Rhythm guitar 101

Jeff Loomis is seriously probably the best all-around metal guitarist alive right now. I'm not a huge Nevermore fan, because I think Warrel Dane's vocals are horrendous, but Loomis is one of my favorite players. His guitar playing in Nevermore is excellent, and his solo album is extremely impressive. His solos are mehhh.... Are you serious? This guy is like the combination of Jason Becker & Yngwie Malmsteen + the style & skills of a modern tech death guitarist. Insane talent and brilliant composition. Whether he's playing a ridiculously complex arpeggio at warp speed or making long, drawn out single notes sing (or scream) with vibrato, he is an amazing player. His playing has creativity, speed, technical prowess, AND emotion.... Loomis is the complete package.

If you happen to prefer jazz fusion over neoclassical shred, then obviously you wouldn't be a huge fan of his lead playing, but calling it "meh" or criticizing his "note choices and phrasing"... Really? Give me a break. He is head and shoulders above most metal guitarists in a big way. I love Guthrie Govan as much as the next guy, but he is a completely different kind of player, and he doesn't play balls out neoclassical technical metal. As far as Zakk Wylde, Dime, Steve Vai, etc.... they are cool players in their own rights, but I wouldn't put them anywhere near Loomis in terms of skill or music composition (for my tastes, anyways)...

Besides the obvious talent, I think Loomis is so interesting because of his combination of influences. His lead guitar playing is passionate, fiery neoclassical shred guitar in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, etc., and his rhythm playing is like a blend of DEI-era Meshuggah, fast paced technical thrash, and melodic death metal. There is always a lot going on... very quick and precise techy riffs, kick-you-in-the-face heavy rhythms, blistering solos, beautiful melodies, etc.
 
FYI ... I hate neo-classical which is why I said I dont like his note choice :)

Its just so DONE.... Overdone to be honest. Every guy out there today is a Malmsteen / Becker clone.

Alexi shit Face
Fruit Of The Loomis
Michael o' Romeo o'Romeo
Christoper Columberick
 
you guys got to realize I was alive and a teen in the 80s when all that shit was going around. EVERYONE played it back then it very easy to get worn out on it.

Today more non-technical guitar is my thing. But I will say a few of Jeffs solos on the new CD were impressive, Short and simple, which is a good thing imho.
 
guitarguru777 said:
FYI ... I hate neo-classical which is why I said I dont like his note choice :)

Its just so DONE.... Overdone to be honest. Every guy out there today is a Malmsteen / Becker clone.

Alexi shit Face
Fruit Of The Loomis
Michael o' Romeo o'Romeo
Christoper Columberick
Click to expand...

Compared to what exactly? You could say metal in general is overdone too.... especially metalcore and melodic death metal, which is what's talked about on this forum a good 75% of the time. Hell, you could say any type of guitar music in general is overdone, really.

I love neoclassical shred and think Loomis' style is awesome. I don't think Dimebag Darrel, Alexi Laiho, or Zakk Wylde should even be mentioned in the same sentence as him, honestly. I love guys like Guthrie Govan and Allan Holdsworth too, but they don't play metal and I hate seeing them always brought up in comparison to metal guitarists...
 
Its not being brought up in terms of Metal vs Non Metal its being brought up in terms of technical ability. Guthrie Govans technique is flawless.

Would a better comparison for you be Paul Gilbert? Jeff would be the first one to tell you that Gilbert shits all over him in terms of technical prowess. There isn't a more flawless player then Gilbert in the rock / metal genre. He is precision at its finest ....

Believe me I am not talking shit about Jeff as he is a great player from a technical perspective but there are guys better then him and he will be the first to admit it. In Metal theres guys like Skolnick that have a better sense of melody, even Friedman is more enjoyable for me to listen too. Jeff just plays the same dim7 licks and arpeggios ever and over. My fave solo and song for that matter of his is Inside 4 Walls. That song and everything about it is perfect. Its got feel, technical ability and his phrasing is just stunning on it. He hasnt played a solo like that on any album since. Its all dim7 sweeping arpeggio madness thats been done but a thousand guys before him.

I would put Jeff up against quite a few guys in the Metal genre to be honest, and this is not a "whos better" thing. Its more who is more musical. Jeff IS a monster player but other then his songwriting he gets boring for me cause its the same dim7 arpeggio licks over and over. guys like Gilbert and Friedman stretched out into areas beyond that, Jeff rarely does which is a shame cause I have heard him play some blistering pentatonic shit that just made me go WTF!!! I just wish he would stretch out more in his solos and do something other then dim7 arpeggios and neo-classical shred cause he CAN certainly do it.
 
Some of my favorite guitarists that not everyone would have necessarily heard of

Matt Sotelo: Diminishing Between Worlds has to be one of the best guitar records of all time, fuck the haters
Mike "Gunface" McKenzie: not really a shredder, some of the strangest self taught technique I have ever seen (look it up on youtube)
Vogg: TRY and find a tighter player, you WILL fail
Dave Suzuki
Chris Bradley
Mongrain and Suecof on Capharnaum
Paul Ryan
 
JoshuaLogan said:
Dimebag Darrel, Alexi Laiho, or Zakk Wylde should even be mentioned in the same sentence as him, honestly.
Click to expand...

Well thats just ignorance to be honest. If it wasnt for Zakk and Dime there would still be no solos in modern metal. It would all still be hip-hop beats and 7 string guitars. When times were grimm in the metal world Zakk and Dime delivered the goods.

This is a pointless argument, your a fan-boi and thats fine. Just know there is ALWAYS someone better no matter who you are.
 
diminishing between worlds was cool, just not very "decrepit"
that new record was fucking disgusting though
 
ratsapprentice said:
Some of my favorite guitarists that not everyone would have necessarily heard of

Matt Sotelo: Diminishing Between Worlds has to be one of the best guitar records of all time, fuck the haters
Mike "Gunface" McKenzie: not really a shredder, some of the strangest self taught technique I have ever seen (look it up on youtube)
Vogg: TRY and find a tighter player, you WILL fail
Dave Suzuki
Chris Bradley
Mongrain and Suecof on Capharnaum
Paul Ryan
Click to expand...


Fuck, completely forgot about Vogg. He has a demonic right hand. Sound guy too, my band supported Decapitated a fortnight ago in Dublin, Vogg was using my Dual Recto as it was a fly-in gig for them. He was using 4 cabs, the Dual Recto and a solid state head. Goes to show that tone is definitely in the fingers as he was using fuck all gain on the DR.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
GarethSE said:
diminishing between worlds was cool, just not very "decrepit"
that new record was fucking disgusting though
Click to expand...

It was obviously very different to atb, and I have to unwillingly agree with you about the new record.
You can't deny that dbw, is probably as good as you can get in terms of a guitar-worshiping metal record, it's not at all groundbreaking.
But it has some absolutely breathtaking moments.
 
nonono i agree
i really like diminishing between worlds, it's just not "decrepit" sounding to me. doesnt stop me from really digging it
 
Disappointed it took until post 47 for Vogg to be mentioned :(

And count me in the "Loomis is a wanker" camp as far as his solos go, but his riffs and "leads" (e.g "Born" chorus) fucking rule, and his technique is without fault
 
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