WHY NOTHING ELSE MATTERS

JERRY CANTRELL (Alice In Chains)

I GUESS IT would be the riff to “Sad But True,” which is pretty fuckin’ sick. That whole record is like a perfect record, though. You’re lucky enough if you make one of those in your career, anwd they made about five, you know? This record was bigger than heavy metal. It put them into the stratosphere of the most successful bands in the world and broke the ceiling of how far a metal group could go. It’s admirable. The artistic risk and sense of growth is what makes it a perfect record. Which is why I can’t say “Sad But True” is any more meaningful to me than “Sandman” or “The Unforgiven” or “Nothing Else Matters” or “Wherever I May Roam.” I could go on; every one of those songs is perfect. “The Unforgiven” is an amazing piece too; it’s like what would happen if Ennio Morricone wrote a metal tune. That’s what it is, fuckin’ badass! But [back to] “Sad But True.” Hetfield’s right hand is something else. There’s nobody else that has that, he has the best picking hand in rock. The precision and power of his playing is otherworldly.

JEN MAJURA (Evanescence)

“DON’T TREAD ON Me” — I was just teaching it to one of my 7-year-old guitar students. The 12/8 intro melody is totally approachable for young guitar players, and after the first riff gets the vibe started, that second layer riff — that, at