Plus! The night Richie Faulkner almost died, Exodus' Gary Holt proves there's life after Slayer, Kirk Hammett's solo debut and more
(Image credit: Future)
After two issues that focused on things that happened in the Eighties, this month we shine the spotlight on the newest generation of guitar heroes.
Back in the spring, we published a popular GuitarWorld.com poll that asked our readers to name the hottest new guitarist in the world right now (you can call it a popularity contest if you want, and that’s part of the point!) – and we reveal the results in this issue.
I won’t spill the beans about everyone who’s included, but let’s just say you’ll be reading about Billy Strings, Sophie Burrell, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka. There’s also a brand-new "in the style of" lesson – complete with tabs and audio – dedicated to Kingfish.
(Image credit: Paige Sara)
This issue also features…
* On September 26, 2021, while onstage with Judas Priest in Louisville, Kentucky, 42-year-old guitarist Richie Faulkner came incredibly close to dying. Lucky for all of us, he’s here to tell the tale – and what a tale it is.
* With the new Exodus album, Persona Non Grata, Gary Holt proves there’s life after Slayer.
* Metallica’s Kirk Hammett discusses his solo debut!
* App-etite for construction! GW presents the 10 most useful guitar apps of 2022.
(Image credit: Jen Rosenstein/Future)
In this month’s Tune-Ups, we check in with Journey’s Neal Schon, plus King’s X, Jared James Nichols, Reef, Jesse Dayton, Nova Twins and more – and Eric Johnson shows us his at-home pedalboard.
We review Fender’s JV Modified ’50s Stratocaster HSS and JV Modified ’60s Custom Telecaster, plus the Lava Music Blue Lava acoustic, the Gamma G25 and G50 guitar combo amp and more. The Power Tools column pays tribute to the Hiwatt DR103.
(Image credit: Joshua Black Wilkins)
Our song transcriptions are Remember When by Bad Wolves, Bron-Yr-Aur by Led Zeppelin and America by Yes (part 1 of 2).
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There are new columns by Joe Bonamassa, Andy Timmons, Andy Aledort and newcomer Josh Smith.
I hope you enjoy this issue! We had a great time putting it together.
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.
