England may have produced its fair share of blues chanteuses, yet very few of those could demonstrate such stylistic versatility as Deborah Bonham did – still does! – and very few of those warblers could bear the weight of their … Continue reading
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The long wait for Anthrax’s next full-length album could be coming to an end in a couple months, effectively ending a decade-long gap since the release of the legendary thrash metal band’s 2016 record For All Kings. And I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to get any more hyped about that.
This revelation of a potential release date came out during bassist Frank Bello’s recent interview with Long & McQuade‘s Dan Coniglio (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). From what he says, we could be getting a new Anthrax record this May.
“The record will come out in May. I’m very proud. It’s so heavy. Some parts are really hard to play — really hard to play, which I’m happy to say, ’cause I like the challenge of it all. Joey’s [Belladonna, Anthrax singer] vocals — I don’t understand how the guy could sing like that, but he still is killing it. And I’m very psyched.
“If you like the last two records we’ve come out with and the past stuff, I think everybody’s gonna be happy, ’cause as fans, we’re very stoked. And it’s been a while, guys, so thank you for waiting. It’s been 10 years [since the release of the last album]. So we made sure it’s worthwhile.”
Ten years, man. Back then, we didn’t know a pandemic would eventually fuck up the entire world. Back then, we didn’t know that the U.K. would leave the E.U. Hell, back then the Chicago Cubs still hadn’t won a World Series since the Ottoman Empire was still around. So much has changed, which is part of the reason Bello said it took so long for the record to materialize.
“We had to get over the COVID thing, like everybody else. We couldn’t be one of those bands that were doing it over video, ’cause the latency, number one… Say we were jamming on something, it would come out a half a second later. It’s, like, ‘Oh,’ and you lose the vibe. So we would just send files to each other and stuff like that. And then we got together when it was safe to get together, when they told us it was safe. So the three of us — Charlie [Benante, drums], Scott [Ian, bass] and I — got together, as we’ve done all our lives, and started exchanging ideas. And from the files we’ve had, [we went through it and said], ‘What’s good? Is that good? Does that work here? Back and forth. And then you go home again and see what works. Then we start putting melodies to it, and then we put lyrics… It’s really like making a cake. It really is that. So it starts with the foundation of the three of us getting the music together. Music [comes first] and then melodies, usually. Scott and I usually go back and forth with that a lot. Charlie comes up with a lot of great music ideas, but we all came out with a lot of music ideas in this. And then the melodies. Scott and I would work on that a lot. And it’s an open thing. Everybody can come in with ideas. That’s the idea. And then the lyrics would come on top.
“And to get it through us, to make sure, as fans, and we’ve been doing this for a while — we cut out a lot of stuff: ‘No’. ‘Yes’. ‘No’. ‘Yes’. ‘Cause you want the best, like everything else. Like mom and my grandmother said, it’s gotta be the best. Work ethic. Editing is really tough, and it’s hard. Sometimes you lose parts that you love, but if it’s not good for the song. It’s all about the song, man. At the end of the day, that’s all we’re about. It’s about the song. And still to this day. Period.”
It had to be a difficult juggling act for Anthrax over the years, what with Scott Ian playing guitar for Mr. Bungle, Charlie Benante playing drums all over the world for Pantera, and Joey Belladonna singing in a Journey cover band… Still, it’s great to know these guys were able to put some time aside and work on the band that brought them to the dance in the first place.
Just this past December, the band had recorded a music video for their new album’s first single. Obviously, we don’t know what that song is or what the video portrays, but the fact that they’re taking that kind of step already means we’re on the cusp of new Anthrax music.
And I don’t know if I said this yet, but I am unbelievably hyped for new Anthrax. I’m sure you are too.
The post Anthrax’s Frank Bello Says the Next Album is Coming Out This May appeared first on MetalSucks.
Former Kamelot and current Conception vocalist Roy Khan is set to stage a one-night-only, deeply personal event this fall in Oslo, Norway.
On November 27 at Rockefeller Music Hall, Khan will perform Kamelot’s legendary live album One Cold Winter’s Night in its entirety, marking the 20th anniversary of one of the most celebrated live releases in symphonic power metal history.
Originally recorded in Oslo in 2006, One Cold Winter’s Night captured a defining moment in both Khan’s career and the wider genre. The album has since become a reference point for live performance, emotional intensity, and musical craftsmanship.
Now, two decades later, Khan returns to the city where the album was recorded, aiming to honor the legacy of that night — not as nostalgia, but as a sincere reflection on artistry and personal significance.
Khan shared his thoughts on the event: “Coming back home to Oslo to perform One Cold Winter’s Night in full is something I never imagined I would do again.
“This particular show represents a very special moment in my life, both artistically and personally. To stand on that stage again, here at home, fills me with gratitude and pride. This is not about recreating the past, but about honoring it in an honest and meaningful way.
“I know that what will happen this night will be unique. If you come to share the experience with me, you will witness something truly special.”
The performance will feature the complete original setlist, alongside special guest appearances and a full production designed exclusively for this night, making it a one-time event fans will not want to miss.
In parallel, Khan is working on a solo album, produced by Sascha Paeth, a key figure in European metal known for shaping classic Kamelot albums like The Fourth Legacy, Karma, Epica, and The Black Halo, as well as projects with Avantasia, Epica, and Angra.
The solo album is also co-produced by Caio Kehyayan (Firewing) and Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires), who have been deeply involved in songwriting. Additional contributions come from Bill Hudson, known for his work with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I Am Morbid, and Circle II Circle. These collaborative sessions have helped define the album’s musical direction and early structure, highlighting a focused pre-production phase.
Though still untitled and without a confirmed release date, Khan’s solo work promises to explore new territory while balancing a personal identity with the experience he has gained through Kamelot and Conception. More details on recordings, guest musicians, and future announcements will follow as the project progresses.
The exclusive presale at the Rockefeller Music Hall will start on February 12, 2026 at 11 AM, CET here. The general on sale will start on February 13, 2026 at 9 AM, CET here.
The post ROY KHAN Returns to Oslo for Special Performance of Entire “One Cold Winter’s Night” Album appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Leí launched her new EP KEPHER at Montreal’s MEM on February 6, and the Trinidadian-Canadian rock artist isn’t interested in asking permission anymore. The five-track project, recorded with producer James Pretli, translates to “the highest level of consciousness,” but for Leí, it’s less about enlightenment and more about explosion. “KEPHER is a way of life for me,” she explains. “‘Highest level of consciousness’ sounds like a mountain peak you finally reach, but for me, KEPHER is more like the moment you realize you’ve been holding your breath your whole life and finally let it out. Screaming the truth. It’s about that raw, constant state of becoming, the scarab rolling the sun, the light finally breaking through the dark. Acknowledging the darkness. It’s less about a destination and more about the electricity in the process.”
That electricity courses through every track. Leí describes the EP as cathartic, loud, a bit angry, and real, and she held nothing back in the studio. “For a long time, I was navigating a space where I felt my voice was not enough, or worse, trying to sound like the other singers or being edited to fit someone else’s idea of who I should be,” she says. “What needed to come out was the truth about that struggle, the parts that aren’t pretty nor polite, and the parts that were intensely sexy and unapologetic. Now was the right time because I realized that real is far more vital than appropriate. KEPHER is about shedding that old skin. This anger isn’t just noise, it’s a necessary fire that burns everything clean so I can finally stand in my own truth. I held nothing back because I’m done waiting for a ‘better’ moment to be honest.”
Working with James Pretli, whom Leí calls “the magic man,” the sessions became a process of mutual challenge and trust. “James is the ‘magic man’ because he has this rare ability to hear the things I can only describe in feelings or colours. He can dissect each instrument, balance the sound and put it back together with surgical precision. His sound creation is one to be studied,” Leí explains. “In the studio, we really kept each other on our toes. He’s great at calling me out if he thinks I’m overthinking a vocal take, and I’m not afraid to tell him when a production element feels a bit too busy for the story I’m trying to tell. It was a lot of back-and-forth, and just staying in the room until the song felt like it should. It wasn’t always glamorous, but that’s why it worked.”
Indian Trail, named after the village in Trinidad where Leí grew up, stands as one of the EP’s defining tracks. The song doesn’t soften the edges or romanticize the past. “Indian Trail really isn’t about finding a middle ground. It is about telling the beautiful and the bruised that exist at the same volume. I wouldn’t balance them. If I try to balance good and bad, I’d end up with something lukewarm, and Indian Trail is anything but lukewarm,” she says. “For me, it was about layering. I wanted the warmth of nostalgia, the joys of running to the forest and picking and eating sugar cane, to sit right next to the sharp edges of the reality I grew up in. I didn’t want to romanticize the struggle, yet I also didn’t want to erase the beauty that made me who I am. You can love the village that raised you and still be loud about what it took from you. Giving myself permission to feel both at once is what made the song.”
The comparisons to Tina Turner and Joan Jett arrive frequently, and Leí doesn’t shy away from them. But she’s clear about where she stands. “It’s an honour to even have their names mentioned in the same breath as mine. Those women didn’t just play music, they broke doors down. I definitely carry that rebellious spirit, that raw, visceral energy that Tina and Joan brought to the stage. You can’t be a woman in rock and not feel their DNA in the air,” she says. “Yeah, people often reach for those names because the industry hasn’t left enough room for new black women in rock to be their own blueprints. It’s easier for people to categorize me by looking backward than it is to sit with the fact that what I’m doing is evolution. I hear the influences, but I’m not trying to be the ‘next’ anyone. I’m too busy being the first Leí. I want the next girl coming up from a place like Indian Trail to not have to look back forty years to find a reference point, she can just look at what I’m doing right now.”
Being Trinidadian-Canadian in rock spaces has shaped both her sound and her approach. “People have this very narrow, postcard-version of what Trinidad sounds like. They think it’s all steelpan and sunshine. But if you’ve ever been to our carnival, celebrated J’ouvert morning and felt the bass of a sound system passing in the street, you know that Caribbean energy is heavy, loud, and deep. That is rock and roll to me,” Leí explains. “My background gave me the rhythm and the fire I bring to the stage. I don’t see myself as an outsider in rock, I see myself as someone bringing the genre back to its roots of rebellion and raw soul.”
As for proving herself in spaces that didn’t expect her? “Every single day. I’ve walked into rooms where the assumption was that I’d be doing Soca or Reggae, and the look on people’s faces when my vocals kicks in is priceless. I used to feel like I had to work twice as hard to be allowed in rock spaces, but now? I’m not asking for permission anymore. I’m not here to prove I belong, I’m here to show that the space belongs to me, too.”
The lead single Desire set the tone for what was coming. “The response to Desire was like watching a dam break. I think people were shocked at first, then they were obsessed. It wasn’t just ‘I like this song’, it was ‘I needed to hear this,’” Leí recalls. “What that reaction told me is that people are starving for human friction. We live in such a polished, filtered digital world right now, and I think listeners are tired of music that sounds like it was made by an algorithm. They’re hungry for the grit, the sweat, and the uncomfortable parts of wanting something so bad it hurts. When I saw the people’s reactions, especially at the live shows here in Montreal, it confirmed that I didn’t need to tone it down for the rest of the EP. It gave me the green light to go even harder. Desire proved that there’s a whole community of people out there who are just as frustrated and just as passionate as I am. They don’t want pretty, they want deep.”
Live, Leí transforms the studio recordings into something rawer. “The studio version is the blueprint, but the live performance is the explosion. My band is incredible, they don’t just play the songs, they react to me. If I decide to hold a note longer because I’m feeling that Trini fire in my chest, they’re right there with me. I want people to leave the show feeling like they didn’t just hear LEÍ, they survived her.”
The MEM launch felt historic to Leí. “At the MEM was about history. It was about adding my voice to the story of Montreal. I wilt when people heard KEPHER live for the first time, they felt a sense of permission. Permission to be loud, to be angry, and to be their most authentic selves without apology. The air seemed lighter. I was overwhelmed with emotions with the amazing response. It seemed as though they had gone through that same cathartic release I felt while writing it.”
The upcoming March 14 show at Joe Pub in Longueuil shifts the energy. “That show is going to be a raw, ‘no-drill’ rock experience in its truest form. From high-concept museum spaces to the best dive bars on the South Shore. We will be doing some rock classics from Ozzy Ozbourne, Tina Turner, Joan Jett, and more, mixed in my original songs. Ultimately, I want them to walk away knowing that being real is a revolution in itself. Freedom.”
As for what comes next, Leí isn’t slowing down. “KEPHER is the rebirth, the moment the scarab finally breaks through the dirt. Yet five tracks can only tell so much of the story. I’m already deep into the next phase. Right now, the focus is the stage taking these songs like Desire and Devil’s Train and seeing how they evolve when they hit the air in cities like Montreal and Longueuil. Yes, a full length album is absolutely on the horizon. If this EP is the spark, the album will be the fire. I want to dive deeper into those Trinidadian roots and push the rock elements even further into something more cinematic and heavy. I’m not just looking to release more songs, I’m building a legacy. KEPHER is the introduction, but the best is yet to come.”
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June 2025 England may have produced its fair share of blues chanteuses, yet very few of those could demonstrate such stylistic versatility as Deborah Bonham did – still does! – and very few of those warblers could bear the weight … Continue reading
The post Interview with DEBORAH BONHAM appeared first on DMME.net.
Metallica have shared an update following their recent performances:
“Between the F1 gigs, we were lucky enough to experience another first, this time with the Metallica Family in Bahrain. Massive thanks to all of you who brought incredible energy to Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre.
Listen to the complete set mixed by the Metallica Audio Team now on nugs or pre-order the CD in The Metallica Store here.”
Fans who attended can relive the performance through the official recordings, while those who missed it can still experience the Bahrain show via streaming or CD pre-order.
This marks another memorable moment for Metallica, continuing their streak of unique experiences connecting with fans around the world.
The post METALLICA Releases Official Recording of December 2025 Bahrain Concert appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Grammy Award-winning rock icons The Smashing Pumpkins are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their influential debut, Gish, with new vinyl releases hitting stores on May 29, timed with the anniversary week.
Fans can grab multiple variants, including a special color vinyl edition housed in the original 1991 packaging. This limited-edition pressing features gray 180-gram vinyl accented with pink and purple splatter, evoking the classic album cover. A standard Black 180-gram vinyl in its original packaging will also be available. Billy Corgan’s Madame ZuZu’s and other independent record stores will carry the releases. Pre-orders for Gish are open now.
Recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, WI with producer Butch Vig, Gish fused elements of rock, metal, psychedelia, pop, and shoegaze into a distinct alternative sound that set The Smashing Pumpkins apart from anything else at the time. Released on May 28, 1991, the album became one of the most successful independent releases of its era, eventually reaching Platinum status. Standout tracks include “I Am One,” “Siva,” “Rhinoceros,” and more.
The impact of Gish has only grown over time. Billboard praised the album, saying: “There’s cryptic poetry, jarring dynamic shifts, mammoth riffs, and moments of startling beauty — everything fans around the world would love about the Pumpkins once they grew into themselves.”
Rolling Stone also recognized the album’s importance, including it among the “50 Greatest Grunge Albums” and noting: “Gish featured 10 dense, ornately crafted tracks — from the intensity of ‘Siva’ and ‘Tristessa’ to the subtle, surreal build-up of lead single, ‘Rhinoceros’ — that showcased the band’s musical ambition.”
The anniversary reissues give fans a chance to experience the record on vinyl, honoring a release that helped define an era and continues to influence generations of rock and alternative musicians.
The post THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Celebrate “Gish” With 35th Anniversary Release appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
There are many ways to play the guitar, and certainly many Legendary Guitarists, such as Chet Atkins, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among countless others. While these are all stylistically varied and irrefutably great guitarists, they are not Metal Guitarists.
The specific stylings of Metal Guitar are almost universal within the genre: Big Distortion, Quick Single Note Line Runs, De-Tuning, Sweep Picking, and Tremolo Picking to name a few.
Not all guitarists can do these acrobatic skills, Toni Iommi isn’t known for his shred as much as John Petrucci, but all of these on this list are legendary innovators and exceptional players.
Tony Iommi is an English guitarist best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of Black Sabbath. He pioneered heavy metal guitar with his dark, heavy riffs and detuned sound. Iconic for the fact that he lost the tips of his fingers, and often played with miniature thimbles — using a coin in his right hand.
Most Influential Work: His work on Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album, especially the iconic riff of “Black Sabbath,” set the standard for heavy metal guitar.
My favorite metal guitarist and lifelong inspiration was Randy Rhoads, an American guitarist known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He combined classical music influences with heavy metal to create a unique guitar style, one of the few metal guitarists who worked actively as a teacher and classical musician before becoming a legend.
Most Influential Work: His guitar work on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” from the album “Blizzard of Ozz” showcased his virtuosity and became an anthem of heavy metal.
John Petrucci is an American guitarist and founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Renowned for his technical skill, precision, and mastery of the instrument, he’s a prominent figure in the progressive metal genre. it’s hard to argue with anything that John does because it is so exacting, you may not like brutalist architecture but it’s hard to disagree with how specific it is.
Most Influential Work: Dream Theater’s album “Images and Words” showcased Petrucci’s exceptional guitar playing and songwriting abilities, particularly in tracks like “Pull Me Under” and “Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper.”
The story has changed many times over the years, but those who know, know that Dave was originally in the band Metallica. After maybe an agreement, or maybe they left amicably, he founded a very different style of metal music — featuring more thrash and less Pop, and the use of more exotic-sounding scale patterns. He’s acclaimed for his aggressive riffing style and politically charged lyrics.
Most Influential Work: Megadeth’s album “Rust in Peace” is often regarded as their magnum opus, featuring Mustaine’s intricate guitar work and songwriting, notably in tracks like “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.”
The real juice in the band Metallica is perhaps not James Hetfield, even though he is the singer and frontman. Kirk Hammett is an American guitarist known for his role as the lead guitarist of Metallica. He’s recognized for his melodic solos and contributions to Metallica’s sound, by keeping the music a little bit more modern than James and Lars would like it to be.
Most Influential Work: Metallica’s album “Master of Puppets” features some of Hammett’s most iconic guitar work, particularly in the title track and “Battery,” solidifying his place as a metal guitar virtuoso.
Dimebag Darrell was an American guitarist best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of Pantera, who was shot on December 8, 2004, on the stage in a tragic shooting. Renowned for his aggressive yet melodic playing style, he influenced a generation of metal guitarists and was synonymous with pick squeals or pinch harmonics, a technique found almost exclusively in metal music and popularized by him.
Most Influential Work: Pantera’s album “Vulgar Display of Power” featured Dimebag’s powerful riffing and solos, notably in tracks like “Walk” and “F*****g Hostile.”
Ozzy has had a long line of EXCELLENT guitarists not featured here, Jake E. Lee (Bark at the Moon? COME ON), but Zakk Wylde is an American guitarist known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder of Black Label Society. He’s recognized for his heavy riffs, blistering solos, and signature “bullseye” guitar design. In almost any picture you look up from him, you can see that his guitar is almost always covered in blood.
If you’ve ever played guitar for a long period, you’ll know that this is not incredibly uncommon. A common misconception, the blood does not typically come from the tips of your fingers, but from the cuticle of the picking hand, which can be ripped open by the strings if you pick aggressively. This part of the hand also doesn’t grow calluses, so it will often rupture when doing sustained tremolo picking.
Most Influential Work: His guitar work on Ozzy Osbourne’s album “No More Tears,” particularly the track “No More Tears,” showcased his technical skill and emotional depth as a guitarist.
Like it or not, we are in the world of Metallica, and even though he is not a particularly pyrotechnic or acrobatic guitarist, he is responsible for and the frontman of perhaps the biggest metal band of all time. James Hetfield is an American guitarist and vocalist best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of Metallica. He’s revered for his powerful rhythm guitar playing and distinctive down-picking style.
Most Influential Work: Metallica’s album “Master of Puppets” features Hetfield’s masterful rhythm guitar work, particularly in tracks like “Battery” and “Damage, Inc.”
This might be less familiar to young readers, but Kerry King is an American guitarist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Slayer. Slayer was the band to beat in the early 80s and pushed the entire genre into how we know it today. Many people will even say that thrash never accelerated past Slayer, and I am inclined to agree with them. Known for his fast, aggressive, and chaotic guitar playing, he helped shape the thrash metal genre.
Most Influential Work: Slayer’s album “Reign in Blood” is considered a seminal work in thrash metal, with King’s ferocious guitar riffs and solos evident in tracks like “Angel of Death” and “Raining Blood.”
The original Buckethead, Slash, is a British-American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses. A little perspective here: if you listen to November Rain and then immediately listen to Dream Theater, you will think that Guns N’ Roses was a pop band. But you have to put everything in context; for all intents and purposes, Guns N’ Roses was a metal band that breached the charts and had a few pop-accessible hits. Those highs propelled them into the stratosphere, and they altered their style to fit. Famous for his bluesy, expressive guitar solos, he’s regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Most Influential Work: Guns N’ Roses’ album “Appetite for Destruction” features Slash’s iconic guitar work, particularly in the timeless solos of tracks like “Sweet Child of Mine” and “November Rain.”
As much as you might hate the term neoclassical, it’s hard to argue with what Yngwie has done for the genre and for the stylistic adaptations of guitar player. My first instrument had scalloped frets, so I could shred just like him! Yngwie Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist known for his virtuosic neoclassical metal guitar playing. He’s revered for his technical skill, speed, and intricate compositions.
Most Influential Work: Malmsteen’s album “Rising Force” showcased his virtuosity and introduced his signature style, with tracks like “Black Star” and “Far Beyond the Sun” becoming classics in the neoclassical metal genre.
The real secret behind Megadeth is not Dave Mustain, but instead, it is Marty Friedman. His use of altered scales, exotic scales, modes of Phrygian, and tremendous sense of phrasing, is the reason why that Band works at all. Marty is the reason why they are larger than just the thrash genre. Marty Friedman is an American guitarist known for his work with Megadeth and his solo career. He’s recognized for his fusion of Eastern musical influences with metal and his emotive guitar playing.
Most Influential Work: Megadeth’s album “Rust in Peace” features Friedman’s exceptional guitar work, particularly in the solos of tracks like “Tornado of Souls” and “Hangar 18.”
The Black Lips are a garage rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, known for their energetic live performances and a sound that draws from various rock ‘n’ roll influences including punk, blues, and psychedelia, featuring a TREMENDOUS guitarist. Toni Loomer is an experimental guitarist known for his work with The Black Lips. Acclaimed for his genre-bending approach to metal guitar, he has pushed boundaries and challenged conventions.
Most Influential Work: The Black Lips’ album “Good Bad Not Evil” features Loomer’s innovative guitar playing, blending elements of garage rock, punk, and metal in tracks like “O Katrina!” and “Bad Kids.”
Chuck Schuldiner was an American guitarist and vocalist, known as the founder and frontman of the death metal band Death. He pioneered the death metal genre with his intricate guitar work and songwriting. Hard to argue with, even though the critical reception of Death is medium at best.
Most Influential Work: Death’s album “Symbolic” is regarded as one of the band’s masterpieces, featuring Schuldiner’s complex guitar compositions and progressive elements, especially evident in tracks like “Crystal Mountain” and “Empty Words.”
While most of the guitarists I have focused on are Americans, from the mid-80s, we do not have time to investigate all of Scandinavia. The instrumentalists of all shapes and sizes coming out of Scandinavia deserve to have their articles and deserve to be in the pantheon of the greatest guitar players who ever lived, but because the critical music industry has been dominated by Americans for so long, music from non-western countries was always a second thought. Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish guitarist and vocalist known for his work with Opeth. Notable for blending progressive rock with death metal, he’s revered for his versatile guitar playing and songwriting.
Most Influential Work: Opeth’s album “Blackwater Park” features Åkerfeldt’s progressive guitar work and songwriting prowess, particularly in tracks like “The Drapery Falls” and the title track “Blackwater Park.”
Adrian Smith is an English guitarist best known as a founding member of Iron Maiden. Renowned for his precise, melodic leads and signature dual-guitar harmonies, he has been instrumental in defining the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. His style, characterized by fast, clean picking and intricate harmonized solos, has inspired countless metal guitarists around the world.
Most Influential Work: Iron Maiden’s album “The Number of the Beast” showcases Smith’s groundbreaking work, with its soaring guitar harmonies and innovative solos that helped cement the band’s legendary status in metal history.
The late Finnish firebrand behind Children of Bodom attacked the fretboard like a Valkyrie dive-bombing Valhalla, fusing neoclassical flourishes with chainsaw-sharp riffing that dragged melodic death metal into the mainstream.
Armed with his signature ESP “Scythe” and a devil-may-care stage presence, Laiho’s icy harmonic-minor runs and whammy-bar screams proved you could blend virtuosity with genuine menace, and still leave room for a hook big enough to snare festival crowds across Europe.
Most Influential Work: 2000’s “Follow the Reaper” crystallised Laiho’s style; tracks like “Hate Me!” and “Everytime I Die” pair hyperspeed arpeggios with anthemic choruses, setting the gold standard for modern melodic death metal guitar.
Where many thrash players sprint, Hanneman stormed, his right-hand picking sounded like a machine-gun burst rattling a tin roof. As Slayer’s co-founder and main riff architect, he injected hardcore punk ferocity into metal, birthing riffs that felt less like music and more like incoming artillery. His solos, often chaotic and chromatic, were the sonic equivalent of blood-splattered shorthand: messy, visceral, unforgettable.
Most Influential Work: “Seasons in the Abyss” (1990) captures Hanneman at full intensity; the opening salvo “War Ensemble” and the ominous title track showcase his gift for marrying breakneck aggression with eerie melody, cementing his legacy as thrash’s dark mastermind.
If Judas Priest are steel, Tipton is the sharpened edge. With K.K. Downing he codified the twin-guitar harmony blueprint; his precise alternate picking, classical fragments, and lyrical bends turned sheer speed into melody that actually sticks in your head.
Most Influential Work: Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” (1990), the title track and “A Touch of Evil” showcase Tipton’s searing precision and soaring, singable leads.
Where most players count beats, Thordendal bends gravity. As Meshuggah’s riff architect, he dropped into abyssal tunings, stacked polymeters until they felt hypnotic, and soloed with angular, Holdsworth-tinged lines that made mechanical brutality feel strangely alive. He’s the tectonic fault line under modern djent and extreme prog metal.
Most Influential Work: Meshuggah’s “Destroy Erase Improve” (1995), “Future Breed Machine” crystallizes his polyrhythmic, low-tuned language and rewires how metal guitar thinks about rhythm.
When the early 2000s were largely dominated by Nu-Metal bands that treated guitar solos like a contagious disease, Synyster Gates kicked the door down and brought the “Guitar Hero” back to the mainstream.
As the lead guitarist for Avenged Sevenfold, he fused the dual-guitar harmonies of Iron Maiden with a gypsy-jazz flair and absolute technical wizardry. He is arguably responsible for inspiring an entire generation of millennials to pick up the instrument and learn what a sweep-pick actually is.
Most Influential Work: Avenged Sevenfold’s album “City of Evil” is a masterclass in modern metal guitar, with the track “Bat Country” serving as a high-speed, duel-guitar manifesto that proved shredding belonged on the radio.
If heavy metal is about pushing boundaries, Tosin Abasi didn’t just push them; he broke them and built a new instrument in the wreckage. As the mastermind behind the instrumental band Animals As Leaders, Tosin is less of a guitar player and more of a musical scientist.
He popularized the use of 8-string guitars and adapted the “thumping” technique from bass guitar to the electric guitar, creating a percussive, piano-like sound that is entirely his own. He represents the future of the instrument, where jazz harmony meets the heaviest, lowest notes imaginable.
Most Influential Work: The self-titled debut album “Animals As Leaders” is essential listening, specifically the track “CAFO,” which remains a terrifying display of technical prowess that leaves most other guitarists wondering if they are even playing the same instrument.
Most guitarists on this list earn their spot by playing fast. Adam Jones earns his by playing slow, and somehow making it heavier than all of them. As the guitarist of Tool, Jones proved that restraint is its own form of extremity. His riffs don’t sprint. They coil, tighten, and crush with a patience that most metal guitarists do not have the discipline to attempt.
What makes Jones essential to this list is his approach to tone and texture. While everyone else was racing to cram more notes into a bar, he was sculpting massive, angular riffs built on odd time signatures that somehow still felt visceral and primal. He treated the guitar less like a lead instrument and more like a weapon of atmosphere, layering it into Tool’s dense, almost architectural sound. The man thinks in structures, not solos, which makes sense given that he started his career as a special effects artist in Hollywood.
The post 23 of the Most Legendary Guitarists to Have Ever Lived appeared first on Metal Shout.
W.A.S.P. has officially announced the 1984 To Headless 2026 U.S. and Canada Tour, with Kk’s Priest joining as very special guest. The run begins September 10 in California and continues through October 31, bringing a heavy dose of classic material back to the stage.
The tour focuses on songs pulled from the band’s first four studio releases, a period that defined W.A.S.P. as one of the most recognizable names in shock-heavy American metal.
Selected hits from W.A.S.P.’s early catalog are expected to fuel what the band describes as a one-time live spectacle, with the stage production designed to match the era.
The band’s legacy was built quickly, starting with their landmark 1984 debut and continuing with The Last Command, Inside The Electric Circus, and The Headless Children. Those albums helped establish the group’s reputation for theatrical hard rock and over-the-top live performances.
Across their 44-year history, W.A.S.P. has remained known for mixing metal with shock rock, psycho-drama themes, and stage shows that became part of their identity.
Frontman Blackie Lawless shared his excitement about revisiting this era in a full production setting: “It’s hard to express the genuine excitement I’m feeling in describing the 1984 To Headless U.S. tour. Playing those songs from those first four albums in a combined package like this is something we’ve never attempted before.
In addition to the songs, the entire stage show will look like the album covers from those records will come alive… right right before your eyes! Complete with all the history and bombastic live presentations that’s made this band one of the great live bands in the theatrical rock world. When elements of those album covers start to come alive, right on the stage before the people, it’s gonna be something they’ll not soon forget!
“I’m also equally thrilled to bring Kk’s Priest and those iconic hits onboard for all the fall 2026 U.S. shows. Both bands together on the same stage on the same night — where do I get my ticket? It’s gonna make the 1984 To Headless tour one for the rock ages!”
Kk’s Priest leader K.K. Downing, best known for his years in Judas Priest, also commented on the upcoming dates: “Great news! Kk’s Priest is going to be returning to the U.S. and Canada this September and October 2026! We will be teaming up together with metal legends W.A.S.P. and with over 40 shows, this is going to be an epic metal and steel tour featuring lots of Priest classics! We look forward to seeing you all again very soon so please get on board early. We do not want you to miss this one.”
Fans will also have access to VIP packages, including the chance to meet Blackie Lawless, take photos, receive autographs, explore a W.A.S.P. traveling museum with new additions, and join a personal Q&A session. VIP tickets are available here.
After the North American run wraps up, W.A.S.P. plans to bring the 1984 To Headless tour to Europe and other territories in 2027.
The post W.A.S.P. Confirms North American “1984 To Headless” Tour With Support Of KK’s PRIEST appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.