Welcome

I m very happy as I write this month s

Editor s letter. Why? Well, it could be
because of the bright yellow words at
the top of our cover that s right, WE VE
BrOUGhT SONGS BacK. and we re
going to be bringing you one fully tabbed
classic Track and one contemporary
acoustic tune, on top of our regular riff Of
The month video lesson every issue. This
means that Total Guitar once again gives
you more songs and backing tracks and
at a lower price than any other guitar
mag in Europe! It could also be because of the awesome cover
feature we ve lined up for you this issue. We want to show
you how to make your guitar recordings punch through your
speakers just like they do on your favourite albums so we ve
filled 10 pages with advice, tips and quotes from five big-name
rock producers whose albums undoubtedly form part of your
record collection.
Or maybe it s because rob not only went to Namm and
brought us back Jolly ranchers (the green ones make me
cough), but he and mike have assembled a killer Namm report
with this year s hottest gear releases before any other mag.
Or perhaps it s because this month s TG is brimming with
features, interviews, reviews and tutorials on some of the
biggest guitar names in the world. actually, I think it s all of
these things, and I hope you enjoy the issue as much as we
have enjoyed putting it together!
Stuart Williams, Editor
We are committed to only using magazine paper
which is derived from well managed, certified
forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future
Publishing and its paper suppliers have been
independently certified in accordance with the
rules of the FSc (Forest Stewardship council).
All contents copyright 2015 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence
. All rights reserved. No
part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or used in any way
without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and
Wales. Registered
office: Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. All informatio
n contained in this
publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at t
he time of going to press.
Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such infor
mation. You are advised
to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price and oth
er details of products or
services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this pu
blication are not under our
control. We are not responsible for their contents or any changes or updates to
them.
If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Future a licen
ce to publish your submission
in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions
worldwide and in any physical
or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your
risk and, although every
care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall
be liable for loss or damage.
FUTUrE PUBlIShING
Quay HousE, THE ambuRy, baTH, ba1 1ua
Tel: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 822763
Email: totalguitar@futurenet.com
Website: www.totalguitar.co.uk
Editorial
Editor Stuart Williams
Content Editor rob laing
Reviews Editor Dave Burrluck
Deputy Reviews Editor michael Brown
managing Editor lucy rice
Production Editor Josh Gardner
art Editor leanne O hara
senior music Editor Jason Sidwell
music Editor chris Bird
music Co-ordinator Natalie Smith
Editor at Large Neville marten
ContributorS
Steve allsworth, chris Burke, Phil capone, rich chamberlain, Darran charles,
Trevor curwen, charlie Griffiths, Nick Guppy, Jonathan horsley, Jamie hunt,
Isobel Kimberley, andy mcGregor, carl milligan, Kit morgan, matthew
Parker, adam rees, amit Sharma, mick Taylor, Gary Walker, Frank White,
henry Yates
music Engraver Simon Troup
audio mastering Duncan Jordan
Video Production martin holmes
Photography Joe Branston, adam Gasson, Neil Godwin, Kevin Nixon,
Gavin roberts, Joby Sessions, Jesse Wild, Will Ireland
advErtiSing
Phone: 01225 442244 Fax: 01225 732285
For advertising queries, please contact
alison Watson alison.watson@futurenet.com
MarkEting
Group marketing manager laura Driffield
marketing manager Kristianne Stanton
ProduCtion & diStribution
Production Controller Frances Twentyman
Production manager mark constance
Printed in the UK by: William Gibbons & Sons ltd on behalf of Future
Distributed by: Seymour Distribution ltd , 2 East Poultry avenue,
london Ec1a 9PT, Tel: 0207 429 4000
Overseas distribution by: Seymour International
CirCulation
Trade marketing manager michelle Brock 0207 429 3683
SubSCriPtionS
UK reader order line & enquiries: 0844 848 2852
Overseas reader order line & enquiries: +44 (0)1604 251045
Online enquiries: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Email: totalguitar@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
liCEnSing
International Licensing Director regina Erak, regina.erak@futurenet.com
Tel: +44 (0)1225 442244 Fax: +44 (0)1225 732275
ManagEMEnt
Content & marketing Director Nial Ferguson
Head of Content & marketing, Film, music & Games Declan Gough
Group Editor-In-Chief Daniel Griffiths
Group art Director Graham Dalzell
Next issue on sale 16 march 2015
The aBc combined print
and digital circulation for
Jan-Dec 2013 is:
19,262 a member of the
audited Bureau
of circulations Print: 16,744 Digital: 2,488
Future is an award-winning international media group and
leading digital business. We reach more than 49 million
international consumers a month and create world-class
content and advertising solutions for passionate
consumers online, on tablet & smartphone and in print.
Future plc is a public
company quoted on the
London Stock Exchange
(symbol: FUTR).
www.futureplc.com
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Maddick
Non-executive chairman Peter Allen
Chief financial officer Richard Haley
Tel +44 (0)207 042 4000 (London)
Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 (Bath)
Printed in the UK by William Gibbons on behalf of Future.
Distributed in the UK by Seymour Distribution ltd, 2 East Poultry avenue,
london, Ec1a 9PT. Tel: 0207 429 4000
Cover: Jesse Wild Adam Gasson Rex
Contents: Jesse Wild Ester Segera Adam Gasson Joby Sessions Frank White Rex
4 March 2015
monitor
First Look Fender 2015 Stratocasters ??????????????????????????
006
Riff Of The Month Fleetwood Mac Oh Well ??????????
008
On The Up curtis harding, Oceans ate
alaska, hellions ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
?????????
010
On The Road Papa roach ??????????????????????????????????????????????????
012
In The Studio Turbowolf ????????????????????????????????????????????????????
014
Five Minutes Alone Zakk Wylde ??????????????????????????????????
016
In Praise Of Schecter PT ??????????????????????????????????????????????????
018
Splurge, Save, Steal alternative Les Pauls ????????????????
019
Scale Of The Month Three-note-per-string major ?
020
In The Loop Extended chords ?????????????????????????????????????????
022
Win! Orange Dual Dark 50 head ????????????????????????????????????
024
Albums This month s best guitar releases ?????????????????
026
Feedback Your letters, tweets and pics ??????????????????????
028
features
Ben Howard The singer-songwriter comes back
to chat to TG about his moody second album ????????????
030
2015 Gear Preview hot from the NaMM show
floor, we pick the best new gear for 2015 ?????????????????????
038
COVER FEATURE: Record Huge Guitars
TG shows you how to make your recorded guitars
sound massive, with hints and tips from the pros ??????
046
Bloodbath anders Nystrm gives us his
complete guide to death metal ????????????????????????????????????????
056
Steal Their Style The Edge ??????????????????????????????????????????????
060
contents
BloodBath s
Guide to death metal Ben howard
record huGe Guitars
make your Guitars sound massive on your
next recordinG with our in-depth Guide
in praise of
056 030 018
046
SubScribe now & Save!
Subscribe to Total Guitar on p108 and get a Blackstar Fly 3 amp!
SONG
TAB IS
BACK!
p84
March 2015 5
issue 264 march 2015
Gear
Orange crush 35rT ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
068
hagstrom Super Swede EMG ???????????????????????????????????????????
070
Fame Forum IV SD ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
?
071
Round-up PrS S2 & SE ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
072
Tanglewood Premier Deluxe TPE Dc DLX ???????????????????
076
St Blues Delta Blues Box 4 String Monstesino ??????????
077
Round-up T-rex Pedals ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
078
Quick Tests cordoba Guilele cE &
Mooer Shimverb ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
??
080
Accessories ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
???????
081
techniques
Classic Track
Iron Maiden Two Minutes To Midnight ?????????????????????????
084
Open-Mic Songbook
George Ezra - Budapest ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
100
Guest Lesson Ola Englund???????????????????????????????????????????????
104
Get Your Grades rockschool ?????????????????????????????????????????
106
Get Your Grades rGT ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
107
round-up
prs s2 & se electrics
oranGe
crush 35rt
turBowolf
GeorGe ezra
Budapest
iron maiden
two minutes to midniGht
84
072
068
100
014
6 march 2015
first look
Humbucking
the trend
T
he Big F s American
Standard range is the
real deal, but until now
it has focused on classic
versions of the Strat and Tele.
The American Standard
Telecaster HH & Stratocaster
HH tear up the rulebook by
loading the traditional outlines
with high-output Twin Head
humbuckers for modern tones
from familiar packages. At a
price tag of 1,438 each,
they re no impulse buy, but for
players seeking a combination
of old and new, they could be
just the ticket.
Photography: Joby Sessions
Fender unleashes the
American Standard
Tele & Strat HH 1 Body
Both models feature a
pair of Fender Twin Head
humbuckers, which deliver
a weighty midrange and
slightly softened highs the
Tele opts for an uncovered
bridge pickup, too
2 neck
the satin-finished slim
modern C necks further
reinforce the modern look
and vibe of these guitars,
while the Tele s slimmed-
down back confirms this is
no 50s reissue
3 finshes
Both guitars come in
Ocean Blue Metallic and
Olympic White finishes
with maple fretboards, as
well as Black or Three-
Colour Sunburst with
rosewood boards the
choice is yours
first look monitor
march 2015 7
riff of the month
8 march 2015
monitor section
T
his month, we re getting
our groove on with
a vintage pentatonic
blues-rock riff courtesy of
Fleetwood mac s legendary
original guitarist Peter Green.
The guitar is in standard tuning, so
tune to EaDGBE to play along.
On the record, the riff is played
initially on an acoustic guitar but
there s no reason why you
shouldn t use an electric. Indeed,
for live gigs, Green would use
a Gibson Les Paul electric with
a medium overdrive tone.
Each line begins with a pick up
phrase that starts on the offbeat
and lands on the beat when you
move over to the fourth or fifth
string. Pay attention to the picking
pattern shown in the video; your
aim is to play the offbeat notes
with upstrokes, whereas the
strong accented down-beats are
played with downstrokes. Green s
picking sequence will help you to
get the right vibe and bounce into
the riff.
Fleetwood Mac
oh Well 0:33
CHANNEL Clean
gain bass mid treble reverb
To recreaTe the vibe of
an acoustic guitar using
an electric, select a clean
channel and set the gain
just high enough to add
some body, but low
enough to retain a clean
tone. Select a bridge
pickup for extra brightness
and pick near to the bridge
to get closer to the
resonant quality
of an acoustic guitar.
assuming you re not
playing with a second
guitarist, you ll need to
set up an overdrive tone
as well.
DowN
to tHE
boNE
dOd unveils
boneshaker
extended-
range distortion pedal
IN A bold move, DOD has collaborated with boutique
builder Black arts Toneworks to create the Boneshaker
distortion, aimed at players of extended-range guitars,
with comprehensive controls including low and mid
frequencies. The Boneshaker will be available from
March with a price TBC see www.digitech.com.
Guitar and backing: Jamie Hunt Photo: Ray Stevenson/REX
NEw stANDArD
line 6 and Yamaha introduce
the variax standard
tHE fIrst collaboration since line 6 and Yamaha
joined forces last year, the Variax Standard not only
brings Yamaha playability to the Variax format,
but cuts the price to 599. elsewhere, you get a
lightweight alder body, custom-wound pickups and
proprietary vibrato. See www.line6.com for more.
ALL tHAt JAzz
Fender releases Classic series
lacquer and road Worn
Jazzmasters and Jaguars
AftEr gIvINg Strats and Teles the nitrocellulose
and relic ing treatment, Fender is now releasing
Jazzmasters and Jaguars with old-school lacquer
finishes and worn looks, with american Vintage
single coils and floating vibratos, starting at 1,054.
See our review next issue, and www.fender.com.
all our Video lessons are online at totalguitar.co.uk/
video. To go to this lesson, type www.bit.ly/tg264rotm into
your browser.
video
lesson
www.bit.ly/tg264rotm
tracks 07-08
10 march 2015
monitor section
?
o
n
t
h
e
u
p
Curtis Harding
The punk-channeling soulster who s mates with Mastodon
M
ichigan-born, road-raised and
Atlanta-based. That s the story of
singer-songwriter Curtis Harding,
thanks to a childhood spent with his
mother, Dorothy, performing gospel songs
for everyone from church congregations to
city gangs.
It gave me exposure to different people
and music, he remembers. We travelled
cross-country constantly. To me, I was just
travelling with my family, but it was a tour
built into her spiritual belief system.
Eventually, when Curtis hit 15, the family
put down roots in Atlanta, Georgia, but the
music didn t stop and a few years later
punk rock entered the equation.
At first I would hear The Ramones at
school or see a friend s t-shirt, says Curtis.
Then I really started getting into that
music when I was venturing into clubs in
my early 20s.
Punk music led, as it so often does, to
the guitar. I was a late bloomer in a lot of
regards, Curtis admits. When I started
playing guitar I was in about my mid-20s
and it was out of necessity, because
I couldn t find anyone to play with me and
I wanted to write my own songs.
Fortunately, he seems to have a knack for
it. Debut album, Soul Power powered by
Curtis Fender Strat and DeVille amplifier
is the summation up his self-labelled slop
n soul sound. All hook-laden, soulful rock
n roll with a sense of punk minimalism
and Stones-y in-the-pocket-ness.
It was another situation where I couldn t
facilitate what I wanted to do at the time,
explains Curtis. I wasn t doing anything
other than writing for other people and
trying to do collaborations. I was just like,
Fuck it! So I just recorded my solo record
and people gravitated towards it, man.
Among the gravitating types is
Mastodon s Brent Hinds. Introduced via
mutual friend Cole Alexander (The Black
Lips), Curtis and Brent hit it off and a
side-project (tentatively dubbed Us ) is
now in the works.
It s completely fun, says Curtis of the
collaboration. It goes all across the board
and, as you may guess, it s definitely
guitar-driven given that Brent Hinds has
something to do with it. The two songs
we ve got are anthems. You ll be able to
hear them in arenas for years on! [laughs]
Until that happens, TG is very happy to
make do with Soul Power.
For Fans oF: The Black Keys, Michael
Kiwanuka, The Black Lips
hear: Freedom
march 2015 11
on the up monitor
For Fans oF: Born Of Osiris, The Dillinger Escape Plan
hear: Floorboards
For Fans oF: My Chemical
Romance, Fucked Up
hear: Hellions
Oceans Ate Alaska
Hellions
Frost-bitten metallers on a mission to madness
Down-underers flipping hardcore on its head
B
irmingham s Oceans Ate
Alaska thrive on dissonance
and complexity. They took
their name after reading a
headline about a tidal wave and
specialise in sonic maelstroms of
the tech-metal kind.
It s not the kind of thing you d
hear on Radio One, says guitarist
Adam Zytkiewicz, tactfully. A lot
of the time people instantly shut it
out, but if you listen over, more
layers come out and it doesn t
seem quite as baffling.
Adam and guitarist James Jibbs
Kennedy use a selection of Ibanez,
MusicMan and ESP guitars paired
with two trusty EVH 5150s to
smash stuttering riffs and tapped
leads into drummer Chris Turner s
mind-warpingly elaborate
rhythmic patterns. The result is
the sort of lawlessly progressive
racket favoured by the likes of
a
world away from OAA s
frozen misery, Australian
melodic hardcore trio
Hellions made their second
record, Indian Summer at Karma
Sound Studios in Thailand.
It s beautiful, says guitarist
Matthew Gravolin. They ve got
this impressive catalogue of
people who have recorded there
including Enter Shikari and
Jamiroquai a really wide array
of artists, which was what was so
beguiling to us.
That and the swimming pool,
private rooms, catering, maid
service Which is something
that we re absolutely not used to
in any way, emphasises Matthew.
You re treated so incredibly, it
really is a wonderful thing!
More due to the writing than
the room service, Indian Summer
is an exciting album that crafts a
grab bag of influences and
The Dillinger Escape Plan and
Born Of Osiris.
Debut album, Lost Isles, drops
this month on Fearless Records,
but the band initially raised cash
to record with metalcore supremo
Joshua Wickman at Dreadcore in
Whitelake, Michigan, sleeping in
the studio to save money.
[We started in] mid-November
and it got absolutely freezing,
remembers James. There weren't
any showers either!
I was there in minus degrees
washing my balls with a flannel,
adds Adam. When you hear the
record, you can sense that there
was something wrong!
Perhaps those stuttering riffs
aren t so baffling after all
instrumentation into exuberant
head bangers. In a scene that s
fallen foul of the formulaic, this is
envelope-pushing stuff. And all
with a surprisingly simple setup
I seldom use effects, says
Matt. The only effect I have is a
Boss Delay. Then the guitar I m
using is an ESP EC1000 into an
Orange 4x12 with a EVH
100-watt head. The power you
get out of them is crazy.
We already expect this record to
make rock mags 2015 album of
the year lists, so keep an eye out
for tour dates
Hopefully, we ll get to the UK
soon, says Matt. Nothing s
solidified, but I dare say we ll be
there by the end of the year!
on the road
12 march 2015
monitor section
08
mar
21
mar
It s nice to have
young bands that
can really bring it live.
It makes everybody
work harder
AKM-GSI/ /Splash News/Corbis
march 2015 13
on the road monitor
Papa Roach
As the modern renaissance men hit Europe in support of new album
F.E.A.R., Jerry Horton checks in to let us know what to expect
A
fter metalcore staked its claim to
being the most important scene in
heavy music around the turn of the
millennium, Papa Roach were one of the few
nu-metal bands to survive the aftermath.
While the majority of their peers folded
away their baggy jeans once and for all, the
Californian quartet remained defiant and
refused to become extinct instead choosing
to embrace their own evolution. TG caught up
with guitarist Jerry Horton to find out what
the band have in store for the March tour
in support of F.E.A.R. their electronically-
charged eighth album.
We ve already started playing a couple
of the singles, Face Everything And Rise and
Broken As Me. I think we ll end up doing a
few more new songs, too, like Warriors and
Gravity. It could even be more than that! We re
just finding the right balance.
The guitarist recently tweeted a photo of his
ears being moulded for a set of in-ear monitors
made by Jerry Harvey Audio, which he is
looking forward to taking out on the road.
We ve been using Jerry Harvey monitors
for quite a while, says Jerry. We just heard
the new Roxanne series and they are incredible
with something like four bass drivers. How
do they manage to fit all that into your ears,
it s like a full PA!
And that s not all, Jerry may very well have a
brand new Schecter model in his hands by the
time the tour rolls into UK towns and cities
I have a new signature series coming out,
he enthuses. It s based on their Tempest
model but with a flat top and matt white paint
job, which looks nice and isn t as flashy as my
old model. The neck is matt, so it s plays a lot
smoother. And Schecter actually make their
own pickups now, so I m using those, too.
We re doing a lot of lower tunings these days,
so I went with a modern scale length.
With them, Papa Roach are bringing
Japanese rockers Coldrain and London
mashup crew The One Hundred: two
relatively new bands that seem destined for
a bright future. Jerry couldn t be happier
with how the bill shaped up
Words: Amit Sharma Getty Images / Ethan Miller
We ve been following Coldrain since seeing
them at Knotfest in November, where they
just ripped! And The One Hundred were
suggested by our booking agent, and we
thought it would be something different for
our crowd. It s nice to have young bands that
can really bring it live. It makes everybody
work harder and step their game up, for the
benefit of the fans.
Papa Roach s UK tour with kicks off on 8 March.
For tickets and further info, visit www.paparoach.com
In the Studio
Andy s Gibson Firebird
and an Orange Rockerverb
were the album mainstays
Andy entertaining himself in
The Lair album producer
Tom Dalgety s Bath studio
Andy borrowed as
much gear as he could
get his hands on
14 march 2015
monitor section
i had no idea what i d done.
i d completely lost my shit
Artist:
It has been a long time too long, in fact
since Bristol s psychedelic space punks
Turbowolf put out their self-titled 2011
debut. hoorah, then to the news that they re
back with second album, Two Hands. The
new record has been produced by
Tom Dalgety (best known for
Turbo-tourmates royal Blood s
chart-topping debut), with
sessions split between rockfield
studios and Dalgety s Bath base,
colloquially dubbed The Lair .
We spent I don t know how
long in there, says guitarist andy Ghosh.
It s pretty much a few practice rooms: no
windows, nothing. We were just losing our
minds because there were no restrictions on
how long we could stay.
andy says he relied on his humbucker d
Gibson Firebird ( I sort of realised it s the
best guitar I d ever played ) to provide the
full-figured body to the record s riff-heavy
heart. Then there was an Orange
rockerverb, a sparkle-modded Fender Blues
Junior, a 70s master Volume marshall and
that barely scrapes the surface
Whenever we record, I just borrow
anything that anyone will lend me, explains
andy. We had a wall completely covered
with amps and I laid out all of the effects and
they covered the whole floor of the live
room. anytime I needed to get a guitar tone
together, it was just like, What am I doing!?
You may have already heard the fruits of
Turbowolf s labours in their warped Daft
Punk-y riffer Solid Gold and hip-shaking
voodoo jam Rabbit s Foot, but the weird,
noisy solo on Rich Gift was born from a
similar bout of delirium.
I d been putting it off, recalls andy of the
solo in question. We d been in the studio all
day, but I got home and ended up staying up
all night and recording it on my computer at
about seven in the morning. I had no idea
what I d done. I d just completely lost my shit
at that point...
It seems, we suggest, like
quite a lot of this album has
resulted from pushing the limits
of andy s sanity.
Not just me! andy affirms.
me, chris [Georgiadis, vocals]
and Tom would sit there all day and then
Blake [Davies, drums] would come and get
us late at night. he d just find this gibbering
mess these giggling mad men just lying
on the studio floor and murmuring
nonsense. So, yeah, we all pushed our
brains, err, beyond.
Turbowolf release new album Two Hands via Search
And Destroy on 6 April
Three mad professors, Two Hands and one feisty Firebird Turbowolf are back on the
prowl
turbowolf
Eleanor Jane Parsons Jeff Hahne/Getty Images
16 march 2015
monitor section
Zakk Wylde
The shred berserker and Black Label Society chief talks guitars,
washing machines and brown M&Ms
I got my first real six-string
My first good guitar was a
Pelham Blue Firebrand SG, and
then I sold that to get my first Les
Paul. That thing s in the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame. Obviously, I m
not, but the guitar is. I think
they re trying to tell me
something! It s just me and Deep
Purple left! I started playing guitar
when I was eight, wanting to
learn Elton John songs. I didn t
dedicate myself to lessons. The
teacher told my parents that I just
wasn t ready. When I hit 14, that s
when I saw my guitar teacher
playing in front of me, Hendrix,
Van Halen, Sabbath, Ozzy,
Zeppelin, it looked like the most
interesting thing in the world to
me. The fretboard was a world of
possibilities. From that day on,
I lost myself to guitar.
Dream on
Obviously, because Jimmy Page
played a Les Paul and then Randy
[Rhodes] as well, I loved the Les
Paul Custom. I loved the Standard
as well, but I m more of a Custom
guy, whereas Slash loves his
Standards. It s the same with Strat
and Tele guys. You don t want to
get those two into debate!
Get back to where you
once belonged
 I actually have most of my
teenage guitars back. That s pretty
cool. I made contact with the guys
that had them and hooked them
up with another guitar or
something and traded for my old
guitars. They re all in the Black
Vatican [Zakk s studio].
I want you to show me the way
You ve got Jimmy Page, Tony
Iommi, Frank Marino, John
McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, they re
my big five guys. A sit down with
Saint Rhodes would be nice, but
we ll save that for the trip up to
God s Tavern.
Listen, do you want to know
a secret?
Just relax. Don t get worked up.
If rehearsals were good then just
do that on stage. Don t try and do
anything more and psych yourself
out, especially if it s your first gig.
If you tell me we re on in 10
minutes I ll just noodle a little bit
and go do it.
Don t worry, be happy
I m happy with the whole ride
when it comes to recordings I ve
done. The solo to No More Tears,
I wanted to double track it and do
some other things, and the guys
told me to let it go. We took a
break, went to the bar and left it.
I really wanted to double it, and
that solo ended up being one of
my most popular solos.
The blessed hellride
Worst would have to be when
gear goes down. Those are ones
you remember and laugh it off.
You have to just keep ploughing
ahead, that s all you can do. The
most special gig was meeting
Ozzy and playing my first show
with him at Wormwood Scrubs
Prison and then doing the
Moscow Peace Festival in front of
100,000 people. I remember
going from that to getting in the
van, doing 20,000 miles on the
[Zakk s first solo album] Book Of
Shadows tour, playing at a Sudsy
Malone s, and in this bar you had
the bar to the left and the stage in
the back, where there were
washing machines so people
could do their wash in the bar. You
had the bartender, a guy shooting
heroin, a guy trying to resuscitate
the guy that had done heroin,
a guy doing his laundry and then
us on stage. At that point, I knew
I had arrived.
Everybody wants some
The brown M&Ms are the most
important item on our tour rider.
We have all the ones that Van
Halen didn t want.
Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Frank
marino, John mcLaughlin, al Di
meola, they re my big five guys
Black Label Society are currently touring
Europe. For dates and more info, see
www.blacklabelsociety.com
5 minutes alone