On May 15, 2009, the Melvins rolled into New York City to play Webster Hall on their 25th Anniversary Tour, which featured a performance of their classic album Houdini as well as a set of tracks from their 1983 Mangled Demos.

After our last gear walkthrough with Buzz Osborne, we knew we wanted to catch up with the guitarist for some more video goodness. Much to our surprise, Buzz invited us to come out to Mr. Bungle/Fantomas/sometimes Melvins bassist Trevor Dunn’s Brooklyn digs (where he was crashing) and film him as he showed off his new Electrical guitar and broke down some of the tastiest riffs from Houdini, including “Honey Bucket,” “Hooch” and “Copache.”

Check out all this and more below: (more…)

After witnessing the six-string destruction laid down by Soilent Green guitarist Brian Patton when his Louisiana death grind crew played BB Kings back in April, we knew we had to catch up with the guitarist to get to the bottom of his unique technique.

Our chance came on June 25, 2008, when Soilent Green came back to New York City to play the Nokia Theatre (with Dethklok and Chimaira) in support of their latest album, Inevitable Collapse In the Presence of Conviction (Metal Blade).

In part one of our two-part lesson below, the EYEHATEGOD/Soilent Green guitarist weighs in on his role in creating the NOLA metal sound, the roots of Soilent’s riffs, his use of chord sliding and how to build a song out of many different, non-repeating sections. (more…)

Here’s the second half of our two-part riff lesson with Soilent Green’s Brian Patton.

In the following clips, watch as the EYEHATEGOD/Soilent Green guitarist demonstrates how to play some riffs from a variety of Soilent tracks, such as “Antioxidant,” “13 Days a Weak,” “In the Same Breath” and “Sewn Mouth Secrets.” (more…)

On May 1, 2008, when Sweden’s technical metal giants Meshuggah came to New York on Ministry’s C-U-La-Tour, guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Marten Hagstrom (above left and right, respectively) stopped by MetalKult’s Manhattan headquarters for a video interview and riff lesson.

Meshuggah were also touring in support of their latest album, Obzen, which was released on March 11 on Nuclear Blast.

In this rare footage, the guitarists talk about their eight-string guitars, extraterrestrial solos, challenging polyrhythms, and time-signature misconceptions, before demonstrating how to play some classic riffs from their catalog, including “Rational Gaze,” “Bleed,” “Electric Red,” “Pravus,” “New Millenium Cyanide Christ,” “The Mouth Licking What You’ve Bled” and “Future Breed Machine.”

Check out all this death-tech goodness below! (more…)

When Gothenburg melodic death metal pioneers In Flames came to New York as part of Gigantour 2008, MetalKult had a chance to sit down with guitarists Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad for an exclusive riff lesson.

In the following lessons the pair demonstrate how to play a selection of new and classic tracks from In Flames’ nine-album catalog. Tracks include “Moonshield” from 1996’s The Jester Race and “Gyroscope” off of 1997’s Whoracle, as well as “Bullet Ride” (Clayman), “Zombi Inc.” (Colony), “Take This Life” (Come Clarity), and “Disconnected,” “March to the Shore” and “The Mirror’s Truth” (from A Sense of Purpose).

Watch below as Gelotte and Stromblad explain how they achieve their signature sound, which includes extensive twin guitar harmonies, complementary melodic lines and downright brutal riffage. Enjoy! (more…)

When west coast thrash vets Exodus came to New York to play a show on February 7, 2008, at BB Kings in support of their latest album, The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit A, MetalKult had the opportunity to catch up with guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus.

After the two sat for a revealing video interview with our bros at Guitar World, we had the two guitarists demonstrate how to play a few riffs from their greatest hits, including “Toxic Waltz” and “Bonded By Blood,” as well as from new tracks like “Funeral Hymn.”

Check out these clips below: (more…)

On August 21, 2007, when South Carolina’s Nile played an Ozzfest one-off date at BB King’s, in support of their new album Ithyphallic (Nuclear Blast), we invited guitarist/vocalists Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade to stop by MetalKult’s Manhattan headquarters for an in-depth Q&A and riff lesson.

The two technical death metal shredders accepted, and, axes in hand, stopped by our New York offices to demonstrate the key elements of their style, and show how to play Nile classics like “Barra Edinazzu,” “Howling of the Jinn,” “Black Seeds of Vengeance” and more!

Check out the clips below: (more…)

On August 15, when High on Fire visited the East Coast to do some press for their latest album, Death Is This Communion (Relapse), guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike dropped by MetalKult’s NYC headquarters for an exclusive riff lesson and Q&A.

Check out the clips below, where Pike demonstrates how to play some of the classic riffs in his catalog. From Sleep’s “The Druid” and “Dragonaut” to High on Fire’s “Baghdad,” “Blessed Black Wings” and “Turk,” this is some unprecedented sh*t! (more…)

On August 15, 2007, when Behemoth were in the area to play Ozzfest at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, guitarist/singer Nergal stopped by MetalKult’s New York City headquarters.

In the following riff lesson, Nergal sheds light on the core elements of Behemoth’s signature blackened death metal sound, and shows you how to play classic riffs from “Summoning of the Ancient Ones,” “Conquer All,” “Demigod” and more.

Check out the video below: (more…)

When Norwegian black metal legends Emperor came to America for a brief tour this past June, guitarists Ihsahn and Samoth took time out of their schedule to stop by MetalKult’s New York City headquarters for an in-depth lesson on how to play some of their band’s most memorable passages. (more…)