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"I've never even played an eight-string before, but I wanted to develop one and actually get into the studio and write a song on it" — John Petrucci
John Petrucci — who’s been anything but dormant during the pandemic daze — has capped off his recent burst of mad creativity with a blazing new Dream Theater album, A View from the Top of the World. In this issue, he fills us in on the challenges of producing his own band, his first-ever recordings with an eight-string guitar, why guitar playing is a bit like weight lifting — and exactly how he remembers his guitar parts on stage when an intricate, demanding song shatters the 25-minute mark.
PLUS: A PETRUCCI EXCLUSIVE!
The master himself breaks down the main guitar riffs in Invisible Monster, a brand-new Dream Theater track — complete with tabs and video (which you can check out below)!
It's Tremonti time! Alter Bridge and Creed powerhouse Mark Tremonti talks ancient Yngwie Malmsteen licks, five-note pentatonic runs, covering Mateus Asato and saving the heavy metal thunder and horse gallops for his own band, who return — big-time — with Marching in Time. Tremonti also shares a touching Eddie Van Halen memory and discusses his former bass player, Wolfgang Van Halen.
DYI Yngwie! On his brand-new album, Parabellum, Yngwie Malmsteen tackles all the vocals and instruments (except drums). The result? An Yngwie-on-steroids shred extravaganza!
Trucks and Trey take on Layla
Derek Trucks explains how Tedeschi Trucks Band teamed up with Phish’s Trey Anastasio (and Doyle Bramhall II) to properly rock a classic Eric Clapton/Duane Allman creation, Derek and the Dominos' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
TheBlack Crowes: Shakin' all over (again)
After 30 (OK, 31) years, the Black Crowes’ Rich and Chris Robinson revisit their milestone debut album, Shake Your Money Maker.
More great artists – and Tonal Recall
In Tune-Ups, we catch up with Tulsa blues phenom Seth Lee Jones, plus Naia Izumi, Ariel Posen, Austin's Jackie Venson and Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano — and there's a new playlist by Illuminati Hotties guitarist Sarah Tudzin. In Tonal Recall, we solve the mystery behind Randy Rhoads' tone on Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train."
Lessons and columns
We’ve got columns by Andy Timmons, Greg Koch, Andy Aledort and Jimmy Brown (who offers up his final String Theory column). Speaking of which, you can find the corresponding videos right here.
Gear reviews
This month, Chris Gill and Paul Riario review the Fender ’68 Custom Pro Reverb, Jackson Pro Series Dinky DK Modern HT7 MS, the Hughes & Kettner AmpMan Classic and Modern and the Baldacci Guitars Bighorn Standard.
Song transcriptions
This month's song transcriptions are Gimme Some Truth, a 1971 John Lennon track that features his former Beatles bandmate George Harrison on lead slide guitar, plus ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man and Led Zeppelin's The Lemon Song.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
