Randall Amps is readying its “next generation” of gear after an extended period of inactivity.

The classic metal amp brand – which has been championed and beloved by the likes of Kirk Hammett, Dimebag Darrell, and Scott Ian, among others, over the decades – has faded into the background in recent years.

Randall was a major player in the 1980s and 1990s, and Mike Fortin was hired in 2011 to make new signature amps for Hammett and Ian. But since his departure circa 2016, the amp-building heavyweights have had a diminishing presence.

Posting on its newly revived Instagram page, the firm is talking up an exciting second coming.

“To the Randall family, thank you for your continued support, loyalty, and patience over the past few years as we reignite our product development and production efforts,” the statement reads.

“In the coming weeks, you'll begin to see many of our recent models become available again, followed by the return of some of the most iconic Randall products from the past – all delivering the signature high-gain Randall tone you know and love.

“As we shape the next generation of Randall gear, your feedback and support continue to motivate and inspire us,” it adds. “Stay tuned, this is only the beginning.”

Hammett’s latest signature head, the KH103, arrived in 2015, so a successor seems like an obvious choice, as do potential collaborations with Scott Ian and another Randall champion, Kirk Weinstein.

The post also hints at the revival of classic models, so could we see the return of the RG100ES and Century 200 heads used by Dimebag? Or the O.G. Warhead that the Pantera guitar great played? It remains to be seen.

Aa recent (ish) Instagram post also hints at a very different signature release being on the horizon.

The first post on its refreshed social page, 10 weeks ago, featured Dimebag’s signature guitar, the Dean Razorback, leaning against a Randall cab.

“Working on a tribute to the man who started it all for me as a musician,” the caption read. Following that were a trio of posts that confirmed the firm was back “back and louder.”

The news comes after some other surprising amp restorations, first with Gibson’s return to the amp game, and then with Dumble’s surprise comeback.

Dave Mustaine has divulged that he believes that he’s had a massive influence on his fellow Big Four of thrash metal, namely, Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax.

In an interview with São Paulo, Brazil's 89 FM A Rádio Rock radio station [via Blabbermouth], Mustaine shares his honest thoughts on the metal community and his overarching legacy.

“I’ve been very invested in the metal community,” he says. “Kerry [King, Slayer guitarist] and I played together [during the early days of both bands], and I showed him how to play Megadeth songs, which was before [Slayer] started having all their pivotal records. Kerry and I had a really great time together.”

As for Metallica, the band he was the lead guitarist for between 1982 and 1983, he asserts, “I wrote music in Metallica, and I wrote music in Megadeth. So I’ve been very influential with the guitar with these three bands.”

He also believes he had an influence on Anthrax’s Scott Ian, stating that the band started crafting a different sound after they met Mustaine-era Metallica.

“When I met Scott and the guys in Anthrax out in New York, same thing happened. Their first record was very different from the record they made after they met me and the guys in Metallica. So I think that's great.”

Ultimately, though, Mustaine is quick to clarify that, “I love all those bands.”

Megadeth recently released their seventeenth and final album, and Mustaine gave Guitar World an exclusive track-by-track rundown of his swan song.

“Anxiously awaited” is an understatement when it comes to Deftones' 10th album, and the band has finally announced that private music will be reaching fans on August 22.

Speaking about the new album in a candid conversation with Zane Lowe, Stephen Carpenter and Chino Moreno wax lyrical about crafting sounds before creating songs – and embracing both instinct and unfamiliarity.

“We're creating soundscapes, if you will, and there's just some things for me, my instinct, and where I gravitate to always is hearing a chord ring out or palm muted stuff, that's what I'm really into,” asserts Carpenter.

“I'm at a place now where I'm more interested in putting in stuff that I'm unfamiliar with and trying to be more than just the power chord. But I still end up back there, that's the problem.”

“It's funny though,” adds Moreno. “I don't think this is something we'd be proud of specifically, but as a band, as I think as musicians and as a band, I feel like we're much more into making sound than we are writing songs. The sounds are what really inspire us. When we start making music, honestly. No one ever goes, ‘Oh, let's go from this chord to this chord and this chord.’”

Moreno goes on to say that when the band made their third album, 2000's White Pony, the only idea they had at the time was that they wanted drums and low-end sub-bass, after being “really, really into [DJ and producer] DJ Shadow at the time.

“Our record didn't turn out sounding like that, but this is what inspired us, right? The sound, not so much the song or a lyric or anything like that. All that stuff kind of comes secondary.”

As for who still inspires him “to this day,” Carpenter is not hesitant to reply that he's got “the sound of Faith No More’s Jim Martin and Scott Ian entrenched in my brain. And no matter what I try to do, I always go back to those sounds.

“The sound of a nice power chord is what always satisfies me,” he says matter-of-factly. “Now it doesn't mean I don't enjoy the rest. I just love that sound. That's what works the best for me, what makes me feel good and have fun.”

The album marks Deftones’ third collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, who had previously helmed 2010's Diamond Eyes and 2012's Koi No Yokan.

Carpenter had previously teased the tones fans can expect from the new album last year, when he shared his hot take on factory presets.

Considering that they’re old pals, Scott Ian wasn’t surprised to get a random text from Tom Morello. The surprising part was the text’s content: “Do you want to come jam a Sabbath song at the final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham on July 5?”

Obviously, Ian – a lifelong Sabbath devotee – was in. Soon, the rest of Anthrax was in too.

“It’s mind-blowing,” Ian says. “I’ve been flipping out. It’s hard to believe it’s real. It’s not hard for me to think back to my childhood discovering them – and the earliest days of Anthrax. We were a bunch of kids in Queens [New York], doing our best to emulate the bands we loved, thinking, ‘Could you imagine if we ever got to do this?’”

Were you nervous when you got Tom Morello’s text?

“Tom had texted me because we’re friends, so we’ll text each other out of the blue, and I got this text, which I read back quickly. In my brain, I got so excited reading the text that I thought he was asking me if I wanted to play a song with Black Sabbath onstage at some final show that I knew nothing about – but that Tom is now texting me about. [Laughs]

“I literally started sweating, like, the thought of that… I was like, ‘How is this even possible?’ Then I calmed down, looked at the text again and realized, ‘Okay, he’s not talking about me playing with Sabbath together onstage with them.’ I was equally excited about it – just much less nervous.”

Do you remember the first time you heard Sabbath?

“My uncle Mitch, who is only 10 years older than me – and this would have been when we were still in Queens – we used to go over there a lot, and I’d sit in his room.

“He had these cool rock and black-light posters on the wall, and he had a huge collection of vinyl and comic books. It was like my dream room! I’d go through his records, and I was eight years old. One time, I pulled out the first Black Sabbath record.”

That cover must have been a real sight for an eight-year-old.

“I was intrigued! I was like, ‘What is this? Is it like a witch or something?’ I didn’t know from looking at it, and I said, ‘What’s Black Sabbath?’ My cousin said, 'Oh, that’s acid rock…’ That’s how he described them, which meant nothing to me and still means nothing to me. [Laughs]

“But he took it out, the record started, and I heard the sound effects and the bell, and I’m like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ Now I’m sitting there scared, and there’s some haunted-house shit going on… it sounds cliché, but it just completely changed the whole mood.”

How do you measure the influence of Tony Iommi on you as a guitarist?

“Tony was such a big influence on me as a kid. I actually tried to play lefty… it didn’t work. [Laughs] I tried as hard as I could because I was convinced that him playing lefty was part of why he sounded so evil.

“I was like, ‘He’s the only left-handed player I’ve ever heard of, so it must have something to do with that.’ But I can’t even quantify it because I grew up learning by listening to Tony, the down-picking, the tone and the galloping.”

Where would heavy metal be without Black Sabbath?

“It wouldn’t be. Without Sabbath, Judas Priest wouldn’t have become the band they became, and then there’d be no Iron Maiden and so on and so on.

“Maybe there would have been another band… maybe in an alternate universe, there’s some other band that would have been like Black Sabbath is in our universe but without them… I don’t know. I can’t tell you that metal would exist the way it does in 2025 without them.”

What’s your favorite original-lineup Sabbath riff?

“The first thing that popped into my head is Into the Void, for whatever reason. There’s just something about that riff; it’s got what I consider to be the origin of thrash metal. The bridge in the middle, where they pick it up, and Bill [Ward] starts playing double kick – to me, that’s the beginning of thrash metal.”

Once you get onstage, what’ll be the biggest challenge in terms of doing justice to Tony’s unique style, which seems simple… until you try.

“Sabbath and AC/DC are similar to me because people make the mistake of thinking, ‘That’s so easy. It’s like a caveman. Anyone could play those parts.’ If they could, they would. That’s why there’s never been another Black Sabbath or another AC/DC – nobody else can do it!

“Nobody else could play those parts the way those guys do. They’re original entities on guitar, and that’s why I don’t even try. I play it the way I play it. We’ve always been a band that tries to honor it.”

Can you tell us what you’ll be playing?

“No! I’m not going to give away the song we’re playing. And I don’t think this is public knowledge, either, like the way it works for most of the bands on the bill; you do a Sabbath cover and one of your own.”

Have you gotten to meet or play with the Sabbath guys before, and what does it mean to be a part of this final show?

“Yeah, [Anthrax] played with them in ’05 at Download [Festival], I think. I got to stand on the side and watch them play. That would have been the last time I saw them. If I weren’t a part of this show, I’d still be going; I’d make the pilgrimage, be there all day and watch the whole thing.”

You’ve done a ton of cool things, but this seems like it’ll be at the top of your list when you look back.

“It’ll be high up there. Some of the coolest moments of my life are just having been involved with the fact that I got to stand and talk to Tony Iommi. He’s always been just so wonderful and fantastic to speak with. I call them ‘Who let me in here?’ moments, where it’s hard to believe I get to do this.”

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Anthrax’s lovable riff machine Scott Ian has refreshed his Jackson signature guitar, with the X-Series King V KVXT decked out in a gorgeous black-and-gold colorway, and bringing back one of its earliest logos for the headstock.

The core recipe of Ian's signature brew – which was first released in 2010 – remains in place. His preferred trio of tonewoods – a mahogany body, through body maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard – are joined by an adjustable Jackson TOM-style bridge and two “very high output” Jackson humbuckers, making for a weaponized 24.75" scale machine.

Ian wanted the 'buckers to “make it easy to get that chug,” even if you don’t have the “caveman right hand” that the rhythm maestro has built his career on. But it isn’t all about gnarly metal riffs – “I could imagine blues players like Joe Bonamassa getting their hands on one of these and shredding it,” he says. “It's not for metal only.”

Visually, the guitar has had a major overhaul, with a black-and-gold theme as its aesthetic muse. Specs helping the cause include gold die-cast tuners, black speed knobs, a black pickguard for subtly vintage chic, and pearloid block inlays.

“I wanted something that really evoked precision,” Ian reveals. “I wanted it to look tight and look great. I hadn't seen anything like the black and gold combination in a long time. That's always the hardest thing; coming up with something new. The colorway works amazing, and of course, the old-school Jackson logo is the piece the resistance. I love it.”

He actually credits his longtime guitar tech Mike Tempesta – who provided a guest solo on their 1995 track American Pompei and is the brother of Cult guitarist John Tempesta – for the color combo. Either way, it looks killer and extends his love affair with the V shape.

“I've kind of always been a V guy, even though maybe a lot of people think of me as a Soloist guy,” he continues. “When I started playing in Anthrax, my two main guitars were a Rhoads and an ’81 Gibson V.”

The revival of his collaborative relationship with Jackson – whose Lee Malia signature has been a best-seller this year – also comes at an important moment in his life.

“This is the Bruce Lee era of my career,” he says, with the pointy axe in his lap. “I turned 60 last year and I decided that my birthday present to myself was getting my ass in shape. I started training and working out. This guitar came along at the same time and I think that's what this guitar represents: looking like a badass but still being an idiot.”

The guitar also adds to Ian's healthy collection of badass Vs, with his jaw-dropping Frankenstein V, built as a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, the pick of the bunch. The virtuoso’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, had played a key role in bringing the guitar to life – which, by being a Jackson V, also doffs its cap to Randy Rhoads.

Other recent Jackson signature drops include its historic release with Tetrach's Diamond Rowe, a concert bass for MD to the stars Adam Blackstone, and Jinjer's Roman Ibramkhalilov’s beastly baritone.

The Jackson X-Series Scott Ian King V KVXT is available now for $799.99.

Visit Jackson to get a closer look.

In more recent Anthrax news, the iconic band are due to appear at Black Sabbath’s final show (which metal band isn’t?!) but, he says, only after he jealously approached Tom Morello about squeezing onto the already packed bill.

Gary Holt may be one of the most recognizable names in thrash metal – but that doesn't mean the Exodus and Slayer pioneer doesn't appreciate or own budget effects pedals. In fact, Mooer Audio – known for its pedals' road-proof casings, small footprint, and affordability – is one of Holt's top brands when it comes to analog pedals.

“Dude, the Mooer pedals are some of the best pedals I own,” he tells Guitar World. “I’ve got the 005 Brown Sound, which is a 5150 micro pedal. I’ve plugged it into the effects return of a [Marshall] Jubilee combo and it’s so crushing.”

This mini-pedal is based on the original Peavey 5150, which was released in the early ’90s as Eddie Van Halen's official signature amp. Eventually, it became synonymous with the hard rock and metal scenes due to its revered high-gain tone. As the name suggests, Mooer's 005 Brown Sound aims to emulate EVH's so-called “Brown Sound” – and, if Holt's opinion is anything to go by, it does the job well.

“I sent a video of it to Scott Ian [Anthrax, who supported Slayer on their farewell tour], and I said, ‘Check this out, dude!’ And when we did the final Slayer show in Santiago, Chile, for 60,000 people, Scott used it as his primary tone – this little Mooer pedal!”

It's a huge endorsement for such a humble pedal, which can be picked up for only $86 from some retailers.

So, seeing that he's such a Mooer loyalist, which pedal would Holt say is his absolute favorite? “The Mooer Tender Octaver,” he replies. “And I’ve always had an octave pedal in my rig.”

Proving that you can have a penchant for both digital and analog, Holt reveals that for fly-in shows, he's using a Quad Cortex – and he loves it.

“I don’t run mine direct with in-ears,” he explains. “I’ll put it in the effects return of a head or I have one of those Seymour Duncan PowerStage 700s, and I can travel with my entire amp rig except for cabs in carry-on. It’s amazing.”

For more Gary Holt, plus new interviews with Robin Nolan and Alex Lifeson, pick up issue 592 of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.

When Scott Ian was told about Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show, he had to read the text from Tom Morello several times. The Anthrax guitarist may have been shocked and awed, but when Morello, the event’s creative director, asked him to get involved, there was only one answer.

“I must have asked Tom 50 questions about what, who, where, when and how,” Ian tells Guitar World. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. Holy shit!’ Black Sabbath and Ozzy – the whole thing was just too much for my brain. I texted him back and said, ‘Dude, yes! Whatever it is, I’m in!’”

He’d become a fan of Sabbath when he first heard them at the age of 8. “I loved the feeling of being scared by something I was listening to,” he remembers. “I had never heard anything so heavy. Ozzy was like Robert Plant’s crazy brother; it was all brand new.”

Then there’s Tony Iommi’s guitar work. “The first six Sabbath albums are the Necronomicon of heavy metal,” he says. “Everything that’s been done since is just a slightly different version of what Tony was doing. You could take any metal riff back through some filters and see what Sabbath song it came from. His influence is everything.”

Tom Morello first asked you to be part of the jam before Anthrax became involved, right?

“Yes – he said, ‘As soon as I have more information on what song and who you’re playing with, I’ll let you know.’ A couple of days later he sent me a list of people involved, and I saw there were other bands involved. I thought it was just gonna be like Sabbath and Ozzy, and then maybe a bunch of all-star lineups.

“I saw other bands but no Anthrax, so I’m like, ‘How about getting Anthrax on this? I’m not the only Sabbath fan in the band.’ Like five minutes later, he said, ‘You’re in.’”

What are your earliest memories of Black Sabbath?

“Back when we lived in Queens, my uncle had this amazing bedroom with cool black light posters up on the wall – Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and so on. He had a huge collection of vinyl and comic books; it was like my dream room.

“Whenever we went there I’d go through his vinyl, pick out records, and he’d put them on. One of those times, I pulled out the first Black Sabbath record.

“Suddenly it’s dark, there are black lights on, and this weird, haunted house shit is going on! Then the guitar and the whole band kicked in, and I was sitting there scared, like, ‘What the fuck is this? I’m listening to a horror movie!’”

The term “heavy metal” hadn’t been thrown around yet. Did you know what to call that music?

“Until the late ‘70s I just called it ‘heavy rock’ or ‘hard rock’ – but Sabbath were just the heaviest of all the bands. Nobody even came close for so many years.”

When did you first see Sabbath live?

“I was lucky enough to see them in 1978 with Van Halen opening at Madison Square Garden. It was an unbelievable night. I’d only been going to concerts for two years. I would have, say, 10 bucks, buy tickets, then five other things would go on sale that I’d want to see more, but I’d miss out.

“I’d always think, ‘They’ll come back next year,’ because it was New York. With Sabbath, I bought tickets when they first went on sale. There was no way I was missing that.”

Do you have a favorite Sabbath album?

“It’s so hard between Paranoid, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and the first album. But I’d probably go with Master of Reality. You can’t go wrong with that. It fucking crushes.

“It’s only 34 minutes but you have Sweet Leaf, After Forever, Children of the Grave, Lord of This World, and Into the Void on it... An album with one of those songs on, it would blow people’s minds. But all six of those songs are on one album!”

How will Anthrax approach covering Sabbath’s music in July?

“We’re not looking to change the arrangements. We covered Sabbath Bloody Sabbath back in the ‘80s; we did our best to honor it. With my guitar tone – which sounds different from Tony’s – we probably did it faster; it was just who we were. I don’t try to ape it because I can’t.”

Tony’s licks seem easy – but they’re not.

“I could sit there for the rest of my life and try and recreate his vibrato, and it’s just never going to happen. If I got to play his guitar through his rig, it’s not gonna sound like him. So I just play it how I’m going to play it and have fun.”

So you’ll be using your typical rig?

“Yeah; I need my rig because we’re doing an Anthrax song too. But for the Sabbath song I’ll probably clean it up a little bit. It won’t be, let’s say, dense. I’m on a couple of other Sabbath songs as well, in one of the all-star lineups. I’m not sure if I’m going to be playing through my rig or if that’s going to be a completely different backline.

“They’re going to have seemingly 200 different things going on before Sabbath gets on stage – but I don’t have to worry about that stuff. I just have to know the songs!”

As a fan and a peer, what does it mean to you to be a part of this show?

“We’ve known about it for a while; it’s been quite difficult to keep my mouth shut about it! I wasn’t even telling friends and stuff until it was announced. I didn’t want to be responsible for anything leaking. It’s amazing. I never thought I would get to see it again, you know?”

Since first listening to Black Sabbath at the age of eight, Scott Ian has been ensnared by the world of the heavy metal pioneers – one that would shape his own career in Anthrax, largely considered one of thrash metal’s genre-defining bands.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Anthrax will be taking part in the Ozzy Osbourne and Sabbath extravaganza, Back to the Beginning, this July in Birmingham – which, as Ozzy puts it, is the “true home of metal.”

Unlike the rest of us, Ian first heard about this historic event from Tom Morello, who's doubling as the musical director.

“I texted him back and said, ‘Dude, yes! Whatever it is, I’m in. What’s going on… what the hell?’” Ian tells Guitar World.

“He said, ‘As soon as I have more information on what song and who you’re playing with, I’ll let you know.’ Then he said, ‘We’re just starting to get this together now. Sharon [Osbourne] asked me if I would be creative director and help put it all together.’

And while Ian was initially slated to be part of an all-star jam, he was surprised when he realized that it wasn't just Ozzy and Sabbath performing, but a stacked bill featuring some of the top acts in the genre.

“A couple of days later, he sent me a list of people involved, and I saw there were other bands involved. I said, ‘OK,’ because I had no idea; I thought it was just gonna be like Sabbath and Ozzy, and then maybe a bunch of all-star lineups.

“I saw other bands but no Anthrax, so I’m like, ‘Well, shit, I’m already involved…’ I said, ‘How about getting Anthrax on this? I’m not the only Sabbath fan in the band.’ Tom said, ‘Let me get right back to you…’ Literally, like five minutes later, he said, ‘You’re in.”

As for what we can expect from what feels like the heavy metal event of the decade, Ian teases, “I’m on a couple of other Sabbath songs as well, in one of the all-star lineups that I get to be in. I don’t know how any of the production stuff is working.

“They’re going to have seemingly 200 different things going on before Sabbath gets on stage – but I don’t have to worry about that stuff. I just have to know the songs.”

In addition to Anthrax, the stacked event – which sees Ozzy reunite with the original Sabbath lineup for the first time in 20 years – will also feature Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, among many others.

Guitar World's full interview with Scott Ian will be published in the coming weeks.

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.

Since the release of their 1984 debut album, Fistful Of Metal, thrash metal has provided the backbone to Anthrax’s unstoppable sound.

In addition to fast down-picked sequences, alternate-picked riffs, and serious palm muting, the band have no issues delivering a mid-tempo, heavy stomp, or indeed blending grungy, alt-rock textures with sinister, menacing undertones.

Anthrax have always been a two-guitarist band and, despite the lead guitar position moving through several players, Scott Ian has always been the driving force behind the group’s powerful rhythm guitar work.

With that in mind, this lesson delves into Ian’s unapologetic approach to thrash rhythmic precision, and the nuances that place Anthrax among The Big Four of thrash metal bands, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 8, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 7

For a good thrash tone, use your bridge pickup and select the distortion channel on your amp. To add punch, and to articulate your sound, set your gain moderately high, leave your bass and middle at the 12 o’clock position, and boost the treble. This will add bite, retain pitch definition, and keep your lower frequencies sounding tight. As will adding no reverb.

Example 1.

The opening section features a repeated melodic motif with a chromatically descending bass note. This brings tension, and contrasts with the chromatically ascending powerchord sequence that closes the phrase.

The second section includes 16th-note subdivisions. Use upstrokes to maintain fluidity on the faster rhythms and return to downstrokes for the chromatically descending 5ths in the final bar.

Example 2.

The first phrase uses fast, 16th-note rhythms. Follow the suggested pick directions to keep the phrases flowing smoothly. Use a downstroke and legato for the fills in the second and fourth bar, as this will reduce fatigue in the picking hand.

The second phrase introduces single-note figures played as abrasive pinch harmonics. To achieve them, use downstrokes and brush the string with the side of your thumb immediately after you strike the note.

Fans champing at the bit for the follow-up to the volcanic 2016 Anthrax album For All Kings will have to wait just a little longer. In early 2024, the band hoped to have the still-untitled record out by year’s end. Now they’re shooting for a release date sometime in 2025.

“We’re taking our time and not rushing anything because we want it to be exactly how we want it,” rhythm guitarist and lyricist Scott Ian says.

“We’re not in a place in our lives anymore where we could have dropped everything and said, ‘Alright, we’ve got two months of studio time. Let’s finish writing and then get in there and record it all and do the vocals. Mix, master and we’re done – like in the old days.’ We have families and commitments now, so it can’t work that way anymore and hasn’t in a long time.”

When bands use phrases such as “It will be ready when it’s ready,” they’re sometimes stuck in limbo and are biding their time. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Anthrax. So far, the band has tracked nine songs and written and partially recorded another four.

Those songs still need leads, lyrics and vocals, but it looks like they might be done before the end of the year and the full release will hit in the second or third quarter of 2025.

At least that’s the plan; Anthrax just don’t want their first new music in a decade to be in the public’s hands until every dotted eighth note is just right – not that they’re striving to overshadow anything else they’ve done.

“I don’t think we’ve ever gone into a record saying, ‘We really need to top the last one,’ because if you did that, you’re self-fulfilling a failure,” Ian says.

“But I’m definitely loving this record. There are crushing riffs and great, hooky courses. Even some of the thrashiest songs have great choruses. We’re always looking for the hook, and I think we’ve accomplished that.”

For now, the band’s biggest dilemma isn’t finishing the record in time, it’s deciding which nine or 10 songs will make the final cut. The most popular song from 2016’s For All Kings was the rousing anthem Breathing Lightning, and Ian says the band has written a couple of songs in that vein. However, he’s more excited about the shorter, faster tunes that are more like the material Anthrax released in their thrash metal heyday in the 1980s.

“With the songs we’ve written, we’d be able to put together a nine- or 10-song record that would be thrashier than anything we’ve done in a long time,” Ian says. “But there would also be a way to make it a very different kind of album depending on which songs we choose.

“And I can tell you, I know which way I’m leaning. And I think we’re all on the same page. We want this record to punch people in the face. And then we can use the bonus tracks for other things, but in the context of the record, I really want it to hit hard.”

When he was sent the first batch of finished songs, lead guitarist Jonathan Donais was excited by how heavy the material was and how much it reminded him of the Anthrax he grew up listening to. He was especially amped by a song that had the working title A Murder of Bros.

“I thought all the songs they sent me were great and definitely sounded like Anthrax,” Donais says. “And then I heard this one that had a black-metal feel to it that I never would have pictured Anthrax doing, and it sounds so awesome. I remember thinking, ‘Man, after being together for 40-something years and still being able to throw curveballs like that is awesome.’”

Ian is equally complimentary about Donais’ solos. “Jon has this insane ability to put together really melodic leads,” he says. “They’re memorable to the point where you could sing the solos, and, to me, that’s such a great skill. There’s always a time to have some ripping and shredding, and there’s lots of that too. But we’re lucky with Jon because he also writes these parts that you’re gonna connect with in the same way you connect with a chorus.”

Drummer and songwriter Charlie Benante started writing riffs for the new Anthrax album back in 2019. Some of the passages he wrote will likely be on the new album, but before the band got too far into the process, the pandemic hit and Anthrax entered a long period of inactivity.

“Nobody was feeling very creative – certainly not in that first six months to a year, anyway,” Ian says. “It was more kind of, ‘Let’s just be home with our families and see if the world’s gonna end or not.’ At one point, there was that uncertainty that you never knew if a gig was going to ever happen again.”

In 2021, Anthrax started playing shows again, and the fires of creativity quickly reignited. Benante started making new demos and sending them to his bandmates for feedback, and it was as if the stagnancy had never even existed.

“The ideas he sent were very realized and really good,” Ian says. “Generally, it’s just a question of, ‘Well, this part is going on for two minutes. Maybe we’ll edit that,’ which, of course, he’s fine with. The next step was to get together in a room with our editor ears on and start turning the parts into song arrangements.”

By working on three or four songs at a time, the band was able to determine which ones worked best together and what the album might still need. Instead of relying on instinct and spontaneity to create a continuous wave of energy – as they did in the early days – Anthrax drew from experience and intuition.

“I was able to look at these songs we had and go, ‘I really feel like we need a couple of three-and-a-half-minute ragers,’” Ian says. “That’s something we haven’t done in a long time, and I only heard one song that sort of fit that category.”

Ian asked Benante if he could write some faster, more direct tunes and the drummer was stoked by the suggestion. Before long, he had tapped into the kind of blinding, aggressive energy, rage and musicality that made Anthrax one of the Big 4 thrash bands of the ’80s.

“Within a few weeks, we had these two straight-up – I can’t even say they’re like songs from Among the Living because they’re shorter and tighter,” Ian says.

“It felt really good to have these songs that just rip. Charlie has got this tap that he’s able to turn on, and when it’s time for him to go to work, I’m just happy he can. He’s such a great riff writer, and I’m sure he tapped into whatever was influencing him.

“Whether it was the environment of the planet or the craziness of the world – whatever – but he was able to come up with this stuff that’s angrier and more aggressive for sure.”

Anthrax did pre-production for the album at Ben Grosse’s studio The Mix Room in Burbank and also worked at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles. “At a certain point we couldn’t get into 606 anymore,” Ian grumbles in jest. “Some band called the Foo Fighters had it booked out for a month.”

While Ian brought a wide variety of guitars, amps and cabinets into the studio, after testing them out, he returned to his tried-and-true battle-worn gear for most of the songs. He picked up his white Jackson King V, plugged into a 1982 Marshall JCM800 and EVH 5150 EL 100-watt head.

“My Gibson V sounds amazing, but there’s something angrier about the King V, especially on fast songs,” Ian says. “It’s just so mean.”

Ian sculpted his already vicious tone with a TC Electronic booster and his two KDHK custom pedals. The first, the Sergeant D Boost/Amp, features pre-distortion EQ circuitry Ian used in the early days combined with circuits that emulate the raw tone of amps he used in S.O.D.

The more whimsical “Jewish Space Laser” pedal uses a redesigned circuit for more clarity and depicts Ian flying through space blasting skeletons with his former go-guitar, a 1981 Gibson V, and also played a Les Paul Custom and Jackson Soloists. And he played the Les Paul and his Gretsch Malcolm Young for the clean parts.

Donais recorded his leads in his Massachusetts studio on his signature Dean USA Exile using a DAW with various plug-ins, giving Ruston the versatility to re-amp the guitars. He wrote out all the solos before playing them, then sent them to the rest of the band for approval. Often, the band kicked them back to him for tweaking, but by the third or fourth take they usually got the green light.

“Knowing that the music kicked ass motivated me,” Donais says. “When I got a song, I listened to one section at a time to wrap my head around it. And then I listened to music from other players I love, like Dimebag, Zakk Wylde and Paul Gilbert. After that, I looped the rhythm and went with whatever vibe I was getting. If I liked what I did with the first two bars, I just kept going.”

Although (or maybe because) Anthrax wrote the new album piecemeal, Ian insists the songs are among the best and heaviest the band has done since the ’80s. As much as he loves the band’s last two records, and as integral as he feels the ’90s material with vocalist John Bush was to the band’s growth, he believes the new songs will be a game-changer for Anthrax.

“I think this is going to be the album that brings back album sales,” he says. “People are going to stop streaming and buy CDs and vinyl and it’s going to change the music business for the better.” Unable to maintain the hyperbolic boast, Ian chuckles. Following a short pause, he reins himself back in and reveals his more realistic hopes.

“I’d like to think this record will be a slew of songs that people are going to be very excited about hearing live for the next few years,” he says. “I generally feel the riffs, the grooves and the breakdowns – we used to call them mosh parts in the old days – I think they’re gonna connect with our fans. And a lot of these songs are tailor-made for our live show, so I hope we’ll be playing them for a long time.”

Wolfgang Van Halen joined Mr. Bungle on stage at Belgium’s Grasspop festival on Saturday (June 22) to lend a hand covering Van Halen’s Loss of Control – a track Scott Ian had once been terrified to tackle.

The high-energy set had already seen the band take on Slayer's Hell Awaits and Spandau Ballet's True – variety is the spice of life, after all – but seemingly saved their best and most-challenging cover until last.

“Alright people, look who we found.” vocalist Mike Patton booms. “A very, very extra special guest: Mr Wolfgang Van Halen!”

Wolfgang, doing his best Scott Ian impression in cargo shorts, opts for his signature EVH SA-126 for the performance, with fellow guitarist Trey Spruance using his go-to Schecter C-1 FR SLS Elite Evil Twin – plus a 5150 amp for good measure.

Scott Ian, meanwhile, plays a snot-green Jackson Soloist, and together, they create a huge wall of riffage beftting what Ian once described as Van Halen's “most metal song”. Wolfgang even gets involved with the vocals at one point, courtesy of Patton.

The singer's avant-garde metal gang – further augmented by thrash metal icons Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo following their 2020 reunion – first covered the track during a 2021 virtual concert as a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen.

This latest iteration takes things one step further, with the image of Wolfgang and Ian locking fretboards during the track’s lightning-fast, pinch harmonic lacquered riff a sight to behold.

The track has long been close to Mr. Bungle’s collective heart. Speaking at the time of the livestream, Spruance said: “Mr. Bungle tried to play this song in the '90s and we scrapped it because we sucked at it.

“Thanks to the new [2020 album] Raging Wrath era, I've had to re-approach the guitar like I did when I was 13 and 14. It was all about Eddie Van Halen for me back then, so circling back at this moment felt really natural. Those riffs and lead parts at least are super fun! I'm just glad Scott took the palm-mute breaks. Jesus!”

It's a sentiment that his Anthrax-riffing co-guitarist echoes. In an interview with Metal Injection, Scott Ian spoke about the intimidating prospect of covering the song.

“When we were doing that live-stream,” he said, “I was really nervous. Look, I'm a bit of a caveman rhythm guitar player. And now, all of a sudden, I'm challenged with, 'I gotta play some Eddie parts.'”

However, he found solace in the metal thump that drives the song, seemingly drawing from Black Sabbath for its doomy intro.

“But that song,” Ian continues, “is probably the most metal song in Van Halen's catalog. That's right in my wheelhouse, and it's up-tempo. I listen to it all the time. I can't believe I'm a part of that. It's so good!

“I generally don’t get nervous about learning someone else’s riffs,” he reiterated to Guitar World. “When it’s an EVH riff it’s a whole different story. I was terrified! I did my best to just hold on and go for the ride.”

Scott Ian and his Anthrax bandmates are busy recording at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 recording facility in Los Angeles, and the Jackson signature artist recently took the opportunity to bring his guitar-playing 12-year-old son, Revel, into work with him.

The bring-your-son-to-work day doubled as a reunion of sorts, with a Gibson Les Paul-wielding Revel once again linking up with Foo Fighters to perform Everlong during a band rehearsal.

For those who have been keeping tabs on the musical career of young Revel – and his heavy rock band, Honeybee – you’ll probably be aware that this is not in fact the first time Scott’s son has lent his impressive chops to the Foos track.

Indeed, a then-eight-year-old Revel had previously lined up alongside Dave Grohl and co during the band’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival set back in 2019 to perform The Colour and the Shape cut – an occasion Ian Senior said could be the “proudest dad moment ever”.

Four years on from that breakout performance, Ian Junior recently dusted off the cobwebs with his Foo Fighter comrades, giving resident guitarist Pat Smears a day off as he helped the band through another run-out of Everlong.

Armed with Smears’ very own Les Paul, Revel locked in alongside Grohl and drummer Josh Freese for the angsty progression, see-sawing between the verse chords as Scott, Smears and a host of others looked on.

“Rev gave Pay the day off,” Ian wrote on Instagram after the jam. “He deserves it. He’s the nicest guy ever. All of these dudes are. I love you Foos. There I said it.”

Unsurprisingly, Revel relished the chance to link up with Foo Fighters once again, writing on Instagram, “Reverlong reunion! I can’t believe I got to play with them again after four years.

“I remember I got to hang out with Taylor and Dave after the show in their dressing rooms and it was one of the best memories and experiences,” he went on. “Thank you Foos and Dave for having me both times! And thank you Pat for letting me play your guitar.”

Young Revel’s close connection to Foo Fighters goes far beyond the casual jam session. Back in April 2022, he (with the help of his father) paid tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins, taking up position behind the drum kit for a flawless Foos medley.

As well as being something of a dab hand with the sticks, Revel’s already-impressive guitar chops are also well-known, and have been showcased in the past.

Again, with Scott by his side – and with a custom-inlaid Soloist Jackson in his arms – a 10-year-old Revel tackled Slayer’s Raining Blood with effortless ease back in June last year.

Scott Ian and his Anthrax bandmates are putting together their new album at Grohl's Studio 606, so head over to the band's Instagram for updates – and for more future Revel cameos.

Scott Ian has revealed that none of the guitar heroes who participated in Fender’s Game of Thrones theme song cover clip got to keep the guitars they used in the video.

The video – conceived to promote the Fender Custom Shop Sigil Collection of Games of Thrones themed guitars – became a viral hit and has to date garnered more than 41 million views.

However, in a recent fan Q&A at Steel City Con, Ian said that none of the artists featured – among them Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt, Brad Paisley and Ian himself – got to hold onto the valuable instruments.

“We all thought that that was kind of going to be the thing at the end of the session,” Ian told the crowd [around 13.02 in the clip below]. “That we would each get to have the one we played, because [usually] that's what happens.”

Despite everyone having fun on the day, Ian says it wasn’t just him that was left wishing he’d been able to keep the custom build.

“I'll let you in on a on a little secret,” says Ian. “A couple of weeks later, we all get a very nice email from Fender… about how many millions of views this thing has gotten and how many of these custom, very expensive [guitars they sold]. 

“Like very expensive, like I think the Lannister one was like 40 grand or something [$30,000 to be precise – Ed].” 

“They sold a fuck-ton of these custom-built guitars based on this video and they're like, ‘Thank you so much for doing this for us,’ and all that.

“So I get a text from Nuno, not five minutes after these emails… and he's like…  ‘These motherfuckers!’ 

“He goes, ‘I just did the math. They made about nine-million dollars on this fucking video we made and they couldn't even give us a guitar!’ I'm like, ‘Hey brother, you're preaching to the choir! I'm with you.’”

Despite the situation, Ian clarifies in the Q&A clip that he has “nothing bad to say about Fender”: “I play Jackson guitars and EVH amps and it's all under the Fender umbrella and they've treated me very, very fantastically over the years.” 

Ian isn't kidding – Jackson and EVH recently collaborated on the “best guitar” he's ever had: a jaw-dropping V-shaped version of Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein, nicknamed the Franken V.

Nonetheless, it seems that Game of Thrones guitar has stuck in his craw. “Damn it, I want one of those,” concludes Ian, on the topic. “Because I was playing that Stark Telecaster and it sounded great.”

Earlier this year, the Anthrax man teamed up with one of those Fender brands again, announcing the Jackson ‘Baldini Burst’ Scott Ian signature X Series King V – with a finish that pays tribute to Dimebag's Dime Slime colorways.

Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein electric guitar is one of music’s most iconic and instantly recognizable instruments. Even an untrained eye will see the red-black-and-white striped Stratocaster-shaped guitar and immediately think of Eruption.

The heavily modded six-string assumed various aesthetics, configurations and specs throughout its life, but its final form is synonymous with Van Halen and his trailblazing guitar playing.

Yes, Eddie experimented with different shapes – such as his Ibanez Star and aggressively customized Shark models – but the Frankie’s Strat-shaped body remained a constant.

That is, however, until now, because Jackson has partnered with Anthrax’s Scott Ian to create perhaps the most metal iteration of the Frankenstein ever made – the Franken V.

A Van Halen superfan – clock Mr. Bungle's breakneck cover of Out of Control – Ian was first snapped posing with his new prized possessions almost six weeks ago on the FU-Tone Instagram account, but details of the elusive instrument remained few and far between.

As such, we reached out to Fender – the parent company of both Jackson and EVH, which no doubt helped facilitate the collaboration – to get the lowdown on one of 2023's most eye-catching and under-the-radar builds.

With the body of a standard Jackson King V – Ian’s preferred model shape, which was used as the basis for his signature guitar – the Franken V was built in collaboration with EVH as a one-off guitar for Ian as a special tribute to the original instrument.

Notably, the Franken V was assembled by Mike Shannon, the Custom Shop Master Builder who built Ian his first-ever Jackson back in 1983. Perhaps even more notably, it’s possibly the gnarliest Frankenstein reimagining you’ll find.

Aside from the silhouette switch-up, the Franken V is a top-notch aesthetic reproduction of the original Frankie, from its striped colorway and maple fretboard all the way down to its sawn-off scratchplate and body relicing.

Heck, even the electronics and hardware are a mirror image of the original – the dummy single-coil in the neck is partnered with a functioning Seymour Duncan JB bridge humbucker, wired to a sole volume control labelled 'Tone'. 

Naturally, the pickup cavities are fully on display, alongside a top-mounted Floyd Rose tremolo.

Shannon and Ian also paid close attention to some of the smaller specs associated with the Frankie, opting for a 12”-16” compound radius maple fingerboard, 22 jumbo frets, and an oil-finished maple neck.

Likewise, in an effort to leave no stone unturned, the rear of the model flashes numerous reflector plates, which have been strategically placed to channel the spirit of the original Frankenstein.

It’s literally as if Eddie Van Halen himself had developed a penchant for V body shapes, and used one when he first embarked on his Frankie journey back in the late 1970s.

It will come as no surprise to learn that Ian is over the moon with this special one-off six-string – a six-string he says he’s “always wanted”.

“The Franken V is literally a dream come true,” he tells us. “It’s a design I’ve always wanted and I’m so grateful to [EVH brand leaders] Matt Bruck, Wolfgang Van Halen and the EVH family for making it happen.” 

But the raving doesn’t stop there: “It was built by Mike Shannon, the man that built my first ever Jackson back in 1983 and it feels, sounds, and plays incredibly. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever had.” Praise doesn’t come much higher than that.

As mentioned above, the Franken V is one-of-a-kind, and it doesn't seem as though Ian will be subjecting it to the rigors of the road, so we'll just have to continue admiring the gnarly six-string from afar – that means closely following Scott Ian's Instagram account in hopes he'll post a few new pictures from time to time.

V-inspired reimaginings of classic guitar models are something of a hot topic right now – indie guitar builder Nepco, for example, has been constructing Vs inspired by classic Danelectro instruments.

Anthrax electric guitar player Scott Ian has joined forces with Jackson once again to create a new version of his X Series King V signature guitar.

What sets this V apart from Ian's previous mid-priced X Series signature Vs in particular is its "Baldini Burst" finish, an homage to Ian's late friend, Pantera axe-slinger Dimebag Darrell.

You can see the thrash guitar ace put the new model through its paces below.

The "Baldini Burst" look – so named for "Baldini," Dimebag's nickname for Ian – is an homage to Dimebag Darrell's "Dime Slime"-finished signature models.

Finish aside, the guitar features a nyatoh body (as opposed to the mahogany bodies of Ian's other X Series V models) and a graphite-reinforced through-body maple neck sporting a 12”-16” compound radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and pearloid block inlays.

The guitar's electronics also stand out, with a pair of Jackson High-Output humbuckers taking the place of the Duncan Designed HB-103 'buckers found on other X Series Ian Vs. The control set, however, remains the same, with individual volume and tone knobs and a three-way toggle pickup switch available for sonic tweaking.

Another new addition to the Ian X Series King V line comes in the form of the "Baldini"'s recessed Floyd Rose Special Double-Locking tremolo, with Jackson sealed die-cast tuners also highlighting the axe's hardware.

"This guitar was 100 percent inspired by Dimebag," Ian says. "Darrell had what he called the Dime Slime [finish], and I had a Custom Shop [model] done as an homage to Darrell's Dime Slime."

"When I started playing that guitar live, people were flipping the fuck out over that guitar and how it looked. People were blown away [and asking] 'When is that going to be available?' Well, now it's available!"

The "Baldini Burst" Jackson X Series Scott Ian King V is available now for $899, $100 more than its Ian KVXT siblings.

For more info on the guitar, visit Jackson.

When Guitar World connects with Zakk Wylde, Scott Ian and Gary Holt, the metal guitar titans are a week and a half into their North American tour: Anthrax and Black Label Society co-headlining as they did last summer, this time with Exodus roped in as special guests. 

Their show in Penticton, British Columbia a few nights earlier made headlines for an attendee referred to by the music press as ‘Angry Jesus’ – thanks to his long hair, beige robe and violent moshing – being escorted out of the venue by local police officers. It was, by all accounts, an unforgettable night which perhaps saw one bearded metal fan enjoying just a little bit too much of that holy water...

“Yeah, he got kicked out during Zakk’s set,” grins Holt – who, despite owning a blue ESP singlecut with the words ‘Officer Holt’ written around a police badge, wasn’t actually the one making arrests that night. “I don’t know what got him so angry,” he continues. “Maybe he turned a little too much water into wine [laughs]!”

“That’s what usually happens,” cackles Wylde, with a mischievous grin. “Maybe Exodus played a couple too many songs from the first record and it got him too fired up. Don’t mess with the Catholics!”

The three metal legends are on a joint Zoom call today to look back on their history as guitar players and share a thing or two about what they’ve learned along the way. When you sit down and think about their collective credentials, it’s quite staggering – as well as Black Label Society, Anthrax and Exodus, they’ve recorded with or toured as part of Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Pantera, Mr. Bungle, Stormtroopers Of Death and Pride & Glory. 

Then, of course, there have been the one-off collaborations with the likes of Public Enemy, Eric Gales, William Shatner, Destruction, Black Veil Brides, Leslie West, Dweezil Zappa, Metal Allegiance and many more. 

They’ve all played a part in making metal guitar what it is today, from the furious downpicking typified by Ian in the mid-'80s, the instantly recognizable ‘Zakk Attack’ explored on Wylde’s legendary instructional Pentatonic Hardcore and Holt’s love for diminished dissonance, as detailed in his own tutorial A Lesson In Guitar Violence. 

Here we look at the stories stretching back through nearly four decades of friendship and get them to cross-examine their own unique takes on all things six-string...

Take us back to the very beginning – when exactly did you all first cross paths?

Wylde: “I first met Scotty and the Anthrax fellas when I was rolling with Ozzy in 1988, back on the No Rest For The Wicked tour. That’s when we first started hanging together. And it’s great that we’re all rolling together now, because just the other day we were talking about our friends who are gone. 

“Whether they were amazing musicians – guitarists, singers, drummers or bass players – they don’t even play any more. They just fell off, for whatever reason. Then we have our buddies who are lifers that are still playing. 

“I guess the joys of the journey are trying to get to the Madison Square Garden or Royal Albert Hall. But while you are working on getting there, it’s a case of still playing and making sure you love it. You have to obviously still pay all your bills and rent. But the secret is to never stop playing. 

“I was talking about this with JD [Black Label Society bassist John DeServio] the other night. Even if I wasn’t blessed with having Ozzy in my life, I’d still be playing music, whether it be teaching, working in a music store, playing in a covers band or a wedding band. As long as you’re still playing, that’s all that matters at the end of the day. I guess you could call me, Scotty and Gary lifers.”

So you met Zakk long before that beard took shape, but even early on, he still had that signature wide vibrato…

Ian: “I was clean shaven too back in 1988. I even had hair on my head [laughs]!”  

Wylde: “JD gets to hear that vibrato every night and gets violently ill! People are always like, ‘Your bass player is so stealth and ripped’ and I go, ‘Yeah, it’s because he can’t hold his food down after hearing me play!’ But seriously, it’s crazy how many of our buddies from back then aren’t playing anymore. 

“Me and Scott were talking about this the other night, how they stuck it out from doing arenas with me and Ozzy back in the day, through the mean years of Anthrax, and now Anthrax is back on top. 

“There was a fall-off period where a lot of bands would have quit or given up. We know so many great musicians who gave up when they reached that lull. You have to be persistent and plough through it in this business. There are no other options. Just keep playing.”

Ian: “We always compare ourselves to De Niro in Raging Bull when he goes, ‘You never got me down, Ray, you never got me down!’ That’s how we’ve always felt, just like Jake LaMotta in the movie. No matter how many punches we took, we were never going to stop playing.”

So what would you say are each other’s strong points as guitar players?

Holt: “Well, when it comes to my own playing, I know I do a good job with the five licks I know. Five might be generous; maybe it’s four [laughs]!”

Wylde: “That’s all you need. It might only be four or five licks, but if you do them well, there you go. I remember I did a similar thing with Buddy Guy, where he was asked what he liked about my guitar playing. 

“I said, ‘Actually guys, let me speak for the Pontiff over here and answer on behalf of Buddy Guy – what he enjoys most about my playing is the sound right before you put the record on and, most of all, when the album ends [laughs]! It’s the silent bits in between. 

“I was thinking to myself, ‘Yeah, like Buddy Guy is gonna know anything about my guitar playing!’ As if he would be able to answer a question about my strong points. He didn’t even know what my name was and we’d been on the same Hendrix Experience tour for about three years [laughs]!”

Holt: “It doesn’t matter, because it’s Buddy Guy! It would be an honor even if he said he didn’t know who you were…”

Wylde: “Exactly! When people ask me what I offer kids as a guitar player, it’s the fact they can look at me and think, ‘If this ass clown can make a living playing music and afford the energy bills, then there’s hope for all of us!’ There is hope, kids. Just keep practicing.”

All jokes aside, though, the three of you are instantly recognizable as guitar players...

Ian: “I think the best compliment you can pay any musician is a bit like ‘name that tune’, when they have such an original sound, you name that guitar player in one note. I can do that with both of these guys.

“You instantly know whether it’s Zakk or Gary. They have their own sounds, feel and style. They’re complete originals. Of course, everything is derivative and comes from somewhere. We all came from similar influences but we took that and turned it into something of our own, expressing heavy music through our own filters. 

“In my eyes, that’s one of the reasons why we’re all still here doing it to the level we’re doing it: we’re all originals when it comes to playing and songwriting.”

Holt: “Well put! Sometimes all it takes is that one note. One of my all-time heroes is Angus Young, and I can identify his solos from just a pick slide. I’ll be like, ‘Aha! That’s from Let There Be Rock.’”

Ian: “And, by the way, I love Zakk’s vibrato. Who cares what JD thinks!”

Wylde: “Exactly. And, like I said earlier, he enjoys it because he’s losing weight and staying ripped!”

And while you all have different tones and styles, to some extent, it can all be traced back to Tony Iommi...

Wylde: “When any of us tell younger musicians where we came from, it all stems back to Lord Iommi. He was the Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Lennon, McCartney and Burt Bacharach of riffs. I mean, he created a whole genre that spawned Exodus, Anthrax, Black Label Society and various movements of different-sounding bands. 

“But all three of us take our influences and everything we’ve loved and digested over the years, and then play from the heart. I remember before I started with Ozz, I was trying to get a record deal and everyone was playing Bon Jovi kinda stuff to get our big break. 

“And then a lot of us realized that we didn’t like this music or even own any of these records. Why aren’t we playing music that we actually enjoy and love?! It’s right there in front of you but you can’t see it. I can hear Scott at soundcheck or Gary at soundcheck and it’s easy to tell where they come from as guitar players. 

“They’re not trying to play pop music. And with Bon Jovi, they’re playing exactly what they want to play and that’s the reason it became successful. Why pretend to be something that you’re not? Whatever it is that comes naturally is what you should be doing. That’s the only way you’re going to excel at anything.”

Holt: “That’s 100 percent correct. We all took the music we loved – all heavy metal starts and ends with Tony – and then we just added all these different things we liked, stirring it around in a big pot. In my case, it became Exodus. I grew up as a hard rock kid; those bands are where my roots are. The metal and punk rock came later. 

“Eventually you realize you owe it all to the giants whose shoulders you’re stood on. If I can influence some other kids, more power to it. I’m just paying it forward.”

To some degree, the success boils down to just how unique a spin you put on it...

Wylde: “Exactly, it’s all about that passing of knowledge, but with some degree of originality. Even with Saint Rhoads, there was his whole love for Mick Ronson – from how he was holding the Les Paul, the haircut, the whole nine yards. I never knew anything about that. 

“To me, Randy Rhoads was just Randy Rhoads. My friends would go, ‘Oh my god, this guy must really love Mick Ronson!’ and I’d be like, ‘I don’t know who Mick Ronson is!’ Then I learned more about it, finding out more about the history of things. 

“You eventually realize that Randy got a lot from Mick Ronson, who obviously got it from somebody else. Then Randy inspired the three of us, so we’re all indirectly inspired by Mick Ronson. That’s a beautiful thing that shows just how awesome the lineage of music is. You can see the roots almost like a tree...”

Holt: “Zakk often talks about Frank Marino. I was the youngest of six kids who grew up listening to Frank Marino but I never realized how much of an influence he had on Zakk until he mentioned. Now I listen to Zakk’s songs and I’m like, ‘Oh, I get it now!’ but I didn’t link the two together for a long time.”

When it comes to tone, there are many similarities and also a fair few differences. Zakk and Gary, you both love an EMG 81 in the bridge, while Scott prefers something like a Seymour Duncan JB. Zakk, you’ve used a Boss SD-1 on many a classic recording while Scott might prefer a boost and Gary might opt for a parametric EQ. But you’ve all mainly used EL34 tube amps for your live shows…

Ian: “I don’t even need a boost anymore; I just go straight into the EVH EL34.”

Holt: “I’m the opposite – I boost everything. And then I boost it again [laughs]!”

Wylde: “It all depends on what you want. Like Father Scott said, with certain things like EVH amps, Soldanos or Wizards, they have a lot of gain. The beautiful thing about JCM800s is that it’s such a simple circuit. There’s a good amount of overdrive, even more if you put a pedal in front. 

“If you want to clean it up, just turn the pedal off and roll the volume on your guitar down. It’s all good. There is no right or wrong way to do it. All it comes down to is whatever works best to get the tone you enjoy!”

Scott and Gary, you’re no strangers to JCM800s either…

Ian: “I love those old 800s. That’s what I used on the first six Anthrax albums with the TC Electronic Booster+ Distortion in front. When we recorded that Bungle record in 2020 [The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo], because it was just straight-up thrash, I pulled out my original 1982 JCM800 and old TC boost.

“Dave Friedman made sure the amp was running properly. I plugged it in and it was the exact tone from those early Anthrax albums. I used a combination of that with the EVH, which brought a little more bottom-end. I was so happy with the sound of both being used together.”

Holt: “I saw the clip you posted from the studio. I was like, ‘Aha, there’s that classic-sounding crunch.’ Like I was showing you the other day, on this tour I started using this new pedal I found from this Canadian company called GUP Tech [Presence Depth EQ]. It basically has this resonance control, so I put that in the loop to add back some low-end. It’s perfection and makes my amp sound super-loud! 

“The same goes for those old Jubilees. I boost them up and they get nice and crunchy. I went through all these different amp companies over the years and then [super-producer] Andy Sneap pointed out all I’m trying to do is chase the sound of my 1987 800. He said I was just trying to find a Marshall tone in something that wasn’t a Marshall. So I’ve made it easier for myself… I just use Marshalls!”

Wylde: “Every amp after the 800 is a derivative, to some extent. Those Marshall amps are like the wheel. The same goes for Les Pauls and Strats. Everything that came after is a variation or tweak on that, like a pair of Levis and a Fruit Of The Loom t-shirt. The original is always simple and works for everyone!”

Have you plugged into each other’s rigs on this tour?

Ian: “Not yet!”

Holt: “I’m dying to plug into Zakk’s rig!”

Wylde: “You can go for it anytime you want. Usually I have my anal bleaching appointment, getting my nails done and picking my makeup for the show, so I look good in my kilt. You gotta do what you gotta do because looks count. It’s all in the presentation, bro!”

Holt: “You can’t have your ass all brown and gnarly!”

As for the guitars in your hands, Zakk, your classic recordings were done with a Les Paul Custom. Gary, you mainly played Jackson Superstrats before moving over to ESP singlecuts and Scott, you’ve loved your Jacksons from very early on...

Ian: “Funnily enough, I do have this black Les Paul Custom that I’ve been using on records for quite a while now. It sounds so good! I randomly got it when Anvil had that movie come out years ago. They did a premiere in London, and because my friend made that movie, they had me come to London and jam with those guys, playing Metal on Metal together after the screening. 

“This was back around 2006 or 2007. I didn’t bring a guitar with me or anything. There was just this Custom lying there for me to play. So I jammed the song and nobody took the guitar back afterwards. It was just sitting there at the end of the night. I even called the people who made the movie saying, ‘I’ve got this guitar here!’ and they were like, ‘Well, someone will get in contact!’ 

“I ended up going back to LA and took the guitar back with me. Months later, I got this email from someone at Gibson asking if I had this Les Paul Custom and I told them, ‘Yeah, it’s been sitting here for months... I really enjoy playing it because it sounds awesome!’ So they let me keep it. I don’t even know what year it is, but that’s when I got it. I’ve actually got a whole bunch of Gibsons.”

Wylde: “Father Scott, look at the first number and the fifth number on the headstock. That will usually tell you when it’s from..."

Ian: “I’ve also got an '81 Flying V. That guitar’s been on every Anthrax album, doing rhythms on various songs. It’s one of the best-sounding guitars I’ve ever had. I’ve got a couple of Les Pauls. I’ve got every Angus Young SG signature they’ve put out. I’ve got Explorers. I mean, Gibson make great guitars – that’s why I own so many of them!”

You’ve all mastered the art of downpicking. Zakk, even though you tend to live on the sludgier side of metal, the recent shows with Pantera have been more right hand-intensive when it comes to riffing. And Gary, even on your own tuitional, you admit you occasionally mix in some alternate in there, like on the song Verbal Razors…

Holt: “Everybody cheats. Even James Hetfield cheats now… I’ve seen it enough times! If he’s doing a savage downpick section and then he throws in a ‘brrrp’ [motions descending slide], then that ‘brrrp’ is there for a reason. It allows you to lose a couple of notes…”

Wylde: “It’s okay to take a nice little breather!”

Holt: “It’s become really hard for me after battling this chronic tennis elbow in both arms. Towards the end of Slayer, I was getting so many cortisone injections I couldn’t even count them. It turns your tendons into mush! 

“I have a friend who is a San Francisco Giants hand surgeon and he saw my MRI and said I might need Tommy John Surgery. I couldn’t play anymore. I’d play for 10 minutes and my arms would lock up. I’ve been through therapy and don’t have any injections any more, so I’m good now, but downpicking is harder than it used to be. Age catches up! 

“But I’m grateful I’m still playing every day and playing injection-free. I need my sound to be really good and then I can ride. If I have to cheat a little more on downpicking because of it, so be it.”

Ian: “If you’ve got a good up, it’s not even cheating, because it sounds just as good as the down!”

Holt: “Yeah, I’ll do the down, down, down, up – throwing in that little one. Usually that’s all I need! And you mentioned Verbal Razors. Damn, when I listen to that shit now, I think I must have been out of my mind! There’s so much downpicking, but then you’ve got to jump from the E string into all this riffage. That one is a challenge these days!”

Then there are right-hand punishers like One World, A.D.I./Horror of It All and Imitation of Life. What on earth were you thinking when recording Among the Living, Scott?!

Ian: “Well, I can tell you one thing was for sure – I wasn’t thinking about having to play those songs 30 years later [laughs]!”

Holt: “Exactly. On the new Exodus album [2021’s Persona Non Grata] I probably threw in more downpicking than I did on any of them. I blew out my right elbow doing the song The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves). After recording the album, I got elbow problems really bad. 

“That’s when I had my last two injections – one right before the album, which worked really well, and one after the album that got me a couple of weeks living pain-free and then everything went to shit. I don’t know what got into me, trying to do more of that than ever on this latest album… at the end of my 50s!”

Ian: “Not too long ago, I was tapping out BPMs to songs from Among the Living, just laughing to see how much we would naturally speed up throughout songs. There are a couple of moments where I’d be downpicking at 220 or 225. I didn’t really know! I see videos of myself doing it back then and always think it would take me months to get up to that speed nowadays. 

“Any long section above 210… just forget it! I was doing that when I was 25. I wasn’t thinking about doing that with 59 year-old forearms. It’s a physical impossibility. Anything 210 and lower, I’m good. I can hang there. But anything faster than that has to be short bursts. My 11-year-old son has a faster right hand than me now. He can out-downpick me any day!”

Zakk, given that your instructional was titled Pentatonic Hardcore, it would be fair to say you’re the bluesiest out of the three of you. Those five notes are clearly home for you!

Wylde: “The pentatonic is the most lyrical scale. I mean, it actually is… when you listen to singing and everything like that, you’ll find most of it lives in the pentatonic scales. It’s interesting with picking – I’d say using only downs and alternate are two very different animals for sure. When it comes to more of the extreme side of metal, you need to do them both well.

“Like you said, when I’m rolling with the Pantera fellas, I’m playing Dime’s stuff. It’s definitely a completely different thing to playing Crazy Train, Bark At The Moon or any of the things I did with Ozz, like Miracle Man, or stuff like that. It’s just a different technique, without a doubt, and definitely a bit closer to what Scotty and Gary are doing.”

Scott, you were also with Zakk at the end of last year for one of the Pantera shows in South America. It was great to see you on lead Whammy for the song Becoming. Dimebag’s tech, Grady Champion, trusted you with the same task back in the '90s – clearly you were the right person for the job.

Ian: “When Dime started using the Whammy pedal back in the day, even before we were touring together in '97 or '98, I would go to shows in New York or LA and somehow get roped into being the guy in charge of his Whammy pedal for that song. 

“So it was from when Far Beyond Driven came out onwards – any show I was at, Grady would have me run the Whammy pedal. I got the timing down, I got the feel down and I got the pocket. Darrell didn’t want to have the pedal out front because he didn’t want to be stuck to it… he wanted to be able to move around and not stand there for those sections of the song. That’s why he always had Grady doing it out back. 

“They probably let me have the job to give Grady’s foot a break during the show! We were in Chile back in December. Zakk was there with Pantera and I was there with Mr. Bungle. I was standing right next to Grady and there was the Whammy pedal on the floor. We kinda had this funny look between us. Then I saw Grady had already stuck this piece of tape on the pedal that said, ‘Scott, don’t fuck this up!’”

Wylde: “Scott crushed it, so thanks very much, Father Scott! I was surrounded by my three guardian angels – Grady, Scott and Saint Dime. So yeah, I knew I was in good hands.”

Ian: “Some people might say I’ve got the best foot in metal!”

We noticed some bands got onsite early and even streamed the soundcheck – a bit unfair given how much work had gone into this reunion tour...

Wylde: “For me, everything’s always being filmed anyway, you know what I mean? Like, there’s people there, how could you expect it not to be filmed? It’s kinda silly. 

“Everybody on stage was up there saying, ‘Nobody release any footage or photos!’ and I was thinking, ‘But there’s a ton of people in front of us soundchecking – what are you talking about?!’ It was always going to end up everywhere. I think we were halfway through soundcheck and it was already out there. You know… I couldn’t care less, man. It is what it is.”

While we’re on the subject of Pantera, do you have a reaction to the German and Austrian show cancellations that happened last week?

Wylde: “There’s nothing I can do about that, you know what I mean? In terms of my role, it’s always a case of being ready for whatever – as in seeing if the fellas want to add any more songs or anything like that while we’re out rolling together on this tour. If I get a call from Phil or Rex and they want to change up the set or do whatever, I’m usually just in the back lounge working on more songs!”

It’s been really interesting hearing your take on the leads – sticking to the feel and format of the original recordings, while also working in some of your own licks...

Wylde: “It’s inevitable I will end up sounding like me. If Dime was playing with Ozz and doing my stuff, it would sound like Dime playing the solo to No More Tears or Mama, I’m Coming Home. It would be Dime’s vibrato, Dime’s tone. It would sound like him playing my stuff. Even if he did it note-for-note, it would sound like him because that’s his sound, you know what I mean? 

“So yeah, we’re having a blast out there playing these songs. I’m just honored I get a chance to pay tribute to the brothers. It’s a pretty special thing that’s happening right now. I can’t say I have a favorite song or solo, though. Just like when I’m playing with Ozz, I enjoy the whole thing. I love all of it and any of it, from the first note we play to the last note we play. It’s all awesome.”

• The Anthrax/Black Label Society US tour featuring Exodus continues through February 2023 – head to Anthrax.com for tickets and full dates.

Earlier this month, the new-look Pantera lineup – which featured Zakk Wylde on electric guitar – took to the stage for the first time, marking the band’s first live show in 21 years.

Since that premiere performance at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, Pantera have gone on to play four more dates across South America, including appearances at the Knotfest in Chile and Colombia, and a date at the Movistar Arena in Santiago.

Now, it’s been revealed that Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian was responsible for controlling Wylde’s DigiTech Whammy V pedal during the band’s performance of Becoming at the band’s most recent show in Santiago.

Soon after it was announced that Wylde – and Ian's Anthrax bandmate, Charlie Benante – would be joining the lineup, it was also revealed that the late Dimebag Darrell’s former guitar tech Grady Champion had also been drafted into the fold in an effort to help nail the Pantera founder’s guitar tone.

Taking to social media, Ian recently revealed he had been tutored by Champion to nail the Whammy pedal foot wiggles for Becoming – a role he once performed back in ‘97/’98 when Pantera were on tour.

“On the Panthrax tour back in 97/98 I had the most important job in the show – the Whammy pedal part in Becoming,” Ian wrote. “Under Grady’s tutelage I went from Padawan to master and was given this great responsibility. 

“The other day in Santiago I was given the opportunity to perform this key task for Father Zakk,” he continued. “It had been many years since I had been charged with this principal duty. 

“I swept my initial trepidation away with a swift Black Tooth and took on the job of all jobs at a Pantera show. With a deep breath and a loosening of foot I shrugged off the years and Whammy’d away and nailed it. Thanks Grady!”

To help achieve this task, Ian was situated next to a DigiTech Whammy V that carried a helpful – if slightly unnerving – message that read, “Scott. Don’t fuck up.”

For what it’s worth, judging by the short clip that accompanied the post, it sounded like Ian did an admirable job on the Whammy pedal – no mean feat, given the abundance of Whammy action that Becoming boasts both in the riff and madcap solo section.

Ian was certainly in good hands when it came to working the Whammy for Wylde, since it was Champion himself who operated a Whammy for Dimebag back in the day.

On his own Instagram account, Champion praised Ian for his backstage cameo, writing, “Had a guest on the whammy pedal tonight. Ya think he nailed it? Scott Ian, yeah he did!”

Replying to the comments on that post, Champion confirmed the Whammy that Wylde has been using on tour isn’t Dimebag’s original version, and that he “didn’t want to bring his OG whammys” on the road as they are all over 20 years old.

Some of Dimebag’s old effects have made their way into Wylde’s Pantera rig, though. When Champion announced he’d signed on to join the Pantera tour, he also revealed he’d been granted access to Dimebag’s gear by the late guitarist’s girlfriend, Rita Haney.

Pantera will be wrapping up their 2022 tour at Knotfest Brasil in São Paulo on December 18, but will hit the road again next May for a run of European and US dates.

Anthrax frontman Scott Ian was recently asked by Revolver magazine to name his favourite rhythm players in metal, and his surprise pick was Kirk Hammett, Metallica’s lead guitarist.

While Metallica frontman James Hetfield regularly tops polls of the world’s best rhythm guitarists, Ian points out that fellow guitarist Hammett is, perhaps understandably, rarely considered.

“For me, in the world of metal, I think the most underrated rhythm player is Kirk Hammett,” says Ian. “Because he's in a band with James, who, when it comes to metal, is the best – there's no better right hand…

“[But] nobody ever talks about Kirk as a rhythm guitar player. But he's gotta go fucking note for note with James. And he can't cheat. There's no fucking cheating, he's down-picking all those fucking parts. Nobody talks about that. So Kirk, to me, is the most underrated.”

Ian also had warm words for Meshuggah’s mechanical rhythm wizard Fredrik Thordendal, who he rates as the only guitarist capable of giving Hetfield a run for his money when it comes to rhythmic prowess. 

“Fredrik [Thordendal] from Meshuggah [may] have the best right hand,” says Ian. “I’m convinced he was a Terminator sent back. But instead of killing Sarah Connor, he was here to make all other rhythm guitarists feel bad about their right hands. So technically, he's the best, but James is James, he's the fucking god.”

The last player in line for Ian’s picking props is Slayer’s Kerry King. “I’ve watched him close up so many times, standing with him for an hour, doing shots before they go on, and he's warming up the whole time,” says Ian.

“It's just jaw-dropping sometimes, the ability and the stamina ... I remember talking to [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt when he joined Slayer and he's like, ‘My fucking forearms are dying!’”

Back in September, Scott Ian sat down with Guitar World to discuss his long association with Jackson guitars, while Kirk Hammett is readying himself for the forthcoming release of Metallica’s 12th studio album, 72 Seasons. 

When it comes to brand ambassadors, few are as iconic for Jackson as Anthrax’s Scott Ian.

Since the dawn of the ‘80s, Ian’s unrelenting thrash precision has primarily been dealt out with a Jackson in hand. He delivered fistfuls of metal with his first custom Rhoads Concorde; chunked through the thrash-rap hybridity of Bring the Noise with a Soloist; hoisted a double-horned JJ model in the early ‘00s; and has worked through Anthrax’s modern-day renaissance with an arsenal of signature X-Series King V’s.

Simply put, Ian’s a lifer, through-and-through.

With all that history, Ian was pumped when Jackson gave him a sneak peak of their new SL3 Soloist – the update marking the first time the company has mass-produced the high-performance shred machine from their Corona, CA factory in their 40-year history. The alder body S-shape with a maple Speed Neck arrives in Riviera Blue, Gloss Black, Platinum Pearl, and Satin Slime Green finishes.

While the three-pickup system of the new American Series is set up differently to Ian’s ‘80s-era, Yankees-logo embossed custom Soloist – which had a single JB in the bridge position – handling the SL3 brought him back to his days cruising Manhattan’s guitar district in the ‘80s, mouth agape as he pulled the earliest Soloists – in his mind, the cooler, pointier Strat – off the wall on his lunch breaks.

“They were the best-feeling guitars I’d ever felt, so much faster than their forefathers – the Fenders and the Gibsons,” Ian recalls. “Not to sound like a TV commercial, but they were built for speed. That’s why everybody in metal started playing them in the ‘80s, because they were made for that style of playing. The necks are so god damn fast, I love it. They gave me a white one months ago [the Platinum Pearl SL3]. It’s one of my main guitars that I’m going to use on tour.”

To celebrate the launch of the American Series Soloist, Ian took stock of his 40-year journey with Jackson.

You recently posted a photo on Instagram of a high school talent show of yours where you’re playing your first guitar, a ’72 Tele Deluxe. Since you’ve been so closely associated with Jackson over the years, how many guitars had you gone through before you made the switch?

“I would’ve got my first electric, that Tele, either in ’72 or ’73, so it was nine years, because I ordered my Rhoads in ’82. Thinking about it in that context, nine years doesn’t seem like a long time, but from the age of 10 to 19 – from the time I started playing guitar, to when I was sitting in Sam Ash, ordering a Rhoads Concorde – you might as well tell me that was a hundred years. There were many guitars in between, though.

“I really wanted a Strat as my first guitar – that was my favorite shape – but my family couldn’t afford that. We went to a little guitar shop not far from where we lived in Long Island, and they had that Tele. What I loved about it was that the Tele Deluxe had the big, beefy Strat headstock; it didn’t have that skinny Tele headstock, which I still don’t like. And it had humbuckers in it.

“It was a great guitar! It worked really well for me for a long time, until I started working and was able to start saving money [for another guitar]. I sold the Tele, and with the little bit of money I’d saved I got my first Strat, which was a natural wood-colored with three single-coils – I quickly had the bridge position routed out and had a humbucker put into it. I was off to the races at that point. 

“And then it was Charvels. I started seeing Charvel Strat-shapes and Star bodies coming into the guitar shops in Manhattan before Jackson – I didn’t even know what a Jackson was until I saw Randy [Rhoads] playing one – and I was like, ‘Damn, what are these things?!’ This is what I imagined I wanted to do with my Stratocaster. Someone was already hot-rodding the guitars in advance.

“So, I had a Charvel San Dimas and a Star body probably in ’81-’82. Then Jackson took it to the next level. I saw a Rhoads hanging on the wall after seeing Randy play with Ozzy, and I couldn’t believe it. Like, you can get his guitar! It was pretty amazing.”

Maybe part of this was the pure appeal of having seen Randy play one, but if you started out wanting to hot-rod a Strat, what drew you to the aesthetic of the Concorde?

“I was also a big Flying V fan, but I couldn’t afford a Gibson back then. But I saw the Blizzard of Ozz tour twice, and then I saw them on Diary of Madman as well. I loved what [Randy] did with the V [shape]. He made it his own. And, of course, his tone was insane.

“The fact that they came out with that Rhoads... nobody was doing that back then. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t remember seeing signature models. You could buy a Les Paul like the one Jimmy Page played, but there was something different about [the Concorde].

“Jackson was brand-new, and [the Concorde was] a very specific shape that only Randy was playing. You couldn’t buy a Frankenstein back then; nobody was selling anything modeled after Eddie’s guitars yet, but here’s a Concorde hanging on the wall. It was crazy to me, and I had to have one.

“I was obsessed with him. I would go into the Sam Ash every day on my lunch break, take the thing off the wall, and play it for an hour. I finally saved up enough money to custom-order one towards the end of ’82.”

What were you seeking, in terms of the specs?

“Just something super-basic with a Floyd Rose, which was also relatively new in 1982. I had a Fernandes Strat-shaped guitar that had a Floyd on it, which I think that might’ve been my first one; my Charvels had the stock tremolo and they worked ok.

“I had a very specific idea for the finish on [the Concorde]. I had ordered it with this yellow-and-black leopard [finish], but when it came in, I hated it. It didn’t look right to me, so I immediately sent it back in to be refinished with some graphics that I had drawn. That’s the one that everybody knows, the white Rhoads that I played all through the ‘80s.

“I had a very strong vision and idea of what I needed out of a guitar at that point, which was basically: bridge pickup, volume control, Floyd Rose. I didn’t need anything else. And I had already found the tone with the Marshall JCM800 and a TC Electronic Booster distortion pedal. It was the magic combination.”

How long was that Concorde your main guitar?

“I might’ve taken it off the road after [1987’s] Among the Living. I think by the time we were touring State of Euphoria, which started in ’88, I was [primarily using a] Soloist – I was also playing ESP for a couple years in that same time period. I’m pretty sure I had left the Rhoads at home by that point, because I was too scared of anything happening to it. It was the main guitar on the first five Anthrax records, and the S.O.D. album [1985’s Speak English or Die].

“I also have an ‘81 Gibson V that I drop-tuned to D for the March of the S.O.D. track, and maybe Keep It in the Family from [1990’s] Persistence of Time, but otherwise I was using the Rhoads.”

How did you transition towards making the Soloist your next workhorse? 

“Around the time [1985’s] Spreading the Disease was coming out, we had signed a major-label deal with Island Records. Our manager was trying to get endorsement deals, because we didn’t have money to buy proper professional gear for touring.

“[Former Anthrax lead guitarist] Danny Spitz and I both wanted to play Jacksons, of course. With whoever was doing the A&R for Jackson at the time, the actual word that came back about was: 'Well, we’re thrilled about Danny, but why would we endorse Scott? He’s the rhythm guitar player.' They wouldn’t do it. I gotta say, I was angry and sad. Like, what kind of bullshit is that! 

“A buddy of mine worked at ESP in New York at the time, and said they’d be happy to make some guitars. They couldn’t do a Rhoads shape, obviously, but they had Strat/Soloist shapes with a similar pointy headstock to Jackson’s, so they built me a couple of guitars to take on tour. I put a Duncan JB in those, and they sounded good, but it wasn’t what I really wanted. I would look over at Danny with his cavalcade of Rhoads on the side of the stage – like eight of them – and I was just bummed. I was constantly reminded that I wasn’t playing Jackson. 

“At some point in either late ’88 or early ‘89s, Jackson rectified their mistake [laughs]. There was a changing of the guard, and another friend of mine from a guitar shop on 48th Street started working for Jackson. He immediately said, ‘Hey, we would love to have you over here,’ and I couldn’t have said yes fast enough.

“The first thing they did was build me the Soloist, which is fretless after the 14th fret, has the big inlay [on the fretboard] that says “NOT” on it, and has the New York Yankees logo on the body – that became my next most iconic guitar. It became the workhorse for the next four or five years.  I was basically back to where I started – I always wanted a Strat, and now I’m playing that shape with a cooler headstock. They’re just super-crunchy and so easy to play.”

Why did you decide to go fretless after the 14th on that Yankees guitar? Did you keep that up with any of your other Soloists? 

“That was a one-of-a-kind, [and] I basically did it to be an asshole [laughs]. I was an outspoken rhythm guitar player. Like, 'I’m the fuckin’ rhythm guitar player, and I’m proud of it; I don’t need frets up there, because I don’t use ‘em.' I was just being a dick, basically. Of course I play at the top of the neck sometimes, but I was making a statement, almost to say: 'Hey, guess what, I’m playing Jacksons now… and I’m the rhythm guitar player.'” 

“A lot of attention got paid to the fact that the guitar that was fretless after the 14th fret. That guitar is used on Bring The Noise, where I’m emulating the horn sample from the original Public Enemy version. I’m basically running my index fingernail up the fretless part of the B string, emulating that horn. On one of our biggest recordings of all time, you’re hearing how I created something with the fretless part of that guitar.”

What can you recall about building your signature T1000 Silverburst soloist with Jackson, several years later?

“That was the first time I got to go into the custom shop with Mike Shannon and actually be a part of tweaking the guitar. I had [been playing] Jackson before I was an [endorsed] Jackson artist, and then I became a Jackson artist in the ‘80s, all the way through the ‘90s when I was playing Surfcasters and JJs mainly. And then Jackson went away; they weren’t a company for years and years. When I got the call sometime around ’09 about coming back and designing a signature model, I was thrilled because I’d only ever wanted to be a Jackson guy. 

“We took a body, and I got to put it on the machine and sand it. I think I even brought the New York Yankees Soloist out there. They basically just copied that guitar, but changed the contour a little bit.”

Have you got your hands on one of the new American Series Soloists yet?

“They sent me one a couple of months ago, just so I could live with it and check it out. It’s a pretty big deal that after 40 years there’s finally an American production series for Jackson. It’s not just that they’ve got some new custom guitar coming out; this is a full-time production series, American-made. I’m thrilled that Fender has the confidence in the brand, and has revitalized a brand that was literally gone in the ‘00s. They’ve got great people working there and building the guitars.”

The SL3 is set up differently than the old Yankees Soloist – it has the humbucker in the bridge, with a pair of single coils…

“There is a lot more going on, [but] I’m not necessarily going to use all that in the context of the Anthrax show. But there are a couple songs where I play harmonies, so it would probably make sense to use it and flip up to the neck position pickup when I go up for the harmony. Maybe I’ll end up using that on Antisocial, where it’s got the clean intro, and I’ll flip it back to the humbucker once the song kicks in.”

Can we get into some other custom pieces in your collection, like this one mirror-plated X-Series King V you’ve shown off on Instagram? You’ve spoken in the past about how one of your King Vs has lightning bolt inlays as a tribute to Malcolm and Angus Young; since you’re also a Kiss fan, is the mirrored pickguard on that V a nod to Paul Stanley’s Mirrorball Ibanez?

“No, it’d have to be broken if I was doing that. I just wanted to have a mirror! Funnily enough, though, they built me two of those V’s: one with a Floyd and one without. I happened to be out at the custom shop when they were being built, and the mirror cracked [on one of the guitars]. They asked, ‘Do you want to keep this, or do you want us to redo top?’ At first, I was like, “Well...it’s kind of a Paul Stanley thing,” but not nearly [as intense] as what his looks like — these were just little crack lines. It just didn’t look good. If I were to make a Paul Stanley tribute I’d do it correctly, because I love that guitar.”

What’s the most work that’s gone into one of your Jacksons – whether that’s been via upgrading, or after any onstage disasters?

“I’ve never had any disasters. The closest we had to that was we had a fire in our rehearsal room in New York way back in 1990. Luckily for me, all of the guitars I had were across the room from where the fire had started. My iconic Rhoads was there, but no damage to it at all; my Gibson V was closer, and the outside of the case got a little burned.

“When we’d gotten the gear out of there, I opened up the case and the volume and tone pots were melted and misshapen; the paint on the horns got hot to the point where [the finish was] bubbling. I never repaired it; I just love the misshapen pots and the fucked-up paint. If I take a chunk out of a guitar live, I leave it. I don’t want it fixed. 

“As far as work going into the building of a guitar, that’s probably my Rick Nielsen King V, the checkerboard one, because that’s painted. It’s not a wrap. It was a beast for them to do it properly, but, man, was it worth it. It looks incredible!”

Is that your son, Revel, I can hear playing guitar in the background?

“Yeah.”

What can you say about the two of you jamming covers on Instagram? He’s played the drums while you’re taking on Mastodon songs at home; you did the tandem guitar attack on Raining Blood for another post…

“He’s in the background playing Caught in a Mosh right now, which makes my heart swell. We’ve got those digital Fender Mustang amps in the house, and he’s got them so wired. He knows how to hook up his Fender app on the iPad, connects it to the amp with Bluetooth, and creates all his own tones using the pedals within the app. I’m such a caveman when it comes to a lot of that stuff. I just plug into it like, 'Oh, there’s a preset that says “metal”? I’ll use that one!' He’s created 50 of his own tones with these things. It’s amazing.

“It's the best feeling, seeing his passion. Obviously, I was on a similar path, so it’s very familiar to me – albeit [that was] at an older age. For me, it started around 14, and for him it started at around 8. He’s way ahead of the game. He can play my rhythm parts already, and he’s 11! It’s beyond me. You mentioned Mastodon – he learns Mastodon songs on guitar and drums. His passion for [music] really has no boundaries.”

Did you start him on a Jackson?

Scott Ian: “No, the first one that he wanted as his own guitar was the Jim Root black Strat.”

Revel Ian: “It was sort of like you with the Concorde!”

Scott Ian: “Jim Root is still one of his favorite guitar players. He really wanted that a few years back for his birthday. That’s his go-to, even though he has other guitars, and obviously we have many guitars to choose from at the gear locker. It’s the one that he fell in love with first.”

It’s been six years since Anthrax released For All Kings. Where are you at with making another record?

“I have my own math when it comes to that. I think you can only count it as three years, because the pandemic essentially stole a few years from us. We did have a couple of writing sessions here and there, but nothing moved forward until we were able to all be in a room together again, and that was almost three years on from the last time we had been in a room together [pre-pandemic]. We certainly would have had a record out already if the world didn’t go to shit. There’s no rush, though. We’re working on it, and we’re really happy with where we’re at musically.

“Getting back out on tour is going to be the best thing for us, because we haven’t done that since the end of 2019. We’re going to be able to get out there again, have our backstage setup, and get to jam in the dressing room. That’s where a lot of this comes from: us being bored during the day, and [then using] that time creatively.

“It’s fun to be working on the new stuff backstage, and then going out to play it super-loud at soundcheck. We’re pretty well along. We’ve got 8-10 great arrangements, and lyrics for about half of it. I think over these next few months we should be at a point where we’ll be much closer to actually commit to [making a record].”

• For more information on the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3, visit Jackson Guitars.

What was the greatest guitar solo of the eighties? How about the best guitar riff? The ultimate guitar album? The decade’s most underappreciated player? Was Back to School better than Back to the Future? (At least one GW editor screams yes!) Did A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score really have a more bitchin’ hairstyle than Steve Stevens?

Well, whether you remember or not, we at GW have already opined on at least some of these burning issues – probably even more than once (and it all started with the February 1990 issue). 

Hey, we’ve been around for 42 years! This time, however, we decided to open things up to a host of guitar stars (plus a few GW editors), some of whom were already doing their thing 35 years ago, and some who weren’t even born yet.

We asked them to answer these 10 questions about the eighties – and to elaborate whenever they deemed it necessary:

1. Greatest guitar solo
2. Best riff
3. Ultimate guitar album
4. Piece of gear that screams “Eighties”
5. Guitarist of the decade
6. Greatest shredder
7. Underappreciated hero
8. Best movie
9. Greatest hairstyle
10. Ultimate Eighties accessory

Check out their answers below. Enjoy!

Guitar World covers of the 80s...

Vernon Reid (Living Colour)

• SOLO: Devil Take the Hindmost by Allan Holdsworth. Insane fluidity like [Eric] Dolphy, ’Trane and a space alien all at one go. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. That riff is basic, but it feels elemental. It’s like the guitar played itself and Slash just channeled it. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson. It’s incredible that two guitarists with radically opposite approaches made such a beautifully subtle and colorful album. A total reinvention of Crimson. Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp basically made the rock equivalent of a David Lynch film. 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp into a VHT power amp.
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Allan Holdsworth. Every other metal or rock guitarist had to deal with the fact that Allan fundamentally shifted the game.
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai, the mad, mercurial scientist. His openness and extraordinary range, not to mention insane chops. From David Lee Roth to Public Image Ltd., remarkable. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Greg Howe was amazing then and is phenomenal now. His evolution from metal to fusion – with stops at bebop along the way – is incredible. Why is he consistently underappreciated? You tell me, or go ask Kermit the Frog. 
• ACCESSORY: A fanny pack. Never be caught dead with one.

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

• SOLO: My favorite band is Rush, so I think of the solo in YYZ. Not only do I love Rush and Alex [Lifeson], and that’s an instrumental, but the solo he did just became very influential to me. It has a kinda exotic sound; he’s using open strings and pull-offs, and it just has this nice slippery, slinky vibe to it. I love the whole vibe. 
• RIFF: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Scuttle Buttin’. That’s such a sick “Stevie Ray on fire” riff. It’s bringing back memories of me trying to learn these things and being like, “What the hell is he doing!” [Laughs]
• ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. It just changed things for instrumental guitar music. Not that there weren’t guitar heroes before that, but it ushered in a new type. It’s a great combination of amazing, out-of-this-world playing and incredible songs.
• GEAR: I don’t know if this was made in the Eighties, but to me, the TC Electronic 2290. When I discovered that, I was like, Oh, that’s how you get that sound. [Laughs] That real iconic famous chorusing sound – that was so Eighties in the best of ways. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Yngwie Malmsteen. He blew the doors wide open as far as neo-classical shred guitar goes.
• SHREDDER: Randy Rhoads
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Tom Scholz [of Boston] because of his amazing melodic solos, iconic and unmistakable guitar tone, lush guitar harmonies and orchestrations and incredible songwriting. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: The Flock of Seagulls guy always comes to mind. [Laughs] Mike Score had a totally unique Eighties look. 
• ACCESSORY: When I think of myself at that time, hair mousse comes to mind. [Laughs] And the Rockman by Tom Scholz!

Scott Ian (Anthrax)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley, Randy Rhoads. His 1-2-3 punch of chops, technique and melody make this solo the one that not only stands out above all his other work, but above everyone else’s in the Eighties. And it’s fun to “air guitar” to! 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black came out in 1980 and set the tone for the rest of the decade. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy. Randy tops Eddie [Van Halen’s] Women and Children First by a nose hair – and only because he was the new kid and it was all very exciting to hear someone come along A.E. – after Ed – and give us all ear boners. 
• GEAR: The Floyd Rose! Eddie, Randy, Alex, Kirk, Dave, Steve, Joe, Neil, Kerry, Jeff, Vernon, me! etc., etc. They’re all first-name basis guitar players who used Floyd’s – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Ty Tabor of King’s X. Ty’s playing on their two Eighties albums is wholly original. His tone is incredible, his feel, his sense of melody. He’s a monster. You need to listen to King’s X. 
• MOVIE: Raging Bull 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: My Walkman Sport

Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)

• SOLO: Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes (Trevor Rabin) 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson (Steve Lukather) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: Scholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Belew. A complete original. The only guitarist I’ve seen live and couldn’t figure out how the hell he got such sounds out of the instrument. He also emits complete joy when he performs. 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me [Visual aid, top right...] 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Adam Jones (Tool)

• SOLO: Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Lay It Down – drop D! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: David Bowie’s Scary Monsters 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp with a Roland AX-7 Keytar 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen
• OVERLOOKED HERO: [Gang of Four’s] Andy Gill. [He had a] huge influence on me. His style was so passionate and raw, very unique at the time. When I mention him, most people say, “Who?” 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Any member of Kajagoogoo
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Eric Peterson (Testament)

• SOLO: Hook in Mouth by Megadeth 
• RIFF: Wrathchild by Iron Maiden and A Dangerous Meeting by Mercyful Fate 
• ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteem
• GEAR: Parametric equalizer by Furman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Meniketti [Y&T] – amazing chops and killer tone. Never seen him in the limelight. 
• MOVIE: Legend 
• HAIRSTYLE: David Lee Roth 
• ACCESSORY: My case of cassettes. Still have it!

Eric Johnson

• SOLO: The Pump by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Satch Boogie by Joe Satriani 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Reckless by Bryan Adams 
• GEAR: Tube Screamer 808 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Summers. He writes great orchestrated parts that fit the songs and embellish their integrity. 
• MOVIE: On Golden Pond 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: B.K. Butler Tube Driver

Gretchen Menn

• SOLO: I have to honor the first one that made my ears perk up: Nuno Bettencourt’s solo on [Extreme’s] Play with Me. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien 
• GEAR: [Laughs] Maybe too much chorus, but the exact pedal? I couldn’t tell you... 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. He was there at the beginning of the decade and changed the electric guitar in such a profound way for so many guitarists. 
• SHREDDER: I don’t think I could choose one, as there are so many different flavors of amazing. The whole decade is an abundance of shred riches. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Warren DeMartini. I feel like those who know really know, but he’s just a monster player. He garners plenty of admiration and respect among musicians, but I don’t know if he truly gets recognized on a larger scale the way he deserves. 
• MOVIE: The Shining and, of course, This Is Spinal Tap. 
• HAIRSTYLE: I think they all did! [Laughs]

Ross The Boss (Manowar)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Zero the Hero by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Yours truly, Ross the Boss! I made six great records in six years with Manowar. No one has topped that. 
• MOVIE: Conan the Barbarian 
• HAIRSTYLE: Angus Young 
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray

Paul Riario (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Scorpions’ Rock You Like a Hurricane 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Round and Round
• GUITAR ALBUM: Dokken’s Tooth and Nail. Nearly every hair metal guitarist from the decade most likely studied every solo, lick and riff from this album. 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai combined all the elements of technique and flash that nearly every guitarist wanted to emulate. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen changed the course of neo-classical shred guitar in speed and technique that still resonates today. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neil Giraldo is one of the most consistently tasteful guitarists who incorporated speed, restraint and clever phrasing in the most memorable way for not only Pat Benatar, but other artists like Rick Springfield (Hello? Jessie’s Girl). 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol/Steve Stevens – the perfect pairing of Eighties hairstyles in one band. 
• ACCESSORY: Aqua Net hair spray. C’mon now, you couldn’t leave home without it.

Mark Holcomb (Periphery)

• SOLO: Randy Rhoads on Mr. Crowley 
• RIFF: Anything by Metallica – but for me, the main riff in Disposable Heroes. 
• GEAR: Any chorus pedal! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Randy Rhoads lived in the shadow of EVH and contributed only two studio albums to Ozzy’s legacy, but he brought an academic, classical sensibility to metal that left an imprint on the genre for good. 
• MOVIE: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Anyone in Poison
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray... and maybe a studded armband or two.

Ernie C (Body Count)

• SOLO: S.A.T.O. by Ozzy 
• RIFF: Van Halen’s Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love. It’s fun to play – and people always know what it is. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman 
• GEAR: Roland G-707 guitar synthesizer. I actually had one. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It has to be Eddie Van Halen. Quick story: I wanted a left-handed Eddie Van Halen guitar. When I produced Black Sabbath’s Forbidden, Tony [Iommi] said, if you ever have a chance, go say hi to Eddie. So I made it to a concert and said hi to him.
  He takes my number and calls me – back when we had answering machines – and left a message. “Ernie, it’s Eddie Van Halen. Give me a call.” I had that as my outgoing message for a year. Back to the guitar: Ernie Ball said they didn’t make left-handed ones. I told Eddie and he said, “They made one for John McEnroe – they’re going to make one for you,” and he got me one. So my answer might be kind of biased! 
• SHREDDER: Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Schenker is really good and doesn’t get all the credit. UFO was great! 
• MOVIE: It’s not necessarily my favorite, but Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. Ice-T and I are in that. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Slash – the best combination of instrument and hair, hands down. Still is. 
• ACCESSORY: Jim Dunlop Cry Baby

John 5

• SOLO: Beat It. It really is just pure perfection. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: My Boss Heavy Metal pedal. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert came on the scene with Racer X and changed my life forever. 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Vinnie Moore 
• MOVIE: Crossroads with Ralph Macchio and Steve Vai – one of the best! 
• HAIRSTYLE: My good friend Nikki Sixx had the coolest haircut in the Eighties. 
• ACCESSORY: My record collection. Without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today. 

Ben Phillips (The Pretty Reckless)

• RIFF: Hells Bells by AC/DC, one of the best opening riffs of all time. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Is Mark Knopfler underrated? He’s often left out – at least in the U.S. – as one of the greatest. 
• MOVIE: Fast Times at Ridgemont High 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nick Rhodes 
• ACCESSORY: Your Walkman!

Eric Gales

• SOLO: Beat It by Michael Jackson 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: 1959 non-master vintage Marshall stack 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: I don’t know, I got a lot of friends out there – Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan – that’s a difficult question to answer! 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: I think Shuggie Otis might be one of the ones that didn’t get their due. He’s amazing. 
• MOVIE: Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 
• HAIRSTYLE: Frank Zappa 
• ACCESSORY: 1959 Marshall stack with a 1954 Strat. Can’t leave home without it! 

Lita Ford

• SOLO: The Ripper by Lita Ford 
• RIFF: Close My Eyes Forever by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Lita by Lita Ford 
• GEAR: B.C. Rich guitars 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Lita Ford – because she is/was a badass “female” guitarist. Not many people could handle that. 
• MOVIE: Arthur 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nikki Sixx 
• ACCESSORY: A guitar! 

Warren DeMartini (Ratt)

• SOLO: Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne (Jake E. Lee) 
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne 
• GEAR: MXR Flanger 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• MOVIE: The Blues Brothers 
• HAIRSTYLE: Tommy Lee 
• ACCESSORY: Vitamin B12

Jimmy Brown (Guitar World)

• SOLO: GNR’s Sweet Child O’ Mine 
• RIFF: GNR’s Welcome to the Jungle 
• GUITAR ALBUM: AC/DC, Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 100-watt tube amp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mike Stern. He wrote and played some brilliant music that really epitomized the jazz-rock ethos. But being a jazz musician, his exposure to rock fans and the guitar community at large was inherently limited by the low popularity of jazz in mainstream culture. 
• MOVIE: Bloodsport
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol 
• ACCESSORY: My black leather “fanny pack multi-compartment man purse.” LOL

Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge)

• SOLO: Jeff Beck’s People Get Ready, a great example of the pure emotion that one of the best players that ever lived is capable of laying down. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt. It is just that classic Eighties metal-era iconic riff that everybody’s learned over the years. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood 
• GEAR: The ADA MP-1, a rack-mounted guitar processor. I never got the MP1, but I did have the MP2. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen, hands down. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen. He’s the godfather of shred guitar and put that style of playing on the map. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neal Schon. He played with a lot of class and emotion on those Journey recordings, but a lot of people didn’t realize how talented a player and shredder he was at that time. 
• MOVIE: Crossroads was one of the reasons I wanted to start playing guitar. The “cutting heads” scene is one of the most iconic guitar movie scenes of all time. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Dee Snider
• ACCESSORY: The Rockman Sustainor rack that Tom Scholz created.

Jim Heath (Reverend Horton Heat)

• SOLO: Brian Setzer’s solo in Stray Cats’ Stray Cat Strut changed my life.
• RIFF: Elliot Easton managed to get a ton of great country- and rockabilly-style riffs into the Cars’ new wave songs. The solo in My Best Friend’s Girl is a great example. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stray Cats’ Built for Speed 
• GEAR: Boss DM-2 analog delay. Some jerk stole mine off of the stage at a gig in Amsterdam. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Brian Setzer... this is getting redundant. 
• SHREDDER: I’m not really that well versed in shredders, but since he’s from Texas and was a friend of mine, I’ll go with Mike Scaccia from Rigor Mortis and Ministry. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Gonzalez of the Paladins and Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. 
• MOVIE: Elvis ’56 and maybe Something Wild with Ray Liotta. 
• HAIRSTYLE: The guy from Flock of Seagulls? [Laughs] 
• ACCESSORY: For me it was the Fifties-style shirt-jacks... two-tone maxi-style! We also liked the baggy pleated trousers. For me, the Eighties were all about the Fifties. [Laughs]

Nate Garrett (Spirit Adrift)

• SOLO: Glenn Tipton’s solo in Reckless by Judas Priest 
• RIFF: Black Sabbath, Sign of the Southern Cross 
• ALBUM: Megadeth’s Peace Sells... but Who’s Buying? At that point, it was an arms race to see who could write the most impressive riffs and solos, and Megadeth came out on top in my book. 
• GEAR: Les Paul into a Marshall 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. That’s not even really up for discussion. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Glenn Tipton 
• MOVIE: The Thing by John Carpenter 
• ACCESSORY: Denim and leather – like Saxon was preaching about. 

Reb Beach (Winger)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake (John Sykes) 
• RIFF: Still of the Night by Whitesnake 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tom Sholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Timmons. He was in Danger Danger, and no one knew how amazing he was at the time. 
• MOVIE: Silverado 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me! [See below...] 
• ACCESSORY: Boss Super Overdrive

Steve Lukather (Toto)

• SOLO: Where Were You by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson. It was Michael’s riff. The fact that I played it is irrelevant. Ed gets a big nod for his solo. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson or Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tri stereo chorus with stereo delay 
• SHREDDER: Hard to pick! Yngwie, Nuno, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani... 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Landau, my best friend since we were 12. Everything he plays is masterful. People need to check out all his solo records. 
• MOVIE: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls – and my dear pal Steve Stevens. 
• ACCESSORY: Delay was probably something I’ve always used back to the Echoplex days of the Seventies.

Diamond Rowe (Tetrarch)

• SOLO: Metallica’s One or Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metallica’s ...And Justice for All. Guitar riffs galore!
• GEAR: I don’t see how anyone can say anything other than the Marshall JCM head! That was an Eighties tone staple!
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Dave Mustaine or Zakk 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Smith doesn’t get enough praise for all the amazing melodic guitar work he does (and did) for Iron Maiden. 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: I’m going to have to go with all the boys that just let it grow: James Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen, etc. 
• ACCESSORY: The whammy bar!

Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)

• SOLO: Pink Floyd Sorrow. David Gilmour recorded that on a boat with a little amp, which makes it even cooler! [Laughs] The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell – I love all those records, and they’re filled with great guitar stuff. 
• RIFF: Motörhead Ace of Spades. It’s just dirty! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I love Link Wray’s Live in ’85 because it starts with Rumble, and Rumble is from the Fifties, and when he [first released it] it was banned. It was the only instrumental ever banned on the radio because it incited riots. What balls to make an instrumental song that gets banned! 
• GEAR: The B.C. Rich Warlock. It was what I was using, what Slayer was using and I think W.A.S.P. and Lita Ford and a bunch of other people. I think I got it from Lita Ford. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: The Edge from U2 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen, man. Other guys come close, like Randy Rhoads right behind him, but I have to go with Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chuck Schuldiner from Death. Not just for the technical stuff of later years, which was mind-blowing, but the early stuff. Come on, the guy practically invented death metal! [Laughs] 
• MOVIE: Planes, Trains and Automobiles 
• HAIRSTYLE: There’s a lot of mullets flying around. ing around... but I wanted to do some- thing different, so I went with [bassist Jean-Yves] Blacky [Thériault from] Voivod, with the shaved head on one side and long hair. 
• ACCESSORY: For us, touring at that time during Arise, Beneath the Remains and Chaos [A.D.], it was the fanny pack. [Laughs] I was actually thinking about bringing that back. It was cool because you could put everything in it!

Malina Moye

• SOLO: Beat It by Eddie Van Halen or Purple Rain by Prince 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black or Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce with Roger Troutman. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet or Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction 
• GEAR: A Floyd Rose on a Kramer 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather, Vernon Reid or Wendy Melovin 
• MOVIE: Friday the 13th 
• HAIRSTYLE: Randy Jackson or Buddy Guy with his Jheri curl! 
• ACCESSORY: Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses

Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)

• SOLO: Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: This Charming Man by the Smiths (Johnny Marr) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Spring Session M by Missing Persons (Warren Cuccurullo) 
• GEAR: Lexicon 480 L Digital Reverb 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: The Edge. In a decade filled to the brim with shredding virtuosos, the Edge could transcend the guitar and get right to the heart of the song. He filled space when needed and appropriately and modestly found his lane with taste and class. Always interesting and always thoughtful. 
• MOVIE: The Lost Boys
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• ACCESSORY: Condoms

Dean Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots)

• SOLO: The Great Curve by Talking Heads (Adrian Belew) 
• RIFF: It’s No Game, Part 1 by David Bowie (Robert Fripp) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I.O.U. by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Elliot Easton 
• SHREDDER: Steve Stevens 
• MOVIE: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: The CD Walkman

Nili Brosh

• SOLO: Eddie Van Halen’s Beat It solo 
• RIFF: The Final Countdown by Europe. It’s technically a melody rather than a guitar riff, but it’s one of the catchiest that’s synonymous with the Eighties. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: The old Tom Scholtz Rockman Sustainor 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Nuno Bettencourt, but I’ve always felt it’s because it was the early Nineties when Extreme hit it big. 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: I was only two when the Eighties ended so it’s a tough one to answer, but I’m guessing a pink hair brush would’ve been my version of it!

Reeves Gabrels

• SOLO: The Boy with the Gun by David Sylvain (David Torn) 
• RIFF: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson 
• GEAR: Steinberger GL2T TransTrem 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Bill Nelson 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Eddie Martinez, a New York City player who was omnipresent on terrestrial radio in the Eighties. He could be heard on recordings by Robert Palmer, Blondie, Lou Reed, Lenny White, David Lee Roth, Meat Loaf and countless others. His fresh playing on Run-DMC’s self-titled album (which included Rock Box) presented the blueprint for the rock guitar/rap hybrid that was relentlessly exploited by others into the 2000s. He’s a guitarist’s guitarist, whose riffs you’ve played in your cover band and whose solos you’ve tried to copy but whose name you never took the time to learn. Now’s the time to do your homework and hit “search.” 
• MOVIE: Amadeus 
• ACCESSORY: Pro Co Rat distortion pedal

Steve Morse

• SOLO: Don’t Tell Me You Love Me by Night Ranger (Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson). The harmonies really hit a sweet spot, and the energy is intense. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Slash’s intro is simple and beautiful, and it offered a new approach for rock guitarists. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: A whammy bar guitar. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: A five-way tie between Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Randy Rhoads. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mick Mars. His rhythm playing and riffs are very musical, and they’re a great place to start learning the art of playing effectively. 
• MOVIE: Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kip Winger. He’s a great musician and writer, but he also had the ultimate look, one that all singers wanted to emulate. 
• ACCESSORY: It’s not an item – it’s practicing the guitar. Everybody was playing so phenomenally well in the Eighties, so you had to be at the top of your game before walking out the door for a gig. The audience really listened to the guitar.

Jake Bowen (Periphery)

• SOLO: Fight Fire with Fire by Metallica 
• RIFF: The first riff of Metallica’s Blackened after the intro 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Did James Hetfield have that awesome mullet in the Eighties?
• ACCESSORY: Don’t leave home without your machine gun bullet belt.

Marty Friedman (solo artist, ex-Megadeth)

• SOLO: Wuthering Heights by Pat Benatar (Neil Giraldo) 
• RIFF: Here It Comes by Ezo 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar. Every solo is totally different, and every song has lots of unique and very effective guitar work. 
• GEAR: Quadraverb 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It would be impossible to choose one, probably thanks to the high standard set by EVH. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather. People know how great he is, but many are not aware that his massive body of musical work is so overwhelmingly expansive and diverse that there are literally no rivals as far as I know. 
• MOVIE: The Last American Virgin 
• HAIRSTYLE: The bass player on the first Cinderella album cover. 
• ACCESSORY: Hair

Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)

• SOLO: Into the Fire by Dokken (George Lynch) 
• RIFF: Opening riff to Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: Original Eighties hot pink Ibanez JEM 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Vandenburg. Killer vibrato [and] awesome-sounding hands. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: Walkman cassette player!

Alex Skolnick (Testament)

• SOLO: Beat It (Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson). Not that it was Eddie’s best, but it was darn good. More important is what it represented – a cultural milestone and the radical merging of hard rock guitar and pop via EVH & MJ. 
• RIFF: Back in Black by AC/DC. It was one of the first riffs of the Eighties, and it set the bar extremely high. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GEAR: Yamaha SPX 90 rack effects unit. If I’m not mistaken, Mike Stern still uses his. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Joe Satriani. He was completely unknown outside of the SF Bay Area in the early Eighties when I was fortunate enough to have him as a teacher. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff of Giant. Listen to 1989’s Last of the Runaways. 
• MOVIE: Revenge of the Nerds (1984). It’s not my favorite on an artistic level, but it’s one of several mid-Eighties comedies that just helps capture the era. Besides, what other movie has a character named “Skolnick”? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten. She’s tied with Steve Stevens. Both played for MJ and had the ultimate hair at the time. 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman

Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.)

• SOLO: Iron Maiden’s Powerslave – Dave Murray’s solo at 3:06. 
• RIFF: Metallica’s Seek & Destroy 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: EVH 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Vivian Campbell. His work on Dio’s Holy Diver was some of the baddest stuff I heard as a kid. 
• MOVIE: The NeverEnding Story 
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure

Dean Back & Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman)

• SOLO: Ice 9 by Joe Satriani (Tyler), Beat It (Dean) 
• RIFF: Hot for Teacher (Tyler), GNR’s Mr. Brownstone (Dean) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien (Tyler) 
• GEAR: Ibanez JEM 777 (Tyler) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jeff Healey (Tyler), Mark Knopfler (Dean) 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club (Tyler), Top Gun (Dean) 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten or Bruce Dickinson (Tyler), Jon Bon Jovi (Dean)
• ACCESSORY: Ibanez Tube Screamer (Tyler), Sony Sports Walkman (Dean).

Josh Smith (Northlane)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake – the one and only John Sykes. 
• RIFF: Slayer’s Raining Blood 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Death, Leprosy 
• GEAR: I own a fluorescent green and black swirled Ibanez with a double locking tremolo. Not a Northlane guitar but as shred as it gets! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH, duh 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai. In the Eighties, GW editor Brad Tolinski wrote, “Steve Vai’s guitar wizardry is so profound that in earlier times he would have been burned as a witch.” 
• MOVIE: Top Gun 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jerry Cantrell’s got us all covered with those locks.

Dave Dalone (H.E.A.T)

• SOLO: Kee Marcello’s solo in Superstitious. 
• RIFF: Money for Nothing by Dire Straits 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Hysteria by Def Leppard. It might not be the craziest playing, but it’s damn effective and well executed. 
• GEAR: Anything that goes to 11! How about a Tri Stereo Chorus... preferably mounted in one of those Bradshaw racks, sitting in the trunk of a Firebird, driven by Jean-Claude Van Damme into the L.A. sunset to the sound of Rough Boy by ZZ Top. (Sorry, I got carried away!) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff. Giant came along at the end of the cycle, and it seems they were a bit late to the party. But what a great guitar player! 
• MOVIE: Back to the Future 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman and an attitude.

Bobby Keller

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Randy Rhoads 
• RIFF: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: The George Lynch “Tiger Striped” ESP guitar for me. What more could you ask for? 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Jason Becker 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jake E. Lee and Vito Bratta don’t get the credit they deserve, even though Vito had maybe a different life scenario happen that prevented him from playing or continuing with White Lion. But Jake just slays. 
• MOVIE: Nightmare on Elm Street movies 
• HAIRSTYLE: Prince 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman or a boom box. 

Damian Fanelli (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Texas Flood 
• RIFF: Crazy Train 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood 
• GEAR: My ol’ EMG active pickups 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH because of obviousness; Steve Vai because of Crossroads and the Ibanez JEM; SRV because he didn’t get another decade. 
• SHREDDER: Our Mr. Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chris Hayes of Huey Lewis and the News. And while I’m at it: Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Brian Setzer and Pete Anderson! 
• MOVIE: Back to School. “Remember – you’re a Melon!” 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kiss guitarist Mark St. John from a 1987 Gibson USA “Artist Signature Series” GW ad that also features Michael Angelo (Batio) and Wayne Charvel. I know there were crazier hairstyles, but Mark St. John’s hair in this ad pretty much leaves me speechless. 
• ACCESSORY: Food.

Adia Victoria

• SOLO: Poison's Nothin' But a Good Time
• RIFF: Metallica's Master of Puppets
• GUITAR ALBUM: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses
• GEAR: Tommy Lee's flying drum set
• MOVIE: Die Hard
• HAIRSTYLE: David Bowie's mullet
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Prince
• SHREDDER: Slash
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: AC/DC's Malcolm Young. No explanation needed.
• ACCESSORY: Bedazzled jockstrap

It's unlikely that anyone would describe the music Scott Ian makes with his band, Anthrax, as "heartwarming," but the Instagram videos he shoots with his 10-year-old son, Revel, certainly are.

In recent months, Scott and Revel, an aspiring musician himself, have gone viral with father-son covers of Sepultura, System of a Down and – in tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins – Foo Fighters classics.

Now, Scott Ian and Son have taken on one of the great thrashers of all time (the elder Ian cites it as the "greatest"), Slayer's Raining Blood. You can check out their take on the metal classic above.

For the cover, the elder Ian notably uses a custom mirror Jackson V electric guitar that he first revealed in another Instagram post earlier this month. Not to be outdone, Revel wields a different custom Jackson – a Soloist that features his name engraved on the fretboard. Not a bad starter guitar, eh?

Back in April, Scott Ian teamed up with Jackson – with whom he has long been associated – to give a tour of his wildest and most beloved custom Jackson guitars.

Aside from the Soloist adorned with his son's name, Ian proudly showed off his first custom Jackson, a 1982 Rhoads model that was originally sent to the thrash/hardcore pioneer with a very not-hardcore/thrash yellow-and-black leopard print finish.

Also of note in the collection was a single-pickup NOT Soloist model that features the New York Yankees' logo and is fretless beyond the 14th fret, and a triple-pickup Adrian Smith San Dimas model that Ian used on the Big Four tour in 2010, and is signed by all members of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax.

“What's so great about the Jackson Custom Shop,” Ian says in the video, “[is that] they really love when you come in with ridiculous ideas and then they actually get to make them real.”

Scott Ian has played Jackson guitars for decades – as far back as 1982 – so, accordingly, he's amassed quite the collection. And in the latest episode of the guitar giant's Thrashed YouTube series, the Anthrax man offers a glimpse of a few of his favorite electric guitars in his collection.

Perhaps no surprise to anybody familiar with Ian's collection already, he singles out a selection of ultra-pointy six-strings for examination, starting with a Randy Rhoads Concorde.

The guitar – developed by Jackson founder Grover Jackson in partnership with the Ozzy Osbourne guitarist in the early '80s – went on to inspire Jackson's Rhoads series, a cornerstone of its product offering to this day.

“Such a big part of thrash metal was pointy headstock guitars, and Jackson certainly led the way with that,” Ian says. “Everyone saw [this guitar] and was like, ‘Holy shit, what is that thing.”

Next up, Ian picks up one of his NOT guitars, a 1982 Custom Shop Rhoads model sporting a variety of decals, including Sgt. D, the guitarist's cigar-smoking alter-ego from his mid-'80s crossover thrash project, Stormtroopers of Death.

As he explains, the guitar was originally sent to him with a yellow-and-black leopard print finish, but he sent it back and requested it be refinished with the decals we see today.

“I paid for this guitar,” Ian says. “And even in 1982, a Custom Shop Rhoads cost a lot of money. I'm thinking probably in the high twos – $2,700, $2,800. I worked my ass off. I used this on all the touring for Spreading the Disease [and] Among the Living. It's kind of iconic. I still use it. I bust it out on every album.”

Other highlights from the collection include Ian's single-pickup NOT Soloist model – which features the New York Yankees' logo and is notably fretless beyond the 14th fret – and a killswitch-equipped Soloist adorned with the name of his Ian's son, Revel Young – with whom he's recently been posting adorably hard-rocking covers on Instagram – on the fretboard.

There's also a triple-pickup Adrian Smith San Dimas model Ian used on the Big Four tour in 2010 – signed by all members of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax – as well as a guitar inspired by Anthrax's 2011 track, In The End.

Like the track, the latter guitar pays tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell and Ronnie James Dio, with custom artwork depicting the pair by Colorado-based artist Mike Learn. As Ian explains, the guitar is now retired. 

“I always get that way with certain guitars – I get to a point where I start getting paranoid that something's gonna happen to them and it's just time for them to stay home,” he says.

“What's so great about the Jackson Custom Shop,” Ian continues, “[is that] they really love when you come in with ridiculous ideas and then they actually get to make them real.”

Quite possibly the most wholesome duo in heavy metal, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and his 10-year-old song Revel have captured hearts covering the likes of Sepultura's Roots Bloody Roots and System of a Down's Bounce.

In their latest video, the duo pay tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins – who tragically passed away last month – with a medley of three Foos songs, including two early cuts, Low and Stacked Actors, and Concrete and Gold track, Run.

Once again, the fresh-faced Revel Young Ian shows his remarkably precise timekeeping skills, while his rockstar father riffs away on a blacked-out, double-humbucker-equipped Fender Jim Root Stratocaster. Check it out below.

In a caption accompanying the video, Scott Ian writes: “Paying tribute to Taylor... We've been jamming our favorite Foo's all week. Healing our hearts with the power of rock. We love you Taylor, Dave [Grohl], Pat [Smear], Chris [Shiflett], Nate [Mendel] and Rami [Jaffee].”

Despite his age, Revel Young Ian's relationship with the Foo Fighters dates back to 2019, when he was brought onstage at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky to perform Everlong on guitar with the band.

“There goes my hero,” Scott Ian wrote on social media at the time. “Proudest dad moment ever? How about when your son gets to join his favorite band onstage to play Everlong in front of 40,000 people and nails it!”

Having a guitarist for one of the Big Four thrash bands as a father, Revel Young Ian was always destined to have musical DNA. As Scott Ian explained to Horns Up Rocks (via Louder) in 2014, his son was into rock music at just two years old.

“But what's really cool is that he actually recognizes and knows the difference between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, which is pretty cool, I think, for an almost three-year-old.

“Any time AC/DC is on, he'll go, ‘That's Bon singing.’ And then when it's not Bon, he'll say, ‘That's not Bon singing.’ He knows. That's pretty cool, I think.”

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and his 10-year-old son, Revel Young Ian – perhaps the most adorable duo in heavy metal history – celebrated the Super Bowl in style last night by offering up a fresh take on System of a Down's Bounce, from 2001's Toxicity.

The cover – uploaded to Instagram yesterday (February 13) – is the third undertaken by the pair, following their recent takes on Sepultura's Roots Bloody Roots and Territory.

For the new jam, Scott Ian plays Daron Malakian's guitar parts using a Gibson Brendon Small Snow Falcon Flying V – one of the Dethklok guitarist's signature models – while Revel Young Ian showcases his dexterity and timekeeping on the drums. Letting the cover speak for itself, the Anthrax guitarist simply captions the post, “A big Bounce for Bowl day!”

The video's comments section features a wealth of praise for their performance, including from Malakian and SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjian. Malakian labels the performance “awesome”, adding that “the kid can really play”, while Odadjian simply describes it as “bad ass”.

Already living the rock 'n' roll dream, Revel Young Ian has, despite his age, become an adept multi-instrumentalist, honing skills on both guitar and drums, even playing the former onstage with the Foo Fighters in 2019.

“There goes my hero,” Scott Ian wrote on social media at the time. “Proudest dad moment ever? How about when your son gets to join his favorite band on stage to play Everlong in front of 40,000 people and nails it!”

It was probably no surprise to his father that Revel Young Ian chose a musical path from a young age. Back in 2014, Scott Ian revealed that his then-two-year-old son was into rock music, adding that he could already tell the difference between AC/DC singers Bon Scott and Brian Johnson.

“He knows a lot of the stuff that he hears or sees in the house,” Scott told Horns Up Rocks (via Louder). “But what's really cool is that he actually recognizes and knows the difference between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, which is pretty cool, I think, for an almost three-year-old.

“Any time AC/DC is on, he'll go, ‘That's Bon singing.’ And then when it's not Bon, he'll say, ‘That's not Bon singing.’ He knows. That's pretty cool, I think.”

As a member of Anthrax since the band's formation in 1981, Scott Ian has established himself as one of the most renowned rhythm guitarists in thrash. Perhaps, then, it's no surprise that his 10-year-old son, Revel Young Ian, has already developed a taste for heavy metal.

Already a talented multi-instrumentalist, the young rocker has honed some formidable skills on both drums and guitar, and even played the latter on stage with Foo Fighters in 2019 when he was just eight years old.

No doubt to Scott Ian's joy, his son's musical ability presents an excellent opportunity for the pair to partake in some hard-rocking jam sessions.

In a new video posted to Ian's Instagram page, the father-son duo take on Sepultura's classic Roots Bloody Roots (from 1996's Roots), with the Anthrax man rocking a Jackson Dinky seven-string guitar while his son keeps time on drums.

“Roots Bloody Roots!” the post's captions reads. “Garage jam with my man! Next time I'll turn the guitar up and yes, it's a seven-string.”

Scott Ian has long been vocal about his pride in Revel Young Ian's musical ability. When the youngling took to the stage with the Foo Fighters in 2019, Ian wrote on social media: “There goes my hero. Proudest dad moment ever? How about when your son gets to join his favorite band on stage to play Everlong in front of 40,000 people and nails it!”

And back in 2014, the guitarist noted how his then-two-year-old son was into rock music, adding that he could already tell the difference between AC/DC singers Bon Scott and Brian Johnson.

“He knows a lot of the stuff that he hears or sees in the house,” Scott told Horns Up Rocks (via Louder). “But what's really cool is that he actually recognizes and knows the difference between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, which is pretty cool, I think, for an almost three-year-old.

“Any time AC/DC is on, he'll go, ‘That's Bon singing.’ And then when it's not Bon, he'll say, ‘That's not Bon singing.’ He knows. That's pretty cool, I think.”

Earlier this month, Scott Ian joined forces with KHDK Electronics for a new two-in-one amp-and-boost signature pedal, the JSL.

KHDK Electronics has teamed up with Anthrax electric guitar player Scott Ian for an all-new signature effects pedal – the Scott Ian JSL.

The amp-and-boost unit takes inspiration from Ian’s ultra-limited Sgt D pedal that debuted last year, though features a newly refined circuit that promises to deliver the sounds from Ian's early Anthrax and Stormtroopers of Death days.

In practice, the JSL features both a boost section and an amp section, each dictated by channel-specific controls, and aims to offer up “more clarity and metal” by way of the new circuitry and a "game-changing" right-hand switch.

Treble, Boost and Bass knobs feature on the boost half of the pedal, while Treble, Mid, Bass, Volume and Gain parameters are charged with controlling the amp section. Each side also features an independent footswitch, meaning they can be used independently or in parallel.

According to KHDK, the boost section is modeled after a booster pedal that Ian used during his early Anthrax and S.O.D. days, and operates as a pre-distortion EQ control.

The limited-edition pedals will also come adorned with artwork composed by Mario Lopez, a prolific artist who has worked with a host of heavy metal bands, including Amoth, Crystal Viper and Predatoria.

As was the case with the Sgt D, the JSL will be released as part of a limited run, and only 333 pieces will be made available.

Each KHDK JSL, available now for $249, is built and tested in Kentucky, and arrives with a letter of authenticity signed by Scott Ian.

To find out more, visit KHDK Electronics.

Anthrax’s Scott Ian and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo have teamed up with Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, along with cellist Tina Guo and composer Fil Eisler, for a new song, Thunder Force.

The track is the lead single from the soundtrack to the forthcoming Netflix comedy-action film of the same name. Thunder Force stars Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Jason Bateman and Bobby Cannavale, and is written and directed by Ben Falcone. 

According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the plots reads: “In a world terrorized by supervillains, one woman has developed the process to give superpowers to regular people. But when scientist Emily Stanton (Spencer) accidentally imbues her estranged best-friend Lydia (McCarthy) with incredible abilities, the two women must become the first superhero team. 

"Now, it is up to Thunder Force to battle the super-powered Miscreants and save Chicago from the clutches of The King (Cannavale).”

In addition to the Thunder Force theme song, Ian and Lombardo contributed guitar and drums, respectively, to the score. Explained Ian in an interview with Loudwire, “[Fil] would send us all the cues with explanations about the ins and outs. It's like you're just learning a whole bunch of really short songs. 

"And then we got together and we were going over stuff in the studio, because I was just making sure I was playing all the parts right. It was Fil who mentioned, ‘What would you think about trying to write a Thunder Force theme song that they would roll over the end credits?’ 

"And he said, ‘I can't promise they're ever gonna use anything.’ But I was like, ‘Why not? What do we got to lose? Let's make music.’ ”

Regarding the Thunder Force song, he continued, “The three of us recorded [a demo], and then I sent it to Corey, saying, ‘Hey, what do you think of this? You want to write to this? Would you want to sing on this and write the lyrics?’ And he was all over it. So, we made a demo, and then Fil had to submit it to Ben and Melissa.”

Thunder Force is out April 9. Head over to Netflix for more information.

KHDK Electronics has partnered with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian for a new boost/preamp pedal, the SGT D. As fans of the thrash legend may notice, the stompbox is named after Ian's cigar-smoking alter-ego from his mid-'80s crossover thrash project Stormtroopers of Death.

Limited to only 250 units – and seemingly already sold out – the SGT D is designed to push amps hard into distortion. There are two main parts to the pedal: a boost section, which is controlled by treble, bass and boost controls, and an amp section, which is fueled by an original analog circuit and features volume and gain knobs and a three-band EQ.

Each section boasts its own footswitch and can be used independently or in parallel with one another.

The pedal comes in an enclosure illustrated by Kurz Daniel. One of its most noteworthy visual touches is the LED which lights up on the end of SGT D's cigar when the effect is engaged.

Says David Karon of KHDK, "Scott wanted an all-in-one go-to pedal, something that he could use as his amp tone on fly rigs – or just plugging the pedal in front of an overdriven amp so the pedal affects mainly the dynamic response of his tone, the tightness of the bass, and the attack for palm-muting.

"After a few prototypes and reworks, the SGT D saw the light of day. Scott was incredibly hands-on throughout the process.”

The SGT D is available now for $249. For more information, head over to KHDK Electronics.

Anthrax electric guitar player Scott Ian and Megadeth bassist David Ellefson headlined a new Metal for Kids. United! charity video jam on the 1974 Deep Purple classic, Burn.

The Metal for Kids. United! All-Star Charity Jam also features Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear, Gamma Ray), Brian O'Connor (Vicious Rumors), Rafael Bittencourt (Angra), Japanese guitar virtuoso Syu (Galneryus), Thomen Stauch (Blind Guardian, Mentalist), Jens Ludwig (Edguy) and Mistheria (Vivaldi Metal Project, Bruce Dickinson), among others.

The tribute is being released in conjunction with the Italy-based Metal for Kids’ fifth anniversary, with the aim of raising awareness and funds for children’s cancer initiatives.

“Due to [the] sudden spread of the coronavirus pandemic, we were forced to cancel the 2020 edition of the annual benefit show booked in Rome for April,” said Fabrizio Troiano, president of Metal For Kids. United! and organizer of the event. 

“During the spring lockdown period we asked old and new friends of Metal for Kids. United! to jam together from their own place to celebrate our fifth anniversary and keep the promise made to the association.”

By releasing the all-star video, cultural association Metal for Kids. United! will make an initial donation of 2,000 euros (approximately $2,300) to the Peter Pan Association to kick off and boost a fundraising campaign available at the organization's GoFundMe page. 

All who view the video are invited to support the initiative with donations or by purchasing the merchandise.

Over 12,000 Euros have been donated to non-profit organizations working in Italy to help children with the four past editions.

Said Troiano, “We are very proud of the achievements over the years and we hope, despite the impossibility of making a physical event as in our tradition, we can once again share fun together, raise funds for the kids in need and give the chance to the people from all over the world to experience the Metal for Kids. United! spirit of solidarity.

“Don’t forget to play it loud, make metal horns, headbang and share the video!”

For more information, head to Metal for Kids.

Over the years the Foo Fighters have been joined by a range of electric guitar players onstage, from Jimmy Page to Paul Stanley.

But during their set at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 20 they welcomed onstage perhaps the youngest guest guitarist to ever jam with them - eight-year-old Revel Young Ian, the son of Anthrax’s Scott Ian.

Revel joined the band for a run through of their set-closing tune, Everlong, even kicking off the song by playing the opening riff – on a dual humbucker Strat almost as big as him – all by himself.

Proud papa Scott shared video of the performance on Instagram, writing:

"Proudest dad moment ever? How about when your son gets to join his favorite band on stage to play Everlong in front of 40,000 people and NAILS IT!”

Fender recently announced the Game of Thrones Sigil collection, a trio of deluxe, one-of-a-kind guitars that represent three fan-favorite houses from the HBO show. The models—the Game of Thrones House Stark Telecaster, the Games of Thrones House Lannister Jaguar and the Game of Thrones House Targaryen Stratocaster—are built to order via the Fender Custom Shop.

Now, Fender has shared a video of those guitars in action, with an all-star cast of players—Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Scott Ian and Brad Paisley—shredding the GOT theme song alongside composer Ramin Djawadi and show creator D.B. Weiss.

“For a minute it sounded like Guitar Center 1988,” jokes Morello.

You can check out the jam session above.

For more information head over to Fender.com.

The Damned Things, the supergroup featuring Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman on guitars, Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley, Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley and Alkaline Trio bassist Dan Adriano, have announced a new album, High Crimes, due out April 26 via Nuclear Blast. In advance of the album’s release, they’ve shared the first single, “Cells.” You can check out the video, directed by Brandon Dermer, above.

High Crimes was produced by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth). The album follows up the Damned Things' 2010 debut, Ironiclast.

Said Trohman, “Normally, when career bands say they made a record for fun, they didn't—but we actually did. Maybe that's why this band doesn't have a career? Anyway, we're genuinely proud of it. Check it out, and watch the video to see how severely injured we got during the process!” 

High Crimes in available for pre-order here.

As part of the 2019 NAMM show, the Observatory in Santa Ana, California hosted Dimebash, a tribute to late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, on Thursday, January 25.

The event was MC’d by SiriusXM radio host Jose Mangin and featured a slew of rock and metal artists paying tribute to Darrell by performing his songs.  

Above, check out fan-filmed footage (via Metal Injection) of a jam on Pantera’s 1992 classic, “Walk,” featuring former Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Charlie Benante, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, former Megadeth and current Act of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick and, on vocals, Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor.

The show also featured full performances by Kill Devil Hill and Fireball Ministry. 

Anthrax’s Scott Ian recently sat down with Gretsch Guitars to discuss his love for AC/DC, and specifically their late rhythm guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young.

“Malcolm’s always been my hero since day one, because he basically taught me how to play guitar,” Ian says in the accompanying video.

“As a kid with AC/DC vinyl albums in my little bedroom on a turntable I just used to sit and figure out how to play their songs. And it was all Malcolm. So I was learning how to play specifically by listening to what he was doing. He was my guitar teacher.”

As for what he loves about Malcolm’s guitar style, Ian says, “The way he played, the economy and the percussiveness of his playing, his right hand and his left hand together were just so perfectly in sync at all times. And making it seem effortless.

“AC/DC always sounds real simple,” Ian continues. “People think, Oh, that sounds easy. Oh, it’s just a couple of chords. But try playing it right. That’s my challenge to everybody all the time. That’s why there’s only one Malcolm and there’s only one AC/DC. Because only they can do that.”

Throughout the interview, Ian can be seen holding Gretsch’s new G6131-MY Malcolm Young Signature Jet, a replica of the guitar Malcolm used for the majority of his career with AC/DC. In between comments, Ian tears off Malcolm licks from AC/DC songs like “Beating Around the Bush,” “Girls Got Rhythm,” Back in Black” and others.

He comments about the new Signature model Jet: “I’ve read a little bit about [Malcolm] basically ‘Frankenstein-ing’ the one that he was given and turning it into his own… Pulling the pickups out and experimenting. He decided to make it his own. It became an icon. It’s just one of the most iconic guitars since rock and roll was born.”

You can check out the full video below.

Jackson proudly announces the upcoming release of new signature models with Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Revocation’s Dave Davidson, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Periphery’s Misha Mansoor and Lamb of God’s Mark Morton.

USA Signature Limited Edition Phil Collen PC1 DX

Slated for July, Jackson will offer a new incarnation of Collen’s revered model in the form of the USA Signature Limited Edition Phil Collen PC1 DX.

The new, limited edition model features a gorgeous mahogany body with quilt maple top in an understated but elegant Au Natural finish, 25.5” scale, through-body quartersawn maple neck with graphite reinforcement, 12”-16” compound-radius flame maple fingerboard, DiMarzio pickups with Jackson Sustainer/Driver in H/S/S configuration, Floyd Rose Original tremolo, spoke-wheel trussrod adjustment, licensed Fender Strat reverse headstock and gold hardware.

USA Signature Special Edition Dave Davidson Warrior 7

Over the last decade, Boston-based act Revocation has firmly established itself as one of the finest in today’s death metal genre. Much of that has to do with its frontman Dave Davidson, whose impressive guitar playing has established him as a top modern metal guitarist.

The special run of USA Signature Dave Davidson Warrior WR7 models offers the only 7-string in the current Warrior lineup, and features an ash body, 25.5” scale, one-piece quartersawn maple neck with ash wings and matching headstock, 12”-16” compound radius with ebony fingerboard, 24 jumbo frets and mother of pearl piranha inlays. It is also equipped with Dave Davidson Signature DiMarzio humbucking pickups, a 7-string Floyd Rose Original bridge with double locking nut and push-pull coil-split volume knob.

Available in Charcoal Black Stain; arriving October 2016.

USA Signature Scott Ian King V KVT (Pictured)

In a career spanning four decades, veritable thrash godfather Scott Ian has pummeled audiences with his huge sound and formidable chops. Ian not only co-founded New York “Big Four” thrash institution Anthrax, but also helped created and define U.S. metal in the mid-1980s.

As Anthrax rides the high of 2016’s Top 10 Billboard debut with 11th studio album For All Kings and enjoys a massive supporting tour schedule, Jackson is thrilled to honor Ian with a new signature model based on the Jackson King V he predominantly used to record the effort.

The Scott Ian USA King V KVT features a mahogany body and neck with neck-thru construction, 24.75” scale, 12”-16” compound-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and pearl block inlays, Ivoroid neck and headstock binding and traditional Jackson six-in-line headstock. This signature King V’s commanding and distinctive voice is driven by a pair ofmodern Seymour Duncan pickups—a crisp JB SH-4 humbucking bridge pickup and warm ‘59 SH1N humbucking neck pickup that combine for highly balanced, flexible tone, with plenty of high output for immaculate cleans and raw, raunchy distortion.

Equipped with a TonePros adjustable Tune-O-Matic style bridge with Gotoh stop tailpiece and tuners, the Scott Ian signature model is available in an Ivory finish with a white pickguard, set off by chrome hardware. Available Now.

X Series Signature Scott Ian King V KVXT

• Jackson is also excited to offer a more affordable version with the X Series Scott Ian King V KVXT, also in an Ivory finish with a white pickguard and chrome accents to match his USA model.
• Other features include a mahogany body and neck with neck-thru construction, 24.75” scale, 12”-16” compound-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets and pearloid block inlays, white binding around the neck and headstock, Jackson compensated and adjustable TOM-style bridge with anchored tailpiece and Jackson die-cast tuners. Coming October 2016.

USA Signature Limited Edition Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT6

New for summer 2016, Jackson has added a limited edition vivid Matte Lambo Orange satin finish to Misha Mansoor’s already-popular USA signature Jackson lineup.
Mansoor is acclaimed for his masterful guitar work in fashioning the progressive metal of Periphery, and Jackson is proud to have collaborated so closely with the esteemed Djent-leman on his Juggernaut models.

Features include a distinctive Jackson body shape inspired by the Dinky, 25.5” scale, a bolt-on quartersawn maple neck with graphite reinforcement sculpted to Mansoor’s own custom profile, a 20" radius ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets, mother-of-pearl piranha inlays, Luminlay fluorescent side dots, heel-end thumbwheel truss rod adjustment, dual direct-mount signature Bare Knuckle "Juggernaut" humbucking pickups with black covers, Hipshot 6 bridge, five-way switching, a push-pull (on/off) tone knob and black hardware.
Includes custom black Jackson case with blue edges and Mansoor’s "Bulb" logo. Available July 2016.

USA Signature Limited Edition Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7

Mansoor’s in-demand 7-string Juggernaut is also available in a limited edition Matte Lambo Orange finish for summer 2016.

The USA Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7 exhibits the same standout features as the 6-string, including an alder body with quilt maple top, 20" radius ebony fingerboard with 24 jumbo frets, mother-of-pearl piranha inlays, Luminlay fluorescent side dots, dual direct-mount signature Bare Knuckle "Juggernaut" humbucking pickups with black covers, five-way switching, Hipshot® hardtail 7-string bridge and a push-pull (on/off) tone knob.

This 26.5” scale length instrument also offers premium features such as a Jackson AT1 headstock with Hipshot open-gear locking tuners (four on top, three on bottom), a single volume control knob and black hardware.

Includes custom black Jackson case with blue edges and Mansoor’s "Bulb" logo. Available July 2016.

USA Signature Limited Edition Mark Morton 10th Anniversary Dominion

Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton has led his million-album-selling, Grammy-nominated band to the forefront of U.S. metal. By combining explicit technique, angular off-kilter riffs and full-throttle sound, Morton continues to redefine the genre.

He worked closely with Jackson on his signature model, creating it the original Jackson way — with pencil, paper and imagination. The result was the Mark Morton Dominion — a versatile guitar for all types of music that in 2016 celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Jackson is extraordinarily privileged to have shared in such a monumental journey over the last decade with Morton, and is thus marking this milestone with the release of a limited edition model. The USA Signature Limited Edition Mark Morton 10th Anniversary Dominion features a bound and chambered mahogany body with a gorgeous quilt maple top, 24.75” scale length, cooked mahogany through-body neck with an ultra-smooth hand-rubbed urethane gel back finish and graphite reinforcement, 12”-16”compound-radius bound ebony fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and shark-eye block inlays and a distinctive three-on-a-side Mark Morton headstock.

This model is also equipped with gold covered DiMarzio Mark Morton signature pickups with dual-circuit design (lead and rhythm), three-way toggle pickup selector switch, two-way slider switch, dedicated coil tap for head pickup, compensated bridge with stop tailpiece, gold bezels and Sperzel locking tuning machines. Available in Violin Brown; Coming October 2016.

For more information, visit jacksonguitars.com.

It's "Roast of the Day" time!

The Monster Energy Roast on the Range with Corey Taylor took place May 15 at the LC Pavilion May in Columbus, Ohio.

Nearly a dozen musicians and comedians — led by Sebastian Bach — honored (and yes, bashed) the Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist.

Below, we're highlighting some of the best moments from the hilarious event, by posting a new "Roast of the Day" video every day! Check out the first four official "Roast of the Day" videos below!

Stay tuned for the next installment (and the ones after that)!

DAY TEN: Scott Ian roasts Corey Taylor

DAY NINE: Brian Posehn roasts Scott Ian

DAY EIGHT: Scott Ian roasts Sebastian Bach

DAY SEVEN: Pearl Aday roasts Sebastian Bach

DAY SIX: Jim Florentine roasts Corey Taylor

DAY FIVE: Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta roasts Sebastian Bach

DAY FOUR: Corey Taylor roasts Sebastian Bach

DAY THREE: Craig Gass Roasts Corey Taylor

DAY TWO: Don Jamieson Roasts Corey Taylor

Often heralded as one of heavy metal's more outspoken personalities, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has hit the road with a one-man, stand-up/spoken-word show.

His tour, fittingly titled "Speaking Words," began with a few shows in the U.K. and spiraled into a short North American tour and a live DVD.

Ian, who's in the middle of a two-week U.S. run, is running a Pledge Music campaign to fund the release of the Speaking Words In Glasgow DVD.

We recently caught up with Ian to discuss the tour and more.

GUITAR WORLD: How did the "Speaking Words" tour start? I know you had done some shows in the U.K. previously.

Yeah, that’s how it all started, basically. I got offered to do this one-off show in London in November 2012, and I said yes based on the fact that I had about five months to prepare for it. I figured that in five months I'd be able to come up with an idea of what I'd actually do [laughs], but I didn’t do anything. I did zero preparation, but somehow I just pulled it off.

I was able to get on stage, and on my wife’s advice, just go up there and pretend I was in a bar with my friends, just telling stories. That’s kind of what made this happen for me, and I had such a good time doing that, it snowballed into doing the other tours and shows in Australia and what not, and now this North American tour.

How has the response been?

People seem to be digging it! People who come out to these shows don’t really know what they’re getting themselves into. Maybe they have some idea of what it’s going to be like. But I haven’t had a disappointed crowd yet. I don’t think so, anyway. Everyone seems to be digging it.

For people who are going to the upcoming shows and don’t know what to expect, what is it like? Is it like a monologue, and then people questions?

I’m just telling stories from my life, experiences I’ve had traveling the world, and the experiences I’ve had with people I’ve met along the way. There’s a lot of humor, a lot of times at my own expense, and there’s a Q&A section in the show as well, wherein people are open to asking me pretty much anything.

I believe you did a DVD recording of the Glasgow show — and now you’re now trying to put that out through a Pledge Music campaign. How's the campaign going?

I don’t know, really. I don’t really follow it on a day-to-day basis because it’s an ongoing thing. I just try to send them updates and keep it moving. We’ll see how it turns out, but I made a decision that I didn’t want to go the normal route to put this out because I want to own my content and I feel that by doing this Pledge Music thing, it gives me a direct link to the fans and people who’re interested in this.

By them pledging, it enables them to own an experience. This is the only way they could get something like that. It’s not like you’re sending me money for nothing. You’re sending me money that helps produce the DVD, and you basically buy an experience, whether it’s just $10 for the DVD or $10,000 for me to come hang out with you and do a private show. So I thought it was just a great way to go directly to the audience.

A lot of artists are turning to these kinds of campaigns to fund albums and other projects. People — fans — tend to have positive and negative responses to this. I it as a pre-order — and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it! Your thoughts?

That’s just what it exactly is! If you’re going to take $10 to go and buy something at Best Buy, you’re giving Best Buy your money, and the artist at that point is getting the smallest piece of the pie. With something like this, the money is going directly to the artist, and you’re still getting your album or DVD. I think it’s the best way to do something. It makes the most sense. Even if you imagine a band like AC/DC doing their next record through a pledge campaign, they'd probably have 3 million people in advance pledging $10 to buy the next record. It just makes the most sense this way.

Do you think the business could eventually move to this method, as opposed to retail?

I hope so, because it’s the way for the artist to control their own destinies. It puts power back into the hands of the artists and takes it away from the record labels that have been ripping off bands and artists since record labels have existed! So I hope so. I'd love to see all record companies fail [laughs]. Not some of the smaller labels — don’t get me wrong. I think labels like Megaforce, Metal Blade and Nuclear Blast, they do abide by their artist. I’m talking about the big corporate entities. Nothing would make me happier than to see them all just go away.

In terms of "Speaking Words," you’ve talked about musicians that you look up to and admire when it comes to doing the stand-up thing — like Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra. What inspiration do you take away from those people, and what do you like most about their styles?

I can’t say I’ve taken any inspiration, but I saw Henry do it probably in the early Nineties. The only thing I took from that was, “Wow, that was a great show!” [laughs] You know, I was a Henry Rollins fan before I did any talking shows, and as a fan, going to see him have such a great command of the audience by just telling stories, I was impressed by the whole thing. But that was many years ago, and I can’t say I’ve been out researching that stuff for my shows. I just do my own thing.

When you’re doing these shows, are you cautious about addressing topics that might affect Anthrax in any way?

Not at all. If anyone is familiar with Anthrax and the things we’ve done over the years, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to worry about anything. We just do what we want [laughs].

You have a lot of friends in the music business. Can you think of anyone who'd make a great spoken-word artist?

Oh yeah, Lemmy! Can you imagine if he gets on stage with a drink and a cigarette and tells stories for two hours? He’s the first one that comes to mind, and he'd be incredible. I’d love to see Bruce Dickinson do it, and I think he did perform a show or two like that in Scandinavia last year, if I’m not mistaken. But yeah, those two come to mind immediately. I think Phil Anselmo would be great at it. He’s really funny, he’s got great stories and he knows how to tell a story.

You’ve been involved in music for all these years and you’ve had opportunities to get involved in other fields like TV, comic books and now this stand-up thing. Are there any other avenues you'd like to explore?

Right now, no [laughs]. I can’t say I’m thinking about anything else. Between writing the new Anthrax record and doing this right now, it’s pretty much filling up my brain.

In a recent interview, you said you and Anthrax aren't working on a schedule. So it’s clear you’re taking your time with it. You did that with Worship Music and the results were great.

That’s how we work on every album. We just don’t give ourselves a hard deadline because I don’t think as a band of songwriters that we should have to have one. I don’t think it’s the best way to work, truthfully. It doesn’t help me to have a deadline. If I have a deadline, it would certainly hinder my creative ability, and I think that goes for all of us. I just don’t know how you can put a deadline on something like songwriting. You have to be happy with what you’re doing, and if you write 10 songs and you’re like, “Well, this isn’t quite ready yet, but we’re going to record it anyway,” that doesn’t make any sense. So when we’re ready and we feel like we’ve got the record we want, that’s when we’ll start recording it. I can tell you, I think we’re very close to that because the material is awesome.

It won’t take as long as Worship Music did, right?

No, definitely not [laughs]. I can safely say that at the latest, we'll have a new record early next year.

You also did so much touring for Worship Music. It must be nice to be on a little bit of a break, aside from this current tour.

Oh yeah. Up until yesterday I was home since August, so it’s been a great break. And I’m only out on this tour for two weeks and then I’m off again until May before we go to Europe to play festivals. So yeah, it has been a really nice break as far as being able to be home with my family and kind of clear my brain to get ready to do it all over again.

There has been talk of more dates to be announced. Will there be another leg of the tour, maybe on the West Coast?

Nothing now. There are no plans right now for anything. I can’t really plan this too far in advance or announce anything because everything is based around Anthrax’s schedule. That’s obviously my priority, so I can’t really go ahead and book two weeks in October for my "Speaking Words" thing on the West Coast now because if Anthrax dates come up, then I'd have to move it. I just kind of have to wait and see when I would have a window.

I’ll also have to balance it out if I’m out with Anthrax, and whether then I would really want to fill all my time up because once I start with Anthrax again, when I’m not touring with Anthrax generally I would want to be home with my family. It’s just about finding the balance and figuring out when I’d be comfortable traveling that much.

For more information, visit Ian's official website and Facebook page.

Remaining dates on the ‘Speaking Words’ tour:

• 2/28 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
• 3/01 - Baltimore, MD @ The Ramshead Live: Power Plant Live
• 3/02 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
• 3/04 - Boston, MA @ Hard Rock Café
• 3/05 - New York, NY @ BB Kings
• 3/06 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
• 3/07 - West Warwick, RI @ Manchester 65
• 3/08 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

Andrew Bansal is a writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, news, reviews and pictures on his website — with the help of a small group of people. He briefly moved away from the Los Angeles scene and explored metal in India, but he is now back in LA continuing from where he left off.

Scott Ian has announced the North American leg of his “Speaking Words” tour.

The Anthrax guitarist will pick up the mic again for a 15-city trek that kicks off in Chicago February 20. You can check out all the dates below.

“it ain’t no poetry reading,” said Ian in a statement. “Speaking Words” is an honest look at the insane life Ian has led for the past 31 years, the people he’s met and the events he's witnessed. During each show, he'll take part in a Q&A session with the audience.

“England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Germany. I've been 'Speaking Words' all over the world," Ian said. "My friends in the U.S. and Canada, you asked for it, and now I finally get to bring it home! I'm looking forward to talking with ya, talking at ya and telling you some amazing tales of drunken debauchery and ridiculousness. No punches pulled, no swear word left unturned and no question avoided in the Q&A. Let's do this!”

For information about VIP meet-and-greet sessions for each show, visit Ian's merch store here.

For more about Ian, visit scott-ian.com.

Confirmed SCOTT IAN “Speaking Words” Dates:

• 2/20 - Chicago, IL @ Mayne Stage
• 2/21 - Westland, MI @ The Token Lounge
• 2/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
• 2/24 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
• 2/25 - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo Club
• 2/26 - Kingston, ON @ The Mansion
• 2/27 - Ottowa, ON @ Ritual
• 3/01 - Baltimore, MD @ The Ramshead Live: Power Plant Live
• 3/02 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
• 3/04 - Boston, MA @ Hard Rock Cafe
• 3/05 - New York, NY @ BB Kings
• 3/06 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
• 3/07 - West Warwick, RI @ Manchester 65
• 3/08 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

Last night, during a TeamRock Radio interview, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian made it public that the band's new guitarist is Shadows Fall axman Jon Donais. Donais has been filling in with Anthrax since Rob Caggiano left the band in January to join Volbeat.

“Jon is a bro and he’s also a total fucking ripper,” Ian said during the interview, which you can hear below. “I’ve worked with him twice before on side projects and he tears it up. I’m excited to have him on my right burning up the stage with Anthrax. '13s gonna be a good year.”

Donais said:

“I grew up on Anthrax, they’re the thrash scene, they’re one of the Big Four, I’d be crazy to not want to play with them. Initially, Rob called and told me he was leaving the band, and asked if I’d be interested in filling in.

"Then Scott called me and everything fell into place. Rob and I are using Skype to work on solos and other guitar parts, so he’s being great. I also have to give special thanks to my band — Brian, Matt, Jason and Ed — who have been incredibly supportive and encouraged me to do this."

You can hear the entire interview below.

If only every press conference could be like this! Check out the new commercial for the 2013 Golden Gods Awards, featuring Chris Jericho, Scott Ian, Zakk Wylde, Lzzy Hale, John 5 and — well, you'll just have to watch the video to spot the other metal and hard-rock luminaries.

The Fifth Annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards show, presented by Epiphone, is set for Thursday, May 2, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Metallica will perform live and receive the “Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement” Award, Rob Zombie will receive the “Golden God Award," and Tony Iommi will be honored with the prestigious “Riff Lord” Award.

The show will feature live performances by Metallica, Five Finger Death Punch, Anthrax, Stone Sour, Dillinger Escape Plan, Halestorm and more!

Sebastian Bach and Dee Snider will host the “Black Carpet” pre-show. For the first time ever, the show will air on an exclusive national TV broadcast through AXS TV, and global broadcast on XBOX Live and Facebook.

To watch the show live on AXS TV, click here and check your local listings. Or, to watch on the Golden Gods Facebook page, click here.

Tickets went on sale February 4 via AXS.com.

Click here for more info about the 2013 Golden Gods Awards!

The show must go on, and in the wake of lead guitarist Rob Caggiano's departure from Anthrax, the band have just announced that Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais will be filling in during the band's upcoming Metal Alliance tour dates.

"Jon is a bro and he's also a total fucking ripper," said Scott Ian in an official press statement. "I've worked with him twice before on side projects and he tears it up. I'm excited to have him on my right burning up the stage with Anthrax. 13's gonna be a good year."

Donais revealed that Caggiano has been helpful in preparing for his Anthrax debut, going so far as to video chat with the Shadows Fall guitarist to help with guitar parts.

"I grew up on Anthrax, they're the thrash scene, they're one of The Big Four, I'd be crazy to not want to play with them," said Donais. "Initially, Rob called and told me he was leaving the band, and asked if I'd be interested in filling in. Then Scott called me and everything fell into place. Rob and I are using Skype to work on solos and other guitar parts, so he's being great. I also have to give special thanks to my band - Brian, Matt, Jason and Ed - who have been incredibly supportive and encouraged me to do this."

Shadows Fall are no strangers to loaning talent to Anthrax. Drummer Jason Bittner filled in for Charlie Benante on a handful on live dates in 2012.

There is no word yet on who the band might be considering as a full-time replacement for Caggiano.

Metal Alliance Tour Dates

• MARCH
• 22 House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
• 23 House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
• 24 Marquee, Tempe, AZ
• 25 House of Blues, San Diego, CA
• 27 House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
• 28 Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
• 29 Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
• 30 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC CANADA
• 31 Showbox SODO, Seattle, WA

APRIL
2 Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO
4 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
5 House of Blues, Chicago, IL
6 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
7 Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
9 House of Blues, Dallas, TX
10 House of Blues, Houston, TX
12 House of Blues, Orlando, FL
13 Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
14 Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
16 House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
18 Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
20 Irving Plaza, New York, NY

"There are so many different fuckers up here jamming, it could be a clusterfuck," says a very sweaty Philip Anselmo, pointing at the audience in an accusatory fashion after he and a pantheon of metal giants finish playing a hyper-charged rendition of Pantera's "Mouth for War" at the Metal Masters 4 concert in New York City this past Friday night, September 7.

"But guess what?" He assumes a gravely, almost whispered tone to show his seriousness. "It ain't."

He looks to his left at Slayer guitarist Kerry King and then to his right at Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and assumes his alpha-male growl, as if we ever doubted him: "It's fun!"

For the rest of the night, and in the hours leading up to this performance, which was presented by Samson, Zoom, Hartke, Guitar Center and Revolver magazine, positivity seems to emanate from the stage toward the 500 or so lucky metalheads who were able to get into the sold-out show at NYC's Gramercy Theatre.

As with the three previous Metal Masters concerts, a number of luminary musicians who play with metal bands like Slayer, Anthrax and Exodus have joined together, alongside Down and Pantera's Anselmo and bass virtuoso Billy Sheehan, to show off their skills and maybe teach something in a clinic setting followed by a no-holds-barred jam of some of their greatest hits.

Although some of the musicians got together for an L.A.-based Metal Masters show in April, which boasted a special appearance by Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, they seem almost like their own band — a metal dream — on Friday.

As artists like Anthrax's Scott Ian seamlessly switch off places with others, like Exodus' Gary Holt, on a stage bearing a sculpted wall of amps, Anselmo's proclamation rings true: A clusterfuck it ain't.

The fun times began when Slayer drummer-slash-Tasmanian-Devil Dave Lombardo played a dimly lit set with his echoey avant-garde punk trio, Philm. Considering part of the night is meant to show off each musician's instrumental prowess — the evening is presented by musical instrument companies Hartke, Samson and Zoom — Lombardo situated his kit with a sideways view so gawkers could parse every polyrhythmic paradiddle.

Mouthpiece Gerry Nestler growled and shouted as he wrung bluesy bends and rumbly distorto riffs from his guitar and bassist Pancho Tomaselli whoodled and wheedled up and down his four strings, the pair only taking a break to help the audience cheer on, "Dave! Dave! Dave!" (The pair should deserve their own chant, though, for being able to keep up with the man who does this on a regular basis.)

After that performance, the clinic portion of the evening began with a rousing lesson/lecture/standup routine/pep rally by a Motörhead-shirt-wearing Bello, who promised early on, "You guys are gonna get fucked up tonight. I'm not even kidding. Some of the songs that are gonna be played on this stage, you haven't heard in a long fucking time."

He'd hold true to that oath hours later, but for now he recants stories of Geezer Butler teaching him how to correctly play Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights" at the L.A. Metal Masters show, the impact deceased Metallica bassist (and Bello's friend) Cliff Burton had on him and how much he enjoys playing with Anselmo. And, of course, he rumbled out some impressive notage on his bass, even interpolating Burton's classic wah-wah-infused "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" solo.

The hulking Sheehan followed him and whipped out some jaw-dropping feats of fingertapping, but the most impressive part of his set occurred when Anselmo, Bello and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante joined him for a rendition of Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher." Playing his bass, Sheehan nailed every note Eddie played on the original while Frankie Lee Roth and Philly Hagar handled the vocal duties. The performance was bizarre and exciting if not for the fact that only Benante was handling the role he's best known for.

The rough position of following this up went to Scott Ian, who had to deal with his set being interrupted by a fire alarm. ("Too much metal," he joked.) When order was restored, he led a sort of "Devil Went Down to Georgia"-type duel where he would play the rhythm-guitar parts to Anthrax classics and then give his instrument to a member of the audience to replicate. The concertgoers in question (perhaps to Ian's chagrin?) all did respectable jobs of matching his riffing on songs like "Madhouse," "Indians" and "Imitation of Life." But that's what you get for challenging a room likely full of musicians.

His bandmate Benante followed his set by playing some rattling drum solos, during which Lombardo came out to duel with him. They traversed a number of famous patterns, including Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" — playing an estimated 39 billion beats between them — until Benante says, "I think we're done. There's only so much double bass you can do … we've met our quota." And with that, the audience prepped for the main event, which Benante joked would consist of "Smiths and Journey tunes."

The concert portion of the evening begins with an ensemble of Kerry King, Scott Ian, Billy Sheehan and Charlie Benante playing Anthrax's "Room for One More," as Bello takes a rare turn at vocals, handling the part originally sung by John Bush. It's just a sampling of the permutations of musicians who mount the stage over the course of the next 11 songs. Next up, King, Holt and Anselmo — who has dressed for the occasion in a shirt whose back reads "Classic Not Classy" — comes out to sing "Mouth for War."

As a sea of camera phones make waves in the audience, he exclaims, "Getting all of us together like this, it's fuckin' awesome … Since we're in New York, I want to see that fuckin' old-school energy out there." And the audience obliges, moshing and running into each other like atoms in a nuclear fission experiment.

The evening progresses by playing one hit after another, culled from respective oeuvres of each band represented. Anselmo attempts songs he hasn't sung since Pantera's final tour ("5 Minutes Alone," "Goddamn Electric"), and the group the odd Slayer classic ("War Ensemble"), an Exodus cut ("Strike of the Beast") and a trio of songs by Scott Ian and Charlie Benante's hardcore-metal crossover group Stormtroopers of Death. "Cro-mags up next," Anselmo jokes, referring to the NYHC powerhouse group, between S.O.D. songs. Kidding aside, the way that band merged hardcore and metal meant a lot to the singer, who says, without them "I'd be out of a fuckin' job."

As with the previous installments of Metal Masters, the crowd goes ape to hear Anselmo sing Pantera classics like "Fucking Hostile" and "A New Level" again, but it's just as impressive to hear him take on the work of a singer like Tom Araya's more high-pitched screams on Slayer canon like "Angel of Death" and the indefatigable "Raining Blood." His husky growl fits right in. Meanwhile, Kerry King nimbly assails each note Dimebag plays in the Pantera classics.

Overall, it's a scene of peers being fans and vice-versa. Before playing one song, Anselmo tells the crowd, "I grew up with hippie parents, and they would listen to Hendrix, Janis Joplin, all that shit. And 'Stairway to Heaven' was the pinnacle. Well, this was my 'Stairway' when I was 15."

Then the group played "Chemical Warfare." Later, Anselmo says, "I'm just a music fan. Don't judge me any other way." The same could probably be said of everyone in the room, who cheer as the artists who performed tonight — three guitarists, two bassists, two drummers and one singer — plays Pantera's hasty hardcore-thrash crossover salvo "Fucking Hostile."

It's a communal experience, and compared to the four Metal Masters shows so far — including the second one where Anselmo made an unannounced surprise appearance — it's the best organized, having more of a concert feel. The musicians should take note, though: Part of the fun of it all is the shambolic spontaneity that comes from maybe not being so well rehearsed. If they refine their playing any more next time, it might turn into (gasp) a band. But that wouldn't be a bad thing either.

It's only been a few hours since Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian posted pictures of a guitar made for him by the late, great Dimebag Darrell, but the photos have already gone viral.

"Being in Dallas always reminds me of Darrell. He made me this years ago. 'Nuff said," Ian wrote earlier, before posting two pictures of a special "rebel" guitar featuring a motif honoring Ian's Jewish heritage. Check out the photos below!

Anthrax are currently on the road as part of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.

Record companies have been trying for the better part of a decade now to figure out how to stop fans from illegally downloading music. While the RIAA's tactics of suing people -- a PR nightmare -- failed miserably, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian seems to have the answer: you download music, you lose your Internet.

Speaking to the Broward-Palm Beach New Time, Ian was asked what he thought the punishment for illegally downloading music should be.

"You lose your Internet. That's it, no more Internet for you," said Ian. "Seriously! Like you drive drunk, you lose the privilege of driving. You download illegally, you lose the privilege of having the Internet. The punishment fits the crime. Why these service providers don't stop the torrent sites and put a consequence on this, I have no idea. Everybody complains about the trillions of dollars being lost, but nobody does anything about it. Believe me, if I could do something about it, I would."

Of course, the latest tactic in use to try and stifle internet pirates are cease-and-desist letters sent out by Internet providers. Upon reaching a certain number of warnings, a user's connection can be slowed or even shut off completely. The interviewer noted however that most ISPs were probing reluctant to act, short of being issued a subpoena from the RIAA.

You can read the full story here.

Here's an interview with Scott Ian and Danny Spitz of Anthrax from the July 1993 issue of Guitar World.To see the Anthrax cover -- and all the GW covers from 1993 -- click here.

Scott Ian shows up at the recording studio dressed, as usual, like a man ready for a hard day’s construction work.His T-shirt and jeans, Stussy baseball cap and heavy Doc Martens boots are particularly appropriate today -- building a heavy-duty wall of Anthrax rhythm guitar is strenuous labor, requiring meticulous, workmanlike precision. Music so powerful and bottom-heavy demands rigorously close rhythmic tolerances if it isn’t going to turn into toxic sludge. And for Anthrax’s new album, Sound of White Noise (Elektra), Scott decided to layer each rhythm part a Herculean six times.“It’s a little tedious,” he says apologetically, “but it works!”The goateed guitarist sets about performing his task with a soldier’s resolve. He is seated high on a gunmetal-gray stool in the control room at El Dorado, a funky Hollywood studio that once belonged to Marvin Gaye and is now the haunt of Anthrax’s co-producer on Sound of White Noise, Dave Jerden [Jane’s Addiction, Alice in Chains]. Cradling his trademark Jackson “Not” guitar in his arms, Ian is the antithesis of the stereotypical spoiled heavy metal guitarist. A short, beetle-browed guy from Queens, New York, he doesn't need to have the lights dimmed or his ego stroked to "get in the mood" to play. No record-biz bimbos are on hand to fetch him mineral water or massage his shoulders between takes. He just sits there and slams out track after track of unrelenting heavy power chording.Since 1983, Anthrax have been barreling along just as relentlessly. Five guys from the unfashionable outer boroughs of New York City, they've always played heavy metal their own way: hard, fast, loud, low, raw and mean. Oblivious to trends, they've stuck to their guns with admirable tenacity. Meanwhile, the world has changed around them, and now the rock scene is suddenly filled with guys in work shirts and gym shorts playing a harder, dirtier, un-prettified brand of heavy metal. Grindcore, death metal, thrash metal, rap metal, grunge ... all roads trace back to Anthrax.
Yet Anthrax has stood by and watched friends and colleagues like Metallica outsell them many times over. As Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante puts it: "We were there on the ground floor. But a lot of other bands caught the elevator up first." No question, Anthrax have had more than their share of woes, including lackluster support from their former record label and a growing rift with their former lead singer, Joey Belladonna.So it's great to see them back in fighting form, with a new label (Elektra), a new producer and a new singer: John Bush, formerly of Armored Saint, who gives the band a fierce new melodic edge. With Bush burning at the helm, Anthrax have come up with one of the strongest, most diverse records of their career. No wonder Scott and Anthrax lead guitarist Danny Spitz look especially contented as they settle in for an in-depth chat with Guitar World.GUITAR WORLD: How has the addition of John Bush changed Anthrax?SCOTT IAN: We're basically happier. There was a lot of frustration in this group, leading up to the change in singers. It was something we knew we wanted to do, probably since 1988. From '91 onward it really became stressful.DANNY SPITZ: Some of that frustration came out in the music on this new album. We were all just in a different frame of mind than we'd ever been before -- really pissed off. We started writing before John joined. And once he did, his voice just fit the mood we were in.How has that affected your guitar approach?SPITZ: It's changed everything. In the past I had to try to match Joey's high-pitched singing style. Now I've got a voice that's in the music.Obviously, you guys and Joey were growing apart, musically.IAN: Maybe it's because the music kept getting heavier, but he stayed the same. In my opinion, his best album with us was the first one, Spreading The Disease. I think a lot of Anthrax fans feel that way too. After that his voice just wasn't going where our music was going. I think that was obvious on Persistence Of Time and even more so on Attack Of The Killer B's. I think I sang more songs than he did on that one.You mentioned that many of the songs were written in anger. “Packaged Rebellion" is particularly interesting because it attacks something you obviously love -- rock and roll music.IAN: "Packaged Rebellion" basically came out of things that happened last summer -- Lollapalooza and MTV and the whole grunge deal. The title just refers to the way the media is now selling this whole supposedly "rebellious" image. By being a Lollapalooza-type fan and going to Lollapalooza you're supposed to be participating in some kind of rebellion or something. But you're not. It's the big-corporate mainstream making millions of dollars. Everyone's dressing down now -- like wearing a certain shirt makes you a rebel or something. That's why I say, "revolution on your sleeve." To me, the whole thing is bullshit. I have nothing against Lollapalooza in general. It was a great show. But I think the people involved should be a little more honest about what they're putting on.I guess I get extra angry about this, because it just so happens that our manager also manages Ministry. So we found out a lot of the behind-the-scenes workings of Lollapalooza, Inc. And it really doesn't stand for what people think it stands for -- this whole unity, love, peace and awareness thing. No. The bottom line is money. If you're gonna put a concert out on the road, fine. But don't shovel all this other crap down people's throats and try to come off like you're better than anybody else. It's the same with MTV. MTV sells every 13-and 14-year-old kid a complete "How To Be A Rebel" package: "How to Have That Cool Look of the Nineties." And it's a bunch of bullshit. All of a sudden, everywhere you look, in every single magazine, it's "grunge." My girlfriend gets all the fashion magazines and you've got these big designers now selling $500 flannel shirts. These people are insane!It's the same thing with the so-called "Hip Hop Look."IAN: It's all ridiculous. Kids wearing size 38 pants when they really should be wearing a 26. Fashion rules the world. And it shouldn't be that way.Do you think there was ever a time when rock and roll was genuinely rebellious?IAN: On the whole, no. I think certain people in certain bands have been more so than others. I think there are people who really do believe in what they're doing and take things really seriously. But on the whole, rock and roll is a business. Everyone's in it to make money -- myself included. So I think people should be more honest about it. It really bugs me when you get these bands who make it really big and sell all these records... and then complain about success. Or they say, "We're not corporate rock." The bottom line is anyone who releases a product for sale is commercial. That's it. You're selling something in a store and you're making money off it. If you don't want to be corporate, either don't put anything out or else give it away for free. Or just sell it for exactly what it cost you to make.I think rock and roll has now become more of a contradiction than it's ever been. To me, Fugazi is the only band out there that's really sticking to that idea of, "We're not gonna do what the system wants." They're not gonna sign a deal. They release their own records and do things their own way. That's one band you can't say anything about. Any other band out there is a corporate rock band. If you sign a deal with Geffen Records, you're a corporate band. Bottom line. I don't care if you wear a t-shirt on the cover of Rolling Stone that says, "Corporate Magazines Still Suck." You're still on the cover! I don't know why a lot of these groups have to be so careful about their image: "We're selling a few million albums, but we better look like we make no money." Gimme a break! It's ridiculous.But hasn't the grunge vogue been good for Anthrax?IAN: Any time any form of heavy metal does well, it's good for the whole genre of heavy metal. 'Cause it's all heavy metal to me. Nirvana and Soundgarden are heavy metal, in my opinion. They're certainly not alternative. To me, Depeche Mode and the Cure are the more alternative-type bands. But a lot of kids who were really into them are now listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden. And from there, some of them may go on to Anthrax and Metallica. So it's just like when Bon Jovi and Def Leppard sold their 10-million albums and it was great for the heavier metal bands. Metallica would never have sold what they sold without Def Leppard and Bon Jovi.Do you see the whole "dressing down" thing -- the Doc Martens and $500 flannel shirts -- as something Anthrax helped start?IAN: Well, we were never big on flannel shirts. I was surprised when I recently saw some pictures of us, back in '87 or '88, where me and Charlie actually had flannels on. But we've been wearing shorts on stage for the past eight years, so maybe that opened up people's minds. Because we were one of the first metal bands that didn't look like a Seventies or an early-Eighties heavy metal band.When did you and Danny first meet?IAN: 1983. SPITZ: I was working on 48th street [Manhattan's "Music Store Row"] selling guitars at "We Buy Guitars." And two of the guys that worked there kept saying, "You gotta meet this guy Scott. He's got 15 Marshall cabinets. He's into the same music you are." At the time, Scott was just forming Anthrax. Scott came by the store, but he'd just found a lead guitar player for the band. I was really cocky then, like I am now. So I said, "Ah, the guy probably won't last for more than two or three weeks." So two or three weeks later Scott comes walking in and says, "Think you want to come down and try out?" I put all my Marshalls in a van, played an audition and that was it. Charlie had joined just three months before that.Scott, you switched to a Charvel Surfcaster for this new album?IAN: I used the Surfcaster only for the clean parts on this album -- not for the regular rhythms. Because the Surfcaster only has those little lipstick pickups, which just don't cut it for my rhythm sound. But now I've had a Surfcaster with humbuckers in it made for me, and that's going to be my main guitar now. I'm tired of playing that regular Strat-shaped one.You're not gonna retire the "Not" guitar!IAN: I was gonna retire that one anyway, because that's my main studio guitar for rhythm sounds and I don't want to bring it out on the road. Plus that whole "Not" thing has gotten so out of control. If I went out with that on my guitar now, people would think I was being trendy or something. But anyone who knows this band knows that nobody was saying "Not" 10 years ago except for us. I have videos of us from 1985 with the giant "Not" sign on stage -- which we kind of took from the old Ramones thing, the "Gabba Gabba Hey" sign. So we had this word "Not" that was just part of our vocabulary -- that sarcastic way of saying it like everyone does now. We even wrote a song called "Not." It was a C sharp chord over and over again. We'd do it as the final encore of the show every night, after "Gung Ho." I'd drop my guitar, run out and get the sign and the whole audience would be chanting "Not, Not, Not." We had this on video from seven or eight years ago. And all of a sudden Wayne's World does it and you see it on Budweiser commercials.SPITZ: Little old grandmothers say it. But what's even funnier is Scott grew up saying it in Bayside [Queens] and I grew up saying it in upstate New York, in my country house. And then the two of us got together and he said "Not." And it was, like, "Dude! Not!"IAN: Not too long ago, the L.A. Times did a history of the usage of the word "Not" in that way. And they think the first time it was ever used in the media was in a Saturday Night Live skit in 1977. I think it was Dan Aykroyd who did it. But I knew this kid, Alan Luckman, and he used to say it all the time in about '74, '75. And that's what made me say it. That's how it became Scott Not and all that kind of crap.SPITZ: Now it's trendy and dumb.IAN: So now my guitar goes away.SPITZ: It's basically the same as when I had all those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on my guitar. It got trendy and the guitars are away in a closet. I started putting Marvel comic book characters on my guitar in 1985. I was the first one. Now it's out of hand. So now I play black guitars.You mentioned the Ramones earlier. Are you friendly with them?IAN: We don't hang out with them or anything, but we know the guys. Some guy did a documentary movie about them, and we were in it. They came down and filmed us at Electric Lady, just talking about why I was into the Ramones. Growing up in Queens like I did, I guess there was no way for me not to be into the Ramones. The Ramones were from Forest Hills [Queens] and everyone liked them. That was it. I've loved them since around '77. I was always way more into them than all the British punk. 'Cause I wasn't into the fashion thing, and the Ramones dressed just like I did, even though I was younger than them. I still wear the same Levis and leather jackets. So I really just identified with them. I remember seeing them on TV way back when. I still think Johnny Ramone is, like, the best rhythm player ever.Was his heavily down-picked style a big influence on your rhythm approach?IAN: Yeah. I love muted chords. I love playing chords without actually hitting notes [i.e., with the strings completely muted]; that's probably my favorite thing. There's a lot of that on this record -- different places on the neck where I know I can mute if I want a heavier sound, or a higher, biting sound. Today I'm working on this intro thing that's going to open up the album, where I just play these muted chunks. We're going to speed up the tape machine really fast to record it, and then slow it back down so it'll come out as this big, giant monster. The thing is going to be about 30 or 40 seconds of syncopated, industrial-type noise that leads into the opening track. It should be pretty cool.How did you decide on Dave Jerden as co-producer for this album?IAN: We thought we'd work with [Steve] Thompson and [Michael] Barbiero, who mixed our last record. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that we didn't want to repeat ourselves. Everything was new for us: a new singer, a new record deal, so we really wanted a total change. Elektra mentioned Bob Rock, but we didn't want to use the same guy who did Metallica and go the same route. Flood, [Depeche Mode, U2] was our first choice. I thought he'd be cool because he's never produced anybody even remotely like us. He thought he'd be able to do us, during a three-month break he'd have from Depeche Mode. But then their schedules changed and he couldn't do it. We had already spoken to Dave Jerden and the more we thought about it, the more we realized he was the guy.SPITZ: We've had trouble with producers in the past. Each of us knows how to get his own sound. And we all know what an Anthrax song should sound like. We had arguments with guys who'd say, "Why are there 16 bars before the vocal comes in? The vocal should come right in if you want to get on the radio." And we'd say, "Don't you understand? We don't get on the radio. We're not aiming to get on the radio. We wrote this song to please ourselves. Why are you trying to change it?''IAN: But Dave had a lot of ideas of his own, too. He didn't see any need to change the songs, but he did come in and say, "This is how I do drums. And here's what I want to try with the guitars.... " We were apprehensive at first, 'cause we've always been the anal retentive recording band. I have one Marshall head that I've always used to record. But Dave said, "I really want you to try these amps." So I ended up doing six tracks for each of my rhythm parts. The rhythms are in stereo with three tracks per side, and with each track recorded with a different amp: a Marshall, a Bogner and a Matchless. It's really a great rhythm sound. The Matchless is the "secret ingredient" -- really ballsy. In some cases I added a seventh track of little accents and things. And sometimes I did the seventh track on a Jerry Jones six-string bass. That's the real killer.Danny, what kind of vibe were you going for with your solos this time?SPITZ: I went back to just basic blues and pentatonic-type scales -- more feeling and raw stuff. I'd always wanted to do things like that, but it just never fit our music until now. It takes me a long time to write a lead. I don't come in and burn them off in the studio; it takes like three months. I have to really listen to the music and work them out on my four-track cassette machine at home. This year, though, I left some of the leads a little more open-ended. 'Cause in the past I'd concentrate so hard on playing what I had on tape that I wouldn't be able to adapt or change the part if somebody said, "That lead just isn't working."So the other guys in the band critique your solos?SPITZ: Oh, yes. I prefer to have it that way.IAN: He makes us do it. Even if we have nothing to say.SPITZ: And with Anthrax, you're talking about four people who mainly do not like leads. They feel the song is more important than having six different solo sections. So it's almost like I have to fight for the space to do a solo. But the space has to be right. There are a lot of problems in this music as far as playing over what Scott plays is concerned, because, theory-wise, anything goes. It's not I-IV-V in any kind of normal progression. It could be F sharp to F to B flat, real fast. Now, how do you play lead over that? Go find the key. It would be all right if it was in 4/4 time -- but it's not. You can't just follow Scott's rhythm, because he's playing it so fast. You can't jump between the three keys. So you've just got to find the correct notes. Or almost create a mood instead of a key. It's very difficult. To me, playing over other types of heavy metal is baby stuff. This is a challenge. I think it was Robert Fripp last year who said the most creative music out there now is what we're playing.That's quite a compliment.SPITZ: At least he understands it. He must have sat down and tried to learn it.What a thought: Fripp jamming with Anthrax! Maybe we could arrange it.SPITZ: That would be pretty weird. [laughs]How did Scott end up playing the lead on "Burst?"IAN: It just kind of happened. I had an idea in my head throughout months of rehearsals in New York and on one of our eight-track demo tapes I actually put it down. Dan heard it and said, "You should just do the solo."SPITZ: That was actually one of the songs I was going to leave for last, because I didn't have a clue what to do for a solo. As soon as I heard Scott had an idea, I said, "Go for it." It's a perfect lead for Scott's style.IAN: That whole song is just noise.That solo is pure wang-bar madness.IAN: It's two tracks left and right. When you put headphones on and hear those two different trem parts in your ears, I want it to be so intense that you gotta remove the headphones. It's gonna just drill into your brain.SPITZ: Scott is the master of noises you've never heard come out of a guitar before. Seriously. Sometimes we'll be working out a song and he'll just start making the most fucked up noises you ever heard in your life. Everyone just stops and looks at him, and all of a sudden it just turns into something amazing. It's really cool.IAN: My favorite thing on the whole album is that part after the intro in "This Is Not An Exit," where everything stops and there's just that little "brinnnk!"Is that just picking behind the bridge?IAN: Yeah. It's the best thing on the whole album. And there's this other sound, at the end of "Packaged Rebellion" -- I don't even know how I made it. The song stops and there's this sound: eerrhhhh.... It must have been a string buzz or something. It sounded cool, so we left it on the track. It sounded like an angry bee in a glass jar. It's a sick noise. I'm definitely gonna sample that.When I came by the studio the other day, Scott was recording his rhythms in a dropped D tuning. Is that typical for Anthrax?IAN: There are a couple of songs in dropped D on the new album: "Room For One More," "Sodium Pentothal," "Invisible" and "Potters Field." On "This Is Not An Exit," the E is down to C sharp and all the other strings go down a half-step. There are a lot of songs where the whole guitar is tuned a half step down, like "Packaged Rebellion" and "Black Lodge."We just found that certain sounds would immediately start sounding better if we tuned down a half-step-or up a half-step. People say if you tune everything down it's automatically heavier. That's not always true. Depending on the riffs and the music you're playing, sometimes everything gets too muddled if you tune down. With everything so low and heavy on a lot of songs, do you have to make the rhythms especially tight?IAN: Well, yeah. No matter how many tracks I do on a song, the idea is to make that many tracks sound like one guitar. Sometimes it can be a real trial on my patience. There's a lot of punching in. Each time you double the track, you learn exactly how you played it the first time. I'll figure exactly how I picked each note and now much the string moved. I call it my Fascist Rhythm Technique.SPITZ: That's why we work together so well. He doesn't want to play lead. He's a fucking amazing rhythm player. There aren't many bands like that anymore. As far as I'm concerned, they're all gone. There are no more bands like AC/DC with Malcolm Young on rhythm. Malcolm rules!IAN: For me, the only other bands that have real rhythm guitar are Metallica and Soundgarden. I like Kim Thayil of Soundgarden; I think he gets a really different kind of tone, and he plays really good rhythm. But there aren't many good rhythm players anymore.SPITZ: 'Cause everyone thinks if you don't play a lead you're not gonna be the star of the show and get all the girls.Is that the way it is, Scott?IAN: I don't know. But you know who I met last night? One of my ultimate idols of rhythm guitar: Rudy Schenker. I was flattered that he knew who I was and knew Anthrax's stuff. For me, growing up in the Seventies, it was him, Ted Nugent and of course Kiss. I was the biggest Kiss fan in the world in the Seventies.Did you do the makeup and all?IAN: Oh yeah, from like '75 to '78 . But my favorite guy was Gene Simmons. I didn't give a shit about the other guys. Everyone loved Ace Frehley, but Gene Simmons, he held it down. And then Tony Iommi on the first five Sabbath albums. And Malcolm Young.... I could go on and on about Seventies bands. But I always gravitated toward the rhythm guitar guy. It's weird. All my friends loved Angus Young in AC/DC, but I liked Malcolm.You can 't really have rock and roll without rhythm guitar.SPITZ: That's right. But now everybody just wants to go wheedeeleeewheeedeeleewheeehaaa…. I can't even listen to that. I listen to old school lead players. I can't listen to these guys who sound like everybody else. Be yourself. Or else don't play.Well, there are so many schools for that kind of guitar playing now.SPITZ: Yeah, and it's only getting worse.IAN: GIT is the kiss of death, if you ask me. Anyone who comes out of there has been molded into something…. I don't know what. You see these guys, it's like a....SPITZ: ...a disease! Wailingitis.IAN: I went to the NAMM show for the first time in my life this year, and it was like my worst nightmare. 'Cause you walk through this huge place and every 10 feet there's some guy standing on a little platform going
wheedeeedeeeewheeeedeee.... I walked around with Frankie [Bello, Anthrax's bassist] and we both had our hands over our ears. No escape! It was really disgusting.Speaking of ordeals, there was a flood in the studio while you were recording this album.IAN: Yeah, it was when they were having all that rain in Los Angeles. El Dorado has a flat roof with a brick wall running all around the top -- kind of like a big swimming pool. It kept filling up with rain water, until the level got so high that the water came gushing into the air conditioning vent -- right onto the console. Dave Jerden had to climb up there to see what was going on. The really strange part came when he found that what had been blocking the drain was a decaying dog's head.Nice. Were you there for this discovery?IAN: No, Frankie called me up and said, "You're not gonna believe this, but..." Truthfully, I wasn't that surprised -- it's the sort of thing that always happens to Anthrax.I guess it just isn't an Anthrax album without some natural disaster happening during the recording.IAN: Exactly. We had a fire when we were writing Persistence Of Time and an earthquake while we were in the studio recording it. And now we had this flood. The fire was in January of '90 and the flood in January of '93 . I just can't wait to see what January of '96 brings!

Today, we're excited to be able to bring you the exclusive premiere of a brand new track from the Damned Things, "Trophy Widow." You can stream the track in full below!

"Trophy Widow" is taken from Batman: Arkham City – The Album, which will be released on October 4, just two weeks before the highly-anticipated release of the new video game, Batman: Arkham City, on October 18.

The Collector’s Edition of Batman: Arkham City will include a download code for the album, along with additional bonus content.

Batman: Arkham City – The Album features 12 new original tracks from a wide variety of artists, including Serj Tankian, Coheed and Cambria, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and more. You can check out the full track listing below, and you can pre-order the album now on iTunes and Amazon.

Batman: Arkham City – The Album Track Listing
1. Panic! At The Disco - Mercenary
2. Coheed and Cambria - Deranged
3. The Duke Spirit - Creature
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Shadow On The Run
5. Blaqk Audio - Afterdark
6. The Raveonettes - Oh, Stranger
7. ††† (Crosses) - The Years
8. The Damned Things – Trophy Widow
9. Daughtry - Drown In You
10. The Boxer Rebellion - Losing You
11. Serj Tankian - Total Paranoia
12. A Place to Bury Strangers - In The Shadow

Back in 1997, Anthrax guitarist — and avowed New York Yankees fanatic — Scott Ian was arrested for allegedly attempting to steal an on-deck circle from the Yankees' spring training camp in Tampa, Florida.

Luckily for Ian, after spending only a few hours in jail, paying a fine and apologizing to the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, the charges were eventually dropped.

Yesterday, September 14, the Big Four tour came to Yankee Stadium, and Ian and his band, as well as Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, were welcomed by thousands of screaming metalheads. But was the guitarist greeted with such a warm reception from the Yankees brass?

We recently caught up with Ian, who graciously shed some light on this topic.

So, you're about to play the Big Four show at Yankee Stadium. I bet you didn’t think that was possible back in 1997 when you were busted for stealing an on-deck circle.

I didn’t steal anything. I was accused of trying to. I had broken into Legends Field in Tampa, which is their spring-training facility, at three in the morning. Basically I wanted to go look at the Thurman Munson monument. I ran around the bases like an idiot and then when I left the cops were waiting for me. So, long story short, I got to apologize to George Steinbrenner on the Howard Stern show and they ended up dropping all the charges.

You gonna try taking another victory lap at Yankee Stadium?

[Laughs] Nah, because they’re gonna be covered by whatever they put down on the field so it doesn’t get ruined by 30,000 metalheads!

So no bad blood between you and the Yankees organization?

No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I saw Steinbrenner at a game a few months after he called into the Howard Stern show. We had spoken but never actually met. So I was in the Time Warner box and he was in his box, which is right next to it. I was staring at him and we made eye contact. I guess maybe at some point he had seen a picture of me just to see who this guy was. He looked right at me, shook his finger and shook his head, like, No, no, no. And I just started laughing. It was a really cool moment.

Scott Ian and his Big Four cohorts grace the cover of the November 2011 issue of Guitar World magazine, which is on sale now at our Online Store. And be sure to check out our photo gallery of outtakes from the magazine cover shoot -- and our new Big Four Poster Special, available only at our Online Store.

In case the Big Four hasn't already given you your fill of all-star thrash metal jams, members of Anthrax and Sepultura joined forces at the Black Cross festival in Lichtenvoorde, Holland for a rendition of the Sepultura classic "Refuse/Resist." Fan-filmed footage can be seen below.

Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser recently filled in for Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian at 11 dates in July while Ian spent time with his family following the birth of his first child.

"We chose Andreas because we feel he can do the gig better than anyone," said Ian. "He has the fire, the attitude, and the crushing right hand to do the gig. I've played with Andreas at the Roadrunner 25th-anniversary show, and I've gotten up and played with Sepultura and we are kindred spirits. We both play every show like we're going to jail the next day, like it's the last show we'll ever play. He has what it takes and he has the experience and history to fucking bring it and make these Anthrax shows something special."

Anthrax bassist Frank Bello added: "Andreas locks in with the band like he was always here. So there's not a thought to playing; we don't have to worry. It's nice to go on stage and not have to worry. That's the last thing we wanted to do. And he's good, he's so locked in, even with the cues, the vocals — everything. Boom! It's Anthrax."

On Tuesday, September 13, Anthrax will release their first studio album in eight years, Worship Music.

Not only is it the first original music from Anthrax since 2003, it's also the first Anthrax album in more than 20 years to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna, who was the group's lead singer on classic albums like Among the Living and Persistence of Time. All this makes for one of the most anticipated heavy metal releases in recent memory.

Guitar World recently got the chance to talk to Anthrax lead guitarist Rob Caggiano about a number of topics, from guitars and the new album to the ex-Anthrax singer who "shall not be named" (Hint: It's not John Bush or Neil Turbin). Here, Rob gives us a track-by-track breakdown of the new album.

"Earth On Hell"

"That's one of the most aggressive tunes on the record. It features a lot of blast beat drumming and the riff is really aggressive. It's got more of that thrashy element to it."

"The Devil You Know"

"That song's kind of a cross between 'Caught in a Mosh' and an AC/DC song, like 'Whole Lotta Rosie.' It's got that thrashy rock 'n' roll vibe to it, which I love."

"Fight 'Em Til You Can't"

"That was kind of the first song we started playing as a band, even in the rehearsal room. It was one of the first songs that got finished, so we started playing it a lot. It's a song that's got all the elements of what the band is about; it's got the thrashy vibe, it's got melody, it's got a groove, it's got a lot of over-the-top playing in it."

"I'm Alive"

"That's probably my favorite solo on the record. I really, really tried to push myself to make that as interesting as it could be. I was really happy with the way it came out. It probably took me a full day to nail down that lead. It started off in one direction and I wasn't really digging it so I tried some other things. The way I do solos, it's not planned out at all. I start out with a very improv approach. I'll jam to a track a few times, come up with some ideas and then start to connect the dots."

"In the End"

"That song was originally called 'Down Goes the Sun,' from the first round. It was one of the ones that got re-recorded and it actually went through probably three or four renditions before it ended up how it is now. It's one of my favorite tracks on the album; it's pretty epic. It's got almost a Zeppelin kind of vibe to it with the chords in the chorus.

At one point that riff was gone and I called up Charlie and said, 'Dude, we have to put that riff back in.' So he went back in and re-did the drums and the song came out awesome. I love it."

"The Giant"

"That's a fun song, top to bottom. That song actually took Joey a while to lock into the vibe on, but once he did, it just sounded perfect. I took the same approach on the leads to all the songs, which is a really lyrical approach."

"Judas Priest"

"This is an interesting song. This was the other song that got re-worked. 'Judas Priest' was originally called 'Maniacal,' and at the time, on the first go-round of the record, it had my favorite lead on it. I thought it was one of the best parts on the whole album; even the riff under the solo I thought was awesome.

The original version of the song, though, I think reminded everyone too much of 'the other guy,' if you know what I mean. There wasn't anything wrong with the song, it just had a negative vibe to it. We felt like it needed to be re-worked and re-written, so to make a long story short, some of the riffs are the same but the majority of the song is completely different now.

Along with "I'm Alive," I'd have to say this is one of my favorite leads on the album. I was on tour with The Damned Things when we were wrapping up work on the album. This was the last song to get finished on the album. I basically had to play the lead on a tour bus in Belgium! [laughs]"

"Crawl"

"'Crawl' is an interesting one. It's more of a moody, slow track for Anthrax. I think Joey sounds phenomenal on this song, he really shines on this one. I think overall it's a great tune, the chorus is great. There's a lot of depth to this song, musically. Just the mood and the atmosphere on the song makes it a really mature song.

For the lead, I really needed to capture that as well and make it something that would stand out and be memorable."

"Revolution Screams"

"This song has an anthem kind of vibe to it, in my opinion. Lyrically and melodically, just what Joey's singing and how he's hitting the melodies makes it almost like a grandiose, anthemic vibe. I can see the crowds chanting along with their fists in the air.

The riff is really aggressive. The drum part is also really interesting on this song. If you pay attention to what Charlie's playing, it's this crazy, technical part."

Stay tuned for more from Anthrax on their new album, Worship Music, in the comings weeks. Worship Music hits stores on September 13.