2021 A heapin’ helpin’ of top-notch guitarists weigh in on
NOT SURE ABOUT you, but from where we’re sitting, 2021 felt like it was absolutely bursting with new music. Yeah, Covid might’ve slowed things down at first, but eventually we couldn’t help but notice the musical equivalent of the Baby Boom — everyone made a pandemic album! And we’re glad they did, because we’ve heard some truly amazing stuff this year. To help us sort through it all, we turned to a horde of guitarists — hard-working men and women with their ears to the ground — and asked them to name their new music from 2021, namely their favorite guitar-forward albums, songs, solos and riffs — plus their favorite 2021 guitar moments, new artists/ guitarists and new pieces of gear. There’s also some bonus info included, such as some artists’ big plans for 2022 and what they’re most looking forward to. (By the way, everyone’s answer to that last one was “touring!” — not that we blame ’em.) Dig in — and enjoy! —DF
Joe Duplantier (Gojira)
ALBUM: Mastodon’s Hushed and Grim. Each song has its specific personality and aura. They’re definitely one of my favorite bands, and they always deliver the most interesting albums.
SONG: “Stardust Chords” by Greta Van Fleet. The chorus is mesmerizing, and everything from the musicianship to the production is incredible.
SOLO: Brent Hinds’ solo on [Mastodon’s] “More Than I Could Chew.”
GEAR: Neural DSP Archetype Gojira! I worked with Neural DSP for months to put this plugin together. You can get Gojira’s guitar tone on your laptop, experiment and find a vast array of sounds and effects.
Joe Bonamassa
ALBUM: Robben Ford, Pure
SONG: Keb’ Mo’, “Sunny and Warm”
RIFF: Jack White, “Taking Me Back”
SOLO: Eric Gales, “Too Close to the Fire” (unreleased)
NEW ARTIST/GUITARIST: Eddie 9V
Rob Caggiano (Volbeat)
ALBUMS: It’s a tie between the Bronx, Bronx VI; the Ruins of Beverast, Thule Grimoires; Tesseract, Portals; Carcass, Torn Arteries; and Mare Cognitum, Solar Paroxysm.
SONG: Another tie! Chvrches, “How Not to Drown” (featuring Robert Smith) and Sleep Token, “Alkaline.”
RIFF: Spectral Wound, “Frigid and Spellbound”
SOLO: Joe Bonamassa, “Mind’s Eye”
NEW ARTIST/GUITARIST: Mammoth WVH
GEAR: I recently had Atlas guitar cabinets build me a custom oversized cab with Ted Weber speakers, and I’m pretty blown away by it. Earthshaking!
Marty Friedman
ALBUM: Deafheaven, Infinite Granite
SONG: Beyooooonds, “Vitamin Me”
RIFF: Suspended 4th, “Breakout Junkie Bluesman”
SOLO: Ami Inoi, “Sonata 3rd Movement by Leo Brauwer”
NEW ARTIST/GUITARIST: Suspended 4th
NEW SKILL, TECHNIQUE OR DISCOVERY: The only thing I constantly work on is the ability to hear and make more interesting note choices — and to try to express them with more depth and meaning [in order] to create fresh context for them.
Cedric Burnside
ALBUM: 662 by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
NEW ARTIST/GUITARIST: The Kernal
NEW SKILL, TECHNIQUE OR DISCOVERY: I don’t know what you’d call it, but I’ve sure been picking the hell out of my guitar!
GUITAR MOMENT: A show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville — performing at the Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels.
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT IN ’22: More music and more shows.
John Petrucci
GEAR: My new Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty eight-string signature guitar. It’s a total beast. [It] plays like buttah and sounds like a Demogorgon!
Picking through all of the notes of a sweep arpeggio as opposed to pulling off on the high E string when descending. It sounds a lot stronger and adds a certain snap at the top of the sequence.
