New World – consists of bandleader Harris and the Murray/Smith/Gers guitar trio, plus drummer Nicko McBrain and singer Bruce Dickinson.

After nearly five decades as a band, Iron Maiden are an institution, and their legacy is secured. They could easily kick back, release greatest-hits compilations, play exclusive one-off shows – and watch the money roll in. But, Smith says, Maiden’s motivation comes from a different source altogether. 

“I suppose you’re trying to prove yourself every time,” he says. “You’re only as good as your last thing. Maybe it’s some sort of deep-seated insecurity? I don’t know. I just like to bring the best I’ve got to the table every time. I try hard. We all do.”

Maiden’s self-directed drive has helped the band hit new creative and commercial heights as they age. Their previous record, 2015’s The Book of Souls, was the group’s first-ever double studio album, and it debuted at Number 1 in more than 43 countries. 

In 2018 they launched their most extravagant world tour to date, Legacy of the Beast, which presented a visually arresting experience filled with a career-spanning setlist of fan favorites.

Senjutsu continues the band’s current prolific period. The two-disc behemoth was recorded back in 2019 and was originally supposed to arrive last year. But Covid stopped that plan in its tracks and put a halt to their ongoing Legacy tour. Things were quiet in the Maiden camp until summer 2021, when a few cryptic teasers started to appear online. 

In July of this year, Maiden went wide with the announcement of Senjutsu and dropped its rousing single The Writing on the Wall. 

The new song – which builds from a vaguely Western-style acoustic guitar line into a larger-than-life anthem – arrived with a stunning apocalypse-themed animated video conceptualized by Dickinson. The Writing on the Wall was written before the coronavirus encircled the globe, but the end-times concepts its video explores are pitch perfect for the unsettling, and often dire, global events of the pandemic era.

When Guitar World connects with the guitarists in August 2021 – Murray dialing in from his home in Hawaii, with Smith and Gers calling from opposite ends of England (south and north, respectively) – the coronavirus has just infected one of their own. Only days before we speak, Dickinson announced that he’d caught a breakthrough case of Covid.

“Bruce picked something up, but I didn’t speak to him yet,” says Gers of the singer, who at press time was recovering at his home in England. “I think he went out for a birthday meal and picked something up from one of his kids. But I think he’s okay, he’s a tough boy. And he’s had all his injections and whatnot, so he should be good.”

Gers, Murray and Smith report that they’ve each managed to remain healthy. “Touch wood,” Smith adds. “I’m very careful… I stay at home a lot anyway.” 

The last time Iron Maiden were all in the same room together was when they recorded Senjutsu. The band had a break in the Legacy of the Beast tour, so they booked time with longtime producer Kevin Shirley at Guillaume Tell in Paris – the nearly 100-year-old theater turned recording studio where they cut The Book of Souls. “That room in Paris is amazing,” says Murray. “It was an old art-deco theater: gorgeous, high ceilings and great vibe.”

The studio and producer may have been familiar, but the process of creating Senjutsu looked a bit different from past Maiden records. “Some albums we’ve spent weeks in a rehearsal room working out six, seven songs and then gone into the studio,” Murray continues. “[This time] nothing was rehearsed. When we turned up to Paris, everything was done there on the spot.”

The band members brought in material – from full demo tracks to riff snippets – and began to knock the ideas into full-fledged songs. But instead of strapping on their electrics and cranking their amps, the guitarists broke out their Gibson, Taylor and Martin acoustics. 

“We sat down quietly,” Murray says of Senjutsu’s early sessions, for which he employed a Gibson Hummingbird. “Steve had an acoustic bass, we had acoustic guitars and we’d work it all out … scribbling the chords down in our notepad. [Laughs]”

“We take the song in sections, break it down,” Smith adds. “Nicko will sit there with his sticks, playing on his knees, just watching what we’re doing. For sorting out songs, acoustic is the way to go. Especially because the songs we do are quite complex – you can’t just go hell for leather, straight into it.”

With the song foundations in place, the band grabbed their electrics to finalize and record the tracks. Murray’s axe of choice was his sunburst Fender Stratocaster “that I’ve been using live for the last 15, 20 years. It has Seymour Duncans on it… You can pretty much get anything out of it: from clean to heavy.” Like Murray, Gers employed a live mainstay: his custom black Strat outfitted with Seymour Duncan JBs that Fender made him in the '90s.

For his part, Smith says he relied primarily on his custom green Jackson San Dimas with the “really distressed classic maple neck,” plus his custom Jackson 12-string and his “old faithful” Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Deluxe that he’s had since he was 18. 

“It’s a great all-singing, all-dancing guitar,” Smith says of the San Dimas. “You can get a real Strat sound out of it [and a] heavy humbucker sound, and you’ve got the whammy bar.”

The guys say they kept their studio setups relatively simple for Senjutsu. They opted for tried-and-true British amplification: Marshall JMP and 2000 valve amp for Murray, JVM for Smith and a 100-watt prototype Marshall built for Gers (based on an old 200-watt monster he used in “the Gillan band back in the day”). 

The guitarists often went direct into their amps and preferred minimal effects. “For solos I kicked in a couple pedals, like Uni-Vibes and some phases and flanges,” Murray says, “and Kevin would add some stuff from his magic rack of effects.”

Maiden spent a couple months in Paris tracking Senjutsu, and when the sessions wrapped “everybody went off with grand hopes,” Murray recalls. “We were to get back together and carry on the Legacy of the Beast tour. Then things happened …” 

The “things,” obviously, were the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout, which still have much of the music industry (and the world) in a state of sustained disruption. The Legacy of the Beast tour has been pushed back until 2022, but, thankfully, Senjutsu is here to hold us over. 

Clearly, it’s been a long journey to get this far – and the guitarists are beyond excited that fans are finally going to hear their latest opus. In the following Q&A, which has been condensed and collated for clarity, Murray, Smith and Gers discuss the roots of Senjutsu, how they weave Maiden’s three-guitar “tapestry,” the benefit of embracing musical imperfections and much more.

The pandemic continues to impact so many people’s lives. Iron Maiden are no exception. Bruce getting sick is the latest unfortunate example. Has the guitar been a good distraction during these uncertain times?

ADRIAN SMITH: “Yeah it was, especially during the first part of it. I did a lot of woodshedding, recording and writing. I went through periods for weeks when I was in the studio every day, playing cover versions, working on my singing… It was a great distraction and outlet during a crazy time.”

DAVE MURRAY: “I’ve been playing more acoustic than electric, actually… just keeping my fingers in semi-match shape. [Laughs] Just playing for the fun of it. If we’re sitting down watching a movie, I’ll have a guitar on my lap to keep my fingers working. I’ve been listening to Django Reinhardt. I love his stuff; he’s amazing. It’s difficult to play and really pushes you. I like that gypsy jazz style of playing because it’s fun, exciting, upbeat and happy… That’s what I’ve been doing to keep my fingers on the pulse.”

JANICK GERS: “I play guitar all the time. I have them all over the house. I pick them up and just muck around… I don’t consider it practice. I’ve never been one of those people to sit and practice for six hours. I play quite a lot, but [I’m not] running over scales. Music’s not that for me. I just enjoy playing guitar to bring the emotions out in your playing.”

When did you start writing for Senjutsu? 

SMITH: “I started thinking about the album about a month or two before we went in the studio. I always had recording equipment, going back to the '80s with a little four-track TEAC with the cassettes. I had 2 Minutes to Midnight, Wasted Years that kind of thing on there. Nowadays, Pro Tools is an amazing tool for writing.

“I’m able to bring in fairly sketched-out demos. I had eight or 10 [demos] and various bits or pieces. The main song I had was Senjutsu – with the big Kodo drums at the beginning, going into a very dramatic soundscape. I enjoy the process of seeing a germ of an idea turn into this gigantic sonic wave onstage. It’s really an amazing process… it can be very stressful, though!”

MURRAY: “Sometimes the guys would come in with demos, other times they’d have riffs. Also, a lot of it was worked out in the studio completely from scratch.”

GERS: “There’s no set way we do the writing. The Time Machine, I was intending that to be all acoustic. But I put a guide down on the electric and it sounded so eerie. I thought, Oh, there’s something in there… So we ended up keeping that.”

Senjutsu has some epic compositions on it. Was there a particular song, or guitar moment, that was especially difficult to pull off?

MURRAY: [Laughs] Good question. It’s a lot of heavy riffs and difficult patterns on this album. Complex pieces. A lot of it was getting the timing: If you’re playing a melody line, sometimes you don’t have to be right on the note. You can lag back or push it forward a little bit to create a different kind of feel.

SMITH: “The most difficult ones were the ones I wrote myself, because you’re invested in them so personally. I had a lot of trouble with The Writing on the Wall. You’ve got three guitars playing the same riff – an open D chord – and the intonation is crucial. It’s simple, but it’s got to have the three guitars ringing on that one D chord, and everyone plays the chord slightly differently. 

“We started recording and people were like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s going well.’ And I’m like, ‘Nope. It sounds sour and out of tune.’ I’m very sensitive to that. I had to take a break and walk around Paris for a couple hours to get my head straight. [Laughs] I think we ended up having one guitar play through and then the other guys overdubbed it.”

GERS: “I think the challenging thing was the amount of melodies behind the vocal stuff. But it’s not about me. I’m looking to bring the songs together. From that context I think everything seems to fit and it all feels good.”

Janick, following up on your point of playing for the song: how would you say Dave and Adrian’s styles complement your guitar playing in that pursuit?

GERS: “Dave has got a very legato sound to his playing, a much smoother style. Adrian’s very rhythmic in his playing. He has a different sound to what Dave has, probably a bit more spikey. It’s more of a rock-n-roll sound. Then I bring in a ragged, aggressive, edgy sound that can move in a different way than Dave and Adrian.

“When you put those ways of playing together they balance off each other and give it a different texture. You might have one guitar crashing, one chugging, one playing behind the vocal melody – it’s kind of like a tapestry. 

“All the guitarists in the band are quite dynamic; we can all pull a solo off if we need to. [But] it’s not about ego, it’s about letting other people step forward and helping the song along. If we were egotistical, it wouldn’t work. It would just be guitar battles flying all over the place. It’s supposed to be about emotion.”

Senjutsu does have a lot of emotionally evocative moments. I’m thinking about The Parchment, the lyrical solos and stirring guitar harmonies.

MURRAY: “There’s some mysterious melodies there. It almost reminds me of a movie soundtrack theme…”

SMITH: “I don’t actually write a lot of guitar harmonies in my stuff. I did a little bit on this album, but Steve is crazy for this. He loves guitar harmonies. I’ll take what he writes and put it into a musically [correct form], and he’ll say, ‘No, that sounds too formal.’ So, he’ll get you to play a harmony and then finish on a unison. Or Dave and I will play something and clash, and he’ll go, ‘Ah no, leave that. I like that.’ So, it’s not just like putting a guitar through a harmonizer – it’s got a different edge to it.’”

You’ve all had long and influential careers with Maiden. What is the biggest area in which you’ve grown as players since you first started? 

GERS: “Um, that’s for the people to say, really. [Laughs] I think your guitar playing changes when you get older. There’s no need to go mad all the time. It depends on what the other guitar player is doing. If he’s playing a nice melody there’s no point in you playing the same thing. You’re trying to make the song interesting. It’s not about you.”

SMITH: “As far as composition goes, I seem to be more prolific these days. Years ago, it was a struggle to write something. You’d bring in your ideas and sit there with your guitar [volume] on number one, really clean, and tell the guys, 'Here it goes.' That is difficult. You’re bearing your soul… to a bunch of hairy-ass musicians. [Laughs] But now I can take in my nice Pro Tools demos, and they get the picture straight away.

“As far as playing goes, I grew up singing and playing in a band, so I wasn’t focused 100 percent on guitar. My influences were more [a] bluesy kind of rock. Of course, I loved Ritchie Blackmore, but I had no idea what he was doing. [Laughs] I couldn’t play that. 

“But Pat Travers, Johnny Winter, Paul Kossoff, the Thin Lizzy guitarists … you could get more of the idea. I took that with me in Maiden the first time. … And Dave taught me some stuff and away I went. Then when I left the band [in 1990] I worked with different people. 

“I learned a lot from Roy Z, who was the guitarist in Bruce’s band. [Editor’s note: Dickinson left Maiden in 1993 to focus on his solo career. He rejoined in 1999.] He was very well schooled in technique, and he had a good way of putting it across. It really transformed my playing. So when I rejoined Maiden [in 1999] I felt a lot more confident – especially playing over fast stuff and alternate picking.”

MURRAY: “I think now I feel more open to listen to any type of music. Back then it was blues or rock and that’s it! [Laughs] Now I listen to all sorts of music: jazz and some country rock stuff that’s coming out now, because a lot of it is very heavy. Also, fusion – complicated stuff like Al Di Meola, or anyone who’s playing something you don’t expect. 

“I keep going to Django, but that guy was amazing. For guitarists, and all musicians, it’s about expression. You don’t need to just play fast to express yourself. As they say: one note sounds better than a thousand notes a lot of the time. For guitarists, just enjoy what you’re doing. It’s like, guitar should be a form of therapy. And everybody needs that at the moment. [Laughs]”

• Senjutsu is out now via Parlophone / BMG. 

They are in one of the biggest bands in the world, but when Adrian Smith and Janick Gers talk about guitars, there’s not a trace of arrogance. Quite the opposite. 

Speaking to TG from their homes – Adrian in Buckinghamshire, Janick in the North East – they’re in buoyant mood about the new Iron Maiden album Senjutsu, the 17th studio set of the band’s storied career, and the sixth to feature the three-guitar line-up of Adrian, Janick and Dave Murray. 

But before they get into the fine detail of Senjutsu (the title loosely meaning ‘the art of war’ in Japanese), they both offer sound advice for less experienced players. Janick has a tip for those on a modest budget, having played an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, instead of his usual Strats, when Maiden performed the song If Eternity Should Fail on their last tour. 

“I wanted to do that because if you’re a kid watching Iron Maiden, I don’t want you thinking you’ve got to spend three grand to sound good,” he says. “So many guitar players think expensive guitars sound better, but the reality is people rarely can tell the difference. 

“Decent guitars are out there and everyone can afford them. The difference is very slight – if there was only one guitarist in the band, you might be able to hear the difference between something costing three grand or £500. But there’s three of us, and I couldn’t hear the difference. It tells kids: ‘You can do this, get a guitar, put a band together and get playing! You don’t need to be rich to do this.’ So that’s why I chose to use that guitar.”

And what Adrian says about technique is both instructional and remarkably self-deprecating. This is a man who has written some of Iron Maiden’s greatest songs, notably the '80s anthems Flight Of Icarus and 2 Minutes To Midnight. But in the '90s, when he and singer Bruce Dickinson were out of the band and working together, Adrian had a rude awakening from Roy Z, the other guitarist in Bruce’s band.

“I’ve never really studied technique,” he admits, “because there wasn’t much information around when I was younger. But when I was playing with Roy Z, he actually called me out on it and said, ‘Your technique’s not very good!’ At first I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, mate!’ But he was right.

“He showed me some alternate picking exercises and I worked on them for hours and hours because I had to keep up with him. It really improved my playing and helped me use my fingers in the right way, as well as strengthening them.”

Both of them describe Senjutsu as a challenging album to make, not least due to the complex material provided by the band’s founder and leader, bassist Steve Harris.

Recorded at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris with producer Kevin Shirley, the album was actually completed in 2019, before the global pandemic. And across a range of styles and moods, from straight-up heavy metal to more progressive and folk-influenced textures, there is some truly stunning guitar work.

“There’s so much creativity in this band,” Janick says. “We’re always trying to expand and come up with new things, and on this album, we have such a mixture of sounds and huge choruses too. It’s a double album, and on vinyl it’s a triple! Back in the old days, an album would be 40 minutes max. Well, this is three times that! And that’s what validates this band.”

In every sense, this is a heavyweight album. And in the following track-by-track guide, Adrian and Janick reveal the secrets of its creation – weird tunings, odd time changes and a super-sized solo included!

1. Senjutsu

A dramatic opener that uses Phrygian ideas to hammer home the album’s Eastern themes 

Adrian: “The title track was inspired by Japanese drums. We put my demo up on Pro Tools and Nicko [McBrain, drummer] played along to it. Then we took the digital drums out and added guitars. 

“We got the drum and guitar track ready to go first. I had a couple of melodies and because of the Eastern nature of it, Steve [Harris, bassist] suggested a battle scene – an army trying to scale the walls of a city. Full-on drama!” 

2. Stratego

One of the more succinct offerings, using the same power chord to minor sixth shifts heard on some of the group’s classic '80s material 

Janick: “I wrote a lot of the music for this one and Steve brought his melodies in. It’s a basic rock ’n’ roll track with some extra creativity thrown in. 

Adrian: “That power chord to minor sixth shift is very dark-sounding and always very effective. It sets up a mood and away you go! It defines the sound of the song, with that element of discordance to it.” 

3. The Writing On The Wall 

The lead single that goes from cowboy to Celtic in just 30 seconds 

Adrian: “This was one of my songs so I gave myself a nice long solo! It’s always been 16 bars with Maiden – every solo is that length. I’d never done 32, so I thought I’d give myself double this time. And that was actually quite a challenge, trying to build it up into something interesting. So I did the big melodic solo, then Dave plays one too and Janick plays the outro stuff. But we had a lot of trouble with that main simple riff in the D position. 

“When three guitars play it, because of intonation, it never sounded right to me. Two guitars sounded right but three sounded a bit off. So Janick tracked the higher one and I played the lower one. And that part almost sounds like a horn line.” 

Janick: “There’s definitely a Celtic feel to this one. When we bring songs in, anything goes. Nothing is sacred. That’s what gives this band so much depth. There’s that cowboy feel at the beginning, too. It all goes together really well and still sounds like Iron Maiden.”  

4. Lost In A Lost World

An experimental 10-minuter, with some head-turning time shifts and mirrored vocal melodies 

Adrian: “Steve has a very different take on things, which for the most part is a real strength – because it makes us sound different to anything else. He’s got a knack for these time changes, and sometimes they’re hard to get your head around, but having worked with him for many years, I can almost anticipate where he’s going to go. I think we all can. That’s the beauty of having a band that have played together all these years.”

Janick: “We’re not scared to head off in different directions in the middle of a song. It doesn’t matter how long the song ends up being – if it feels right, be prepared to go there. As for guitar tracks mirroring the vocals, sometimes we might put them down before Bruce and other times we’ll add them after. It’s different each time. It gives the guitars a higher octave and takes the sound to a different place, adding to the vocal line.” 

5. Days Of Future Past 

An uptempo, Smith/Dickinson-penned modern metal rager 

Adrian: “It’s got quite a modern feel in places and it’s only four minutes, so it’s the shortest track on the record. The riff that comes in at 30 seconds feels very fresh and youthful. It uses the E position on the seventh fret and then you use one finger to play a C bass note, then down to the A. 

“It’s almost a Spanish flamenco thing if you play it on acoustic with a bossa nova rhythm, but then you plug into a Marshall and play it differently, it sounds like a rock song! I like that E chord with the movement underneath.” 

6. The Time Machine

The sound of Gers and Harris penning their own prog rock opera 

Janick: “This is the one with the weird tunings for all the extra colour at the beginning. It was actually all done on the Strat. To be honest, I was going to redo it on acoustic, but the Strat had such a weird sound that the acoustic wouldn’t have gotten. 

“I threw everything into the works for this one. We’ve always loved longer, more drawn-out tracks and even though we’re considered heavy metal we can also be folky, edgy, progressive and also very soft in places. In some respects, our way of looking at an album is everything’s possible! 

“All you need, really, is a powerful chorus. Then you layer the guitars, it’s our job to make a tapestry underneath that enhances Bruce’s vocals rather than getting in the way. We have a natural way of playing. We don’t work it out much, it’s just there.”

7. Darkest Hour

A brooding neoclassical ballad with some extra depth from Smith’s double neck 

Adrian: “For this I used my double-neck Jackson, with a six and a 12. It weighs about three-quarters of a ton! But it sounded really good in the studio, especially for a ballad-y kind of song.”  

8. Death Of The Celts 

The first of the album’s three Harris-penned closing tracks – with some surprise shifts from minor to major 

Adrian: “It’s funny – Steve will have these ideas and then look at me, Dave or Janick. The ideas are usually quite complicated, so sometimes you might see guitarists hiding away behind their amps, waiting for the others to take up the gauntlet and learn these super-complicated parts! But we all do our bit. It takes a lot of concentration to play Steve’s stuff. Honestly, it can be quite a challenge.” 

Janick: “We made this album very differently. Normally, we get a studio to rehearse in and then get seven or eight songs ready as a live band first before we record. But this time it was all done in the studio. We went in and actually learned things there, putting them down soon after and then moving on to the next. So it got quite confusing, especially with the longer songs. 

“There were so many melodies and riffs floating around in the studio. Songs like Death Of The Celts were done in parts. Sometimes we’d be playing three-part harmonies together. And there were a lot of tempo changes. Steve would have a riff and melody for us to memorise, then there would be a tempo change, then we’d be back to the melody but a different tempo! It wasn’t an easy album to make.”  

9. The Parchment A

A moody mixture of Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant tonalities on arguably the album’s darkest track

Janick: “This one has that Egyptian feel to it. With Maiden, we love the imagery that comes through the music. We can take people places, and that’s the great thing about music and playing guitar. You think about what you’re playing and how you can transport the listener. That’s something magical.” 

10. Hell On Earth

A fittingly epic conclusion to the album, with mellowed clean tones before the heavy metal thunder arrives…

Adrian: “On those Marshall JVMs, you’ve got two clean channels and two dirty channels, and each one has three different modes. There are a lot of different tonal options there. With clean sounds, compression is very important – well, compression is important in general for recording because it keeps everything tight and punchy-sounding. Maiden have always been known for putting lighter shades in songs. Dynamics are very important to us.” 

Janick: “This is such a thematic end to the album, with so much power. It’s very cinematic and I love how all the guitars interact with each other. It’s heavy but it has so much soul to it. It’s an album we can be proud of. I can’t sit here and tell you this is the best album we’ve ever done. That would be stupid. But I’m very proud of it – as proud as I am of any Maiden album.”

• Senjutsu is out now via Warner Bros.

Last month, metal titans Iron Maiden announced their 17th studio album – and first in six years – Senjutsu. 

Proceeded by the six-minute epic, The Writing on the Wall, the double album has now been joined by a second single, the slimmer, but still classically Maiden Stratego.

Written by guitarist Janick Gers and bassist Steve Harris – the latter of whom co-produced Senjutsu – Stratego gallops along briskly with electric guitar harmonies galore, frontman Bruce Dickinson's operatic cries and a cinematic solo.

You can give it a spin below.

The follow-up to 2015’s The Book Of Souls, Senjutsu was recorded at Guillame Tell Studio in the suburbs of Western Paris and produced by Kevin Shirley, who also produced The Book of Souls.

“We recorded it during a break in the Legacy of the Beast tour,” Dickinson said of the album. “So we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course the pandemic delayed things more – so much for the best laid plans – or should that be ‘strategies’?  

“The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There’s also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised – in a good way, I hope!”

Senjutsu is set for a September 3 release via Warner Bros. You can check out its cover art and track list below.

To preorder the album, step right this way.

Iron Maiden – Senjutsu:

1. Senjutsu
2. Stratego 
3. The Writing On The Wall
4. Lost In A Lost World 
5. Days Of Future Past
6. The Time Machine
7. Darkest Hour 
8. Death Of The Celts
9. The Parchment 
10. Hell On Earth

Bruce Dickinson has discussed the game-changing impact that Metallica’s seminal 1991 self-titled album (known to most as the Black Album) had on the metal world, saying that the band stepped up to the plate to take the genre to the next level at a time when no other group would.

Dickinson made his comments while in conversation with Classic Rock magazine, stating that, despite the slew of household heavy-hitters floating around the scene at the time, Metallica were the only ones to grab metal music by the coat collars and drag it into the limelight.

“Ourselves, Judas Priest and Pantera all reached a crossroads where we had the chance to really step up to the next level,” reflected Dickinson. “But none of us had the balls to do it. Metallica did, though.

“You have to give them huge credit for grabbing the opportunity when it came up,” he continued, “taking the risk and deservedly reaping the enormous rewards. You cannot underestimate their achievement with this album.”

Speaking of crossroads, Dickinson also went on to discuss the impact the Black Album had on the metal world as a whole, saying that the celebrated effort put the playing style in the shop window for a whole new audience when it was released.

He continued, “It’s one of those seminal albums that just gets it right. It’s extremely well-produced, and every note on that album is totally under control. 

“I admire how they did it, and what they did with the songs, and it was very effective: it undoubtedly did help push metal into the mainstream.

“I know it wasn’t Mutt Lange who produced it, but Bob Rock had that similar thing where the producer was very much in control.”

Despite the album’s monumental success – it is now 16x Platinum, having sold over 16 million copies in the US – Dickinson distanced himself and Iron Maiden from trying to make something similar.

“We could never do an album like that,” he admitted, “because we’re not that under control, and we don’t want to be. With us, the wheels would fall off the bus and we’d end up firing the producer!”

2021 marks the Black Albums’ 30th anniversary and, as you’d expect, the legendary band are celebrating the record’s achievements in style.

A fully remastered, deluxe version of the original album is on its way, as is the 53-artist tribute record The Metallica Blacklist, which features covers of classic Black Album tracks from a huge array of artists.

The band have also announced an all-new podcast in collaboration with Amazon – an eight-episode series that will take a deep-dive into the story behind the making of the Black Album – which will arrive on Friday, August 20.

Kirk Hammett recently made his own comments on the band's Black Album, saying, "We wanted a Back In Black," and that "the best parts of that album kind of just wrote themselves".

We apologize for the absence of this column last week, dear readers, for we were attending to Summer NAMM and the deluge of new guitar gear that came with it.

Of course, there was plenty of new guitar-driven music during that time too, the best of which we’ve corralled here for your listening pleasure.

On the menu today is George Lynch’s flirtation with “solo insanity,” the epic return of Iron Maiden, some gossamer funk guitar bliss from Keb Mo,’ a down-tuned, time signature-shifting rocker from Thrice, and more.

So drop your bucket into this well of inspired guitar goodness. You’re sure to come away feeling refreshed.

Samantha Fish – Twisted Ambition

For her new album, Faster, Samantha Fish teamed up with producer Martin Kierszenbaum, whose resumé includes work with the likes of Lady Gaga and Sting.

Now, before you begin to shudder in fear of this top-shelf pop producer robbing Fish of some of the raw magic that’s made her one of the world’s preeminent living blues guitarists, give Faster’s first single, Twisted Ambition, a spin.

Yes, there are some place-setting, pulsing synths, but Fish’s army of Gibson guitars – a Firebird, a Les Paul and, of course, her trusty Alpine White Gibson SG – see plenty of action too, unleashing the swaggering riff that defines the song (which Fish says is about “taking control and owning your life and owning the situation” when “the world or a personal figure might be putting you down”) and its volcanic solo.

With a hugely cathartic and catchy chorus to top it all off, Twisted Ambition is a sign that Fish is ready to take things to the next level, audience-wise, but only on her own, fretboard fireworks-heavy terms. (JM)

Coheed and Cambria – Shoulders 

In their first release in almost three years, subgenre-traversing rockers Coheed and Cambria have come out swinging. From the get-go, guitarists Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever kick things into gear with a hammer-on/pull-off-laden riff, before drummer Josh Eppard and bassist Zach Cooper enter the fray, forming a groove that’ll get anyone nodding along.

It’s more than likely that Shoulders will appear on the band’s much-talked-about, yet little-known-about new album, which Sanchez describes as a “modern record”.

“After making music for so long and entering a pandemic,” he explains, “we didn't want limitations to the creative process. The [next] record is going to be what I hope people perceive this band to be in 2021/2022... It's a Coheed and Cambria record, but it's looking forward, not backwards.”

Oh, and fair warning: listening to the chorus of Shoulders once is enough for it to embed itself in your head for the foreseeable future. Good thing it’s killer, eh? (SR)

Thrice – Scavengers

After graduating from the early-Noughties post-hardcore scene, Thrice have gone on to become one of alternative rock’s most expansive and dynamic bands.

Scavengers is a typically explosive single taken from forthcoming 11th studio effort, Horizons/East, and underlines the band’s increasing confidence in groove and texture, as Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi lean on a gnarly single-note riff that builds to an incendiary chorus in 7/4 time.

Scavengers serves as something of a refinement of the Thrice formula, but as is often the case with the California outfit’s lead-off singles, it could prove something of a Trojan horse, as Horizons/East is said to feature jazz-inspired quartal chords and riffs inspired by – what else – the Fibonacci sequence. (MAB)

Iron Maiden – The Writing On The Wall

Their first new song in six years, The Writing On The Wall sees British heavy metal titans Iron Maiden in fine form, as per. Arguably less heavy than some standouts from their now-gargantuan back catalog, the track sees guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers deliver a series of almost-country-inspired licks – in addition to their typical hard rock stylings.

Of course, what’s an Iron Maiden song without dueling guitars and the odd guitar solo or three? The Smith/Murray/Gers trifecta is on hand to deliver, with everything from 3:44 onwards a lead guitar masterclass. (SR)

George Lynch – Death By A Thousand Licks

It’s amazing that – given his seemingly endless cascade of new projects and explorations of new musical frontiers – George Lynch is only just now releasing his first all-instrumental solo album, Seamless.

Described, quite accurately, by the man himself as “a vehicle for solo insanity,” the album’s first single, Death By A Thousand Licks, is a sub-three-minute roller-coaster ride through many of the gonzo guitar techniques that made Lynch famous.

Unstoppable torrents of harmonics, nervy but powerful high-gain riffing, off-the-cuff light-speed tapping and lead runs… the man – now entering the sixth decade of his career – hasn’t lost a single step.

More importantly though, all these years later, Lynch’s improvisations are still punctuated with the uninhibited joy of someone who can still be inspired to – to borrow another one of his descriptions of this tune – do something “maniacal” with the guitar. (JM)

The War on Drugs – Living Proof

At last, after four long years without any new War on Drugs music, the American indie-rock outfit have returned to the scene with the best news possible – a new studio album, their first since 2017’s Grammy Award-winning A Deeper Understanding, is currently in the works.

Better still, the six-piece shared the record’s serenely smooth lead single, Living Proof, which reacquaints us with their sonic universe by way of some exquisitely composed acoustic guitar lines and vocals. 

Described as an example of the band’s extemporaneously magical chemistry, the track breezes along with an ethereal personality thanks to some cinematic piano chords and wispy strums, which build and swell, until the electric guitar makes its long-awaited entry with one of the simplest, yet gorgeously constructed, solos from the band’s celebrated repertoire.

We’d wager there will be a fair few up-tempo head-bangers, generational indie-rock riffs and oversized hooks you’ll be humming to yourself for days on end hidden among the upcoming effort’s 10-string tracklist, though, for now, Living Proof is everything you could want from a War on Drugs single and more. (MO)

Tremonti – If Not For You

Whether he’s pumping out molten riffage with Alter Bridge or laying down chunky powerchords with Creed, Mark Tremonti is one of modern rock’s most bankable six-stringers, and this latest track is another blockbuster smash.

Certainly, Tremonti and co-guitarist Eric Friedman’s tones have never been chunkier, with meaty ascending powerchords flanked by a descending lead line – and there’s more PRS in that video than you can shake an SE at.

Yet it’s Tremonti’s irrepressible desire to work on his already-formidable playing that continues to make him such an enthralling soloist, and the three-and-a-half-minute mark brings a lead that’s simultaneously rooted in blues and propelled by shred – typical of the approach of GW’s 2010-2019 guitarist of the decade. (MAB)

Underoath – Damn Excuses

Underoath’s most recent album, the Grammy-nominated Erase Me, was a total masterclass in modern metal. So naturally, we were stoked when we heard the Florida six-piece had dropped their new single, Damn Excuses.

Recorded at guitarist Timothy McTague’s Tampa studio Feral Sound, the track doesn’t beat around the bush, shifting gears 30 seconds in into a groove driven by drop-tuned riff work, pummeling drums and the killer vocals of frontman Spencer Chamberlain.

“This song came out of nowhere for us,” keyboardist Chris Dudley explains. “In hindsight, it probably stems emotionally from the anxiousness that a year of isolation will give you, and that ‘wanting-to-explode’ feeling came out with zero effort. It was therapeutic. This is us ready to get back into a loud room with sweaty people and experience something real together.” (SR)

The Linda Lindas – Oh!

Having just about broken the internet with an explosive performance of their ferocious song Racist Sexist Boy at the Los Angeles Public Library (getting themselves a record deal with Epitaph in the process), L.A. quartet The Linda Lindas are back with a new single, the infectious Oh!

Serving up the best platter of buzzsaw guitars, metronomic drumming and bubblegum hooks since the the Ramones walked the earth, Oh! is a remarkably cohesive statement from a group whose members range in age from 10 (!) to 16.

In recent months, everyone from Machine Gun Kelly to Willow Smith and Olivia Rodrigo have taken punk’s musical stylings back to preeminence on the charts and on the radio. 

There’s no reason to think – with their obvious talent, spunk and already-wide range of enthusiastic endorsements – that The Linda Lindas won’t follow in their footsteps at some point. (JM)

Keb’ Mo’ – Sunny and Warm

It’s as if mother nature sensed the return of Keb’ Mo’, what with his easygoing new single Sunny and Warm conveying all the sunshine and warmth we’re currently experiencing. 

The prolific blues titan’s first new music since his 2019 effort Moonlight, Mistletoe & You, Sunny and Warm is classic Keb’, featuring some gorgeous instrumentation, easy-listening lyrics and a sway-inducing sensation cemented by some subtle shakers and bongo beats.

Sitting atop the whirly organs and cinematic string soundscapes is Mo’s guitar, which takes a humble backseat as it reels off some treble-y chord slides and snaps. The Grammy Award-winning artist then ups the ante with an oh-so silky solo that raises the heat courtesy of some tasty chromatic licks and pentatonic runs.

The soundtrack of the summer? Quite possibly. No matter what, it’s a surefire, set-in-stone single that deserves to make its way onto your playlists for the latter half of the year. (MO)

Indigo De Souza – Hold U

Don’t let the track’s laidback synth and drum machine opener fool you: this single from the Saddle Creek singer-songwriter is a funk-pop guitar banger.

With lithe low-string lines that mirror the infectious vocal line, and a euphoric vibe reinforced by clean chordal chimes and lashings of shimmer reverb, Hold U sounds like the missing link between Nile Rodgers and the Strokes – and that’s a fusion we can most definitely get behind. (MAB)

The Lazy Eyes – The Island

The psychedelic scene is filled with an abundance of promising up-and-coming groups, each of whom seek to stake their claim as one of the genre’s most formidable prospects, worthy of “The Next Big Thing” mantle. If new single The Island is anything to go by, Aussie four-piece The Lazy Eyes are up there with some of the best, and have as much a claim to it as anyone else currently around.

Their relatively stripped-back instrumentation, which feels somewhat like a deliberately constructed sonic jigsaw, packs a pretty potent psych-inspired punch, and has everything fans of the genre could want. Whirly synths, Tame Impala-esque vocals and modulated guitars all make the cut, as does a riotous, fuzz-laden epilogue that transforms the track from a breezy romp into an ominous chug-a-thon.

Lucky for us, there's more where that came from, as the band has also recently released their second EP, EP2. (MO)

British metal icons Iron Maiden will release their new double album Senjutsu this fall.

The record is the band’s 17th studio album and the announcement comes on hot on the heels of the six-minute single The Writing On The Wall, which debuted on Thursday.

Kevin Shirley has once again returned to produce on Senjutsu and, as with 2000’s Brave New World and 2015’s The Book Of Souls, the new album was recorded at Guillame Tell Studio in the suburbs of Western Paris.

“The place has such a relaxed vibe,” says Steve Harris. “The setup there is perfect for our needs; the building used to be a cinema and has a really high ceiling so there’s a great acoustic sound. We recorded this album in the same way we did The Book Of Souls in that we’d write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds. 

“There’s some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort! I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.”

The title reportedly translates from the original Japanese term as “tactics and strategy” and the album's cover features the band’s mascot Eddie reimagined as a samurai warrior. 

Indeed, in the video for The Writing On The Wall, Eddie takes on the samurai guise in order to battle the warped leaders of the world’s great nations, all amid a post-apocalyptic landscape (it is a Maiden video, after all). 

Guitar-wise, the tones feel rougher and rawer than recent productions, with more of an off-the-cuff live feel and a generous handful of earworm riffs.

That first single runs to over six minutes but is among the shorter tracks on the record, with most of the the albums 10 tracks clocking in at over seven minutes. 

You would be forgiven for thinking it is the inevitable result of a band with time on their hands during the live downturn of the last 18 months, but the record was actually made in early 2019.

“We recorded it during a break in the Legacy tour,” says Bruce Dickinson. “So we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course the pandemic delayed things more - so much for the best laid plans – or should that be ‘strategies’!?  

“The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There’s also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised - in a good way, I hope!”

Senjutsu will be released on September 3, 2021 and available in a variety of formats including heavyweight vinyl and a deluxe boxset. Check out the full tracklisting and format list below.

Senjutsu tracklist

1. Senjutsu (8:20) - Smith/Harris
2. Stratego (4:59) - Gers/Harris
3. The Writing On The Wall (6:13) - Smith/Dickinson
4. Lost In A Lost World (9:31) - Harris
5. Days Of Future Past (4:03) - Smith/Dickinson
6. The Time Machine (7:09) - Gers/Harris
7. Darkest Hour (7:20) - Smith/Dickinson
8. Death Of The Celts (10:20) - Harris
9. The Parchment (12:39) - Harris
10. Hell On Earth (11:19) - Harris 

Senjutsu release formats

• Standard 2CD Digipak
• Deluxe 2CD Book Format
• Deluxe heavyweight 180G Triple Black Vinyl
• Special Edition Triple Silver and Black Marble Vinyl (Selected Retailers)
• Special Edition Triple Red and Black Marble Vinyl (Selected Retailers)
• Super Deluxe Boxset featuring CD, Blu Ray and Exclusive Memorabilia
• Digital album (streaming and download)

It's been quite awhile since we last heard new music from metal legends Iron Maiden – six years in total.

That wait ends today with the band's new single, the appropriately epic The Writing On The Wall. Written by Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith & frontman Bruce Dickinson, the song was produced by Kevin Shirley with assistance from the band's bassist, Steve Harris.

The song's beautiful music video was created by two former Pixar executives – Mark Andrews and Andrew Gordon (both of whom are massive Iron Maiden fans) – and the London-based animation studio BlinkInk.

You can give the song, and its video, a spin below.

“I had a pretty clear idea of the concept to accompany the song and when I met Mark and Andrew, on Zoom, it quickly became clear we were all very much on the same wavelength, and this was reinforced with the addition of Nicos and his young BlinkInk team," Dickinson said of the video in a statement. "Our weekly team Zoom meetings were then usually both highly creative and a lot of fun!  
 
“I’m very proud of the way the video turned out, it’s more like a mini-film really. I knew it was going to work out as soon as Mark brought my treatment to life with his incredible storyboards – I thought we could make something very special together. I think we did and hope our fans will agree. In fact it’s pretty much created by Maiden fans!”

No word yet on whether or not this is the lead single from a potential follow-up to the band's last studio effort, 2015's The Book of Souls, but we'll definitely keep our eyes peeled. 

In the meantime, if you're craving some more Adrian Smith hard-rock guitar heroics, you'd do well to check out his new album with Richie Kotzen.

Following the death of Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark in 1991, Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith was strongly considered to fill the slot, according to Rick Allen.

In a new interview with eonmusic, the long-serving drummer reveals that he “really loved the idea” of Smith joining the band.

“I mean, there was a kid called Huwey Lucas that was a contender; there was [ex-Thin Lizzy/Blue Murder guitarist] John Sykes; there were all these people kind of lined up.”

“It's interesting,” he continues, “you put somebody in a slightly different situation and new things are revealed about them, and it was cool. It was a complement that he was so into it. But I think ultimately, Vivian [Campbell] was the absolutely perfect choice.”

Adrian Smith – who left Iron Maiden in 1990 before rejoining in 1999 – cautiously revealed in a 2020 interview, also with eonmusic, that he was considered for the role.

“Yeah I was. I’m not sure… I want to write more books; that might be in my next one! [Laughing] There’s whole story about that.” 

Smith was referring to a potential followup to his 2020 fishing book, Monsters of River & Rock: My Life As Iron Maiden's Compulsive Angler.

Also in the eonmusic interview, Rick Allen remembers Steve Clark. “I found Steve to be a very deep person; a very deep thinker,” he says. “I miss him every day.”

Because yesterday was Sunday, King Crimson electric guitar legend Robert Fripp and his wife, artist and singer Toyah Wilcox, unveiled the newest installment of their weekly “Sunday Lunch” series of YouTube cover songs.

But because this was also no ordinary Sunday – rather, it was Easter Sunday – Fripp and Wilcox had something special up their sleeves: a bunny-themed performance of Iron Maiden’s 1982 classic, The Number of the Beast.

Witness Wilcox belt out the tune with Dickinson-ian strength, while wearing rabbit ears and holding a pair of carrots. 

Witness the ever-stoic Fripp rip the song's iconic licks on his Fernades Custom Gold electric guitar. 

Witness tattooed co-guitarist “Sidney Jake” riff along in his, um, black-and-gold devil-gimp getup.

As Wilcox writes in the YouTube caption accompanying the video, “Be afraid - Very Afraid!!!”

Ever wonder what Enter Sandman would sound like if it were performed by Iron Maiden?

No? Well, now, you have the answer anyway, courtesy of Jarkko Vaajasaari. 

The YouTuber, who runs the channel Börje Unchained, recently posted an impressive video of Sandman played in the style of Slipknot, and then asked his followers to suggest another “band” to have tackle the Metallica classic.  

The overwhelming choice? Iron Maiden.

We have to say, Vaajasaari does an incredible job of nailing the Adrian Smith- and Dave Murray-style electric guitar parts, as well as Steve Harris’ bass and Nicko McBrain’s drums. And a special “scream for me!” goes out to Robin Roy, who is a dead vocal ringer for Bruce Dickinson.

As for the masks?

“Yeah, I know the masks are horrible,” Vaajasaari writes in the video. “But I spent a long time making them, so there was no chance I wasn’t going to use them.”

You can check out the “Iron Maiden” version of Enter Sandman above, and head to Vaajasaari’s YouTube page to help choose the next band to take on Sandman.

An original Jackson Custom Shop prototype electric guitar that was played by Adrian Smith on Iron Maiden's recent Legacy of the Beast tour has joined the list of guitars that have gone up for charity raffle to support Stagehand's #ILoveLive campaign.

Heavy metal icons Iron Maiden have donated the Jackson Custom Shop Adrian Smith San Dimas 2 Minutes to Midnight prototype model in aid of the cause, which seeks to help UK live crew members who have been affected by the pandemic.

Sporting a striking 2 Minutes to Midnight artwork designed by Craig Fraser, the guitar features an alder body, a one-piece bolt-on maple neck, maple fretboard and a Floyd Rose Original Double Locking two-point tremolo.

Other appointments to this one-of-a-kind axe include a DiMarzio DP100F Super Distortion pickup controlled via volume and tone controls, in addition to a 12"-16" compound radius and Jackson Sealed Die-Cast tuners.

As well as being the proud owner of the unique instrument, the winner of the raffle will also be given the chance to bring the guitar to an Iron Maiden show of their choice to have it signed by the entire band.

Other prizes up for grabs include handwritten lyrics for 2 Minutes to Midnight signed by Bruce Dickinson, and two VIP passes to a future Iron Maiden show where you will watch the performance from the mixing desk.

As per the other #ILoveLive raffles, entry level tickets can be purchased through £10, £20, £30 or £50 donations, which works out to be approximately $14, $28, $42 and $70.

Entries can be purchased between February 17 and March 17, with the winner being picked at random on March 24.

Stagehand's #ILoveLive campaign looks to support live crew members who have been hit by the impact of the pandemic, and provides support to those who have struggled with the absence of live music.

To enter the prize draw, head over to Stagehand's Crowdfunder page, and visit Stagehand to learn more about its mission.

The Custom Shop Jackson joins a number of other guitars being raffled off to support the #ILoveLive campaign, including a limited-edition Muse-signed Manson guitar.

Since joining Iron Maiden more than 40 years ago, Adrian Smith has toured the world and played to millions of fans. But if you look beyond his time spent on stage, a traveling musician can have a lot of down time. 

Smith recently published his first book, Monsters of River & Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler, which chronicles his love of fishing and how it helps keep him grounded.

You just published Monsters of River & Rock. How did the idea come about?

“I was sitting around with friends one evening, just talking stories, and somebody said I should write books. That was the seed of it, really. So I did a couple of test chapters. 

“I’d already written a few things I was going to send to fishing magazines, but I never did. I took them out and sent a few test chapters to some publishers and got some feedback from [the publisher]. That was it – I started off writing.”

Why a fishing book and not a scathing, tell-all book about the people you’ve dealt with in the music business?

“I don’t think I could do that. It’s just not my personality. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of doing a book in the future purely on life in music. This started off as a 100-percent fishing book. 

“As I went on, I found there were parallels with my two passions of fishing and music. I found I was combining them more. I’d say it’s probably 70 percent fishing and 30 percent is stories from the road, the studio and personal stuff. 

“I don’t think at this point I would do an autobiography on purely music. The publisher thought it would be interesting to do sort of a cross-over style.”

You’ve written many songs over the years. Do you feel anxiety over presenting your written work? We know you as Adrian Smith the musician. Writing a book is, I would imagine, a completely different window into the world of Adrian Smith. 

“It’s very easy to write. I enjoy the process of looking back over my life and reflecting on the changes I’ve seen. There’s some quite personal stuff in there about the highs and lows of being in a successful band and touring, especially in the '80s when it was kind of crazy with drugs and alcohol and stuff like that. Just wild times. 

“But it took me back to fishing – when things got a bit rough. I was able to take a bit of time off. For example, after the Powerslave tour, which was almost 13 months of straight touring, we were all kind of fried. I remember sitting in a hotel room in LA after that just being zonked out, and my girlfriend, now my wife, suggested we take a trip to Canada. 

“That forms the basis of one of the chapters in the book. It is sort of restoring to me going out in the wilderness to just sit in a boat in the middle of a lake with no man-made sounds and just cast out a fly. It just did me the world of good. That led me to thinking about how fishing is a great balance for the crazy times you have sometimes in a successful band.”

You talked in the book about fishing as a youngster, then getting away from it when you got a little older and getting heavily into music and the guitar. Fishing is obviously quite different from the madness of touring. Was it hard for you when you rediscovered fishing to kind of let yourself relax, or was that an easy thing to kind of get back into?

I think the difference is if you go on holiday and you’re sitting on a beach. I’ve never liked that. I’d like to be doing something. I use a line from a famous Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly. He said fishing is like meditation, but with a punchline. 

“In other words, you can get totally absorbed in the process of fishing. You get all your stuff ready and go out and find a nice, quiet spot. Then you get the excitement of maybe contacting something big and wild on your line as well. So it is that excitement. It definitely balances you out.”

You often hear the joke that they call it fishing and not catching. Do you enjoy the days when you’re out there maybe in your chest waders in some cold stream trying to catch a trout and maybe you come up empty? Is that still enjoyable or are you more about the thrill of the catch?

“It’s all about being out there for me. You know, it’s nice to catch a fish and that is the point of the exercise. But it’s the journey you go on to do it and the places you visit. I’ve been lucky enough to fish all over the world and not always successfully, but sometimes you can just enjoy being out. 

“I mean, I could walk for miles along a river without fishing just looking at the pools, looking under the bushes and just looking for fish. I just love being out there. The moving water just does something to me. It’s just good for the soul.”

When you look at a tour itinerary do you think I’m going to be here, here and here, I could sneak away and go two hours east on this day and hit this river or on this off day I could hit Lake So-and-So that might be on your fishing bucket list for lack of a better term?

“Yeah, absolutely. I think you have to. Let’s face it, we’ve been touring for a long, long time. These days it is slightly less at about three months a year. But even so, you have to have a balance. Otherwise, it’s just two hours of fun on stage and 22 hours of killing time. 

“So, yeah, it’s great. You know, some of the guys play golf. I mean, I remember when we toured with Judas Priest back in the '80s and Glenn [Tipton] and KK [Downing] used to go off and play golf on days off, which we thought was strange. 

“They used to turn up backstage in their golf gear before they went on. Then the next time you would see them they would be in their leathers and stuff. They had it worked out and you have to have the balance between work and play. There’s a chapter in the book called 'Sturgeon and Falling Over in Vancouver.'

“I was in Vancouver sometime around maybe 2015, something like that. We played the show and I remember it because I actually fell on my ass on stage in the middle of Fear of the Dark. 

“We were doing this big instrumental bit and the lights were blazing. There were 15,000, 20,000 people out there and the other guys still used guitar leads. I was wireless in those days and have been for years. But Dave Murray went behind me and his roadie forgot to let out the lead on his guitar and it was stretched taut behind me. 

“I moved backwards without looking and down I went. That is a very, very peculiar feeling falling over in that situation. So, I just got that in the book. Then the next day I decided I wanted to check out the frozen river at a place called Chilliwack [British Columbia]. 

“So I hired a car, went up there, hired a guide and just went out sturgeon fishing. We caught two sturgeon topping 100lbs. That was a great weekend. I do look at itineraries and maybe think about cramming in a bit of fishing.”

Do you get recognized much when you’re fishing? I mean, obviously when you’re outside of a venue or in a hotel people might be swarming around looking for autographs. Do you find yourself tucked away somewhere at a lake and have people kind of come up? Or can you get away with a ball cap and some polarized glasses?

“It does happen, but usually people of my generation that aren’t crazy teenagers. So they might come up and say, how’s it going or that they may have seen you at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985 or something. They are very cool about it. 

“One time I was in Ireland, I was actually fishing with my dad, in the west of Ireland on a river called the Rogue River. We were trout fishing and some kids from the local village recognized me. I saw that they were following me, but they were very shy. 

“Then I was fishing. I looked up and I could see them on a bridge, and they were waving an album that they wanted me to sign. I said why didn’t they come down. 

“And I came out of the river and I was signing their album. It was Number of the Beast. As I was doing that these two Irish nuns came along the river and they came over to see what all the fuss was about. 

“I will never forget, one of them picked up The Number of the Beast and it’s got Eddie and the devil. I’m like, oh, my God she’s going to drag me straight to the church and hear my confession. But she just laughed. She thought it was great and went on her way.”

You’ve had a signature-model guitar with Jackson for years. Would you ever consider doing any signature fishing gear? 

”Yeah, I’ve got some ideas about stuff unique to me that I’d like to do. I haven’t been approached by anyone as yet. I could certainly think of a few ideas over the years that I’ve come up with out of necessity for my own fishing. 

“Maybe I could give something back there and help some other people with some items of gear. That’ll be fun.”

Monsters of River & Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler (BMG Books, 2020) is available now.

Iron Maiden’s three-man electric guitar lineup of Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers has been going strong for a good two decades now. But according to Smith – who left Iron Maiden in 1990 and was replaced by Gers, who then stayed on when Smith rejoined in 1999 – the idea initially didn't seem so obvious.

In a new interview with the My Planet Rocks show (via Blabbermouth), Smith explained, “it could have gone horribly wrong, couldn't it? I mean, imagine that with three Yngwies or three Ritchie Blackmores. It wouldn't work.”

He continued, "Dave [Murray] and I go way back. At first, maybe I thought that Jan and I would do half a set each or something. But Steve [Harris, Iron Maiden bassist] came up with this mad idea. He suggested to them to have three guitarists. I'd like to have been in the room when he said that. But we tried it out.

"We went down to Portugal. We started knocking a few ideas together in this warehouse. It was like a motorcycle club; there was all these motorbikes in there. We were all standing and looking at each other, and someone said, 'Anyone got any ideas?' So I said, 'I've got a riff.' So I had The Wicker Man, and we started playing it, and it just clicked. So we went on from there."

As for how things have gone since then, he said, “It works out. Amazingly enough, it works out. In the old stuff, there's so many harmonies, unison solos, riffs — I mean, it's so much work. It actually really works well with three guitars, especially live."

Like every other band in existence, Iron Maiden cancelled all of their 2020 live dates in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Smith has been keeping busy, preparing for the release of his first book, Monsters of River & Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler, and also, it seems, collaborating with Richie Kotzen.