Guitar that ate my brain

You've been wondering who the fret masters are in today's guitar playing world because the current bands are more than happy to peddle commercial hooks than display potent technicalities- it's what sells. But the following players (largely from the metal genre) are more than competent in churning out lethal licks & solos (it's the tracks listing from the album above):


01. Paul Waggoner (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME) - "Boot Dagger Boogie"
02. Kris Norris (DARKEST HOUR) - "The Life and Times of Sir Walter Sickert"
03. Dave Martone - "Hybrid Angels"
04. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) - "Disengaged"
05. Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler (DAATH) - "The Unwavering Collapse"
06. Shane Gibson (KORN) - "Artichoke Samurai"
07. Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) - "Nerd Alert"
08. Chris Poland (OHM, MEGADETH) - "L.D.E."
09. Ola Frenning and Christofer Malmström (SOILWORK / DARKANE) - "Hydra"
10. Mike Orlando - "Stomped"
11. James Murphy (TESTAMENT) - "Six Shooter"
12. Hugues Lefebvre and Yann Mouhad (ANTHROPIA) - "Schrödinger's Cat Paradox"

So it's proven they can play but the missing chemistry here are the memorable hooks; once your playing gets too technical, listeners can't commit your tunes to memory. Great players are the people who fuse technicalities with incredible phrasing & melody. This is why people like Satriani, Vai, Gilbert et al, are on top of their game. Nevertheless, if you appreciate guitar technicalities, it's a worthy purchase. Ignore the critics.