Yeah, you read the headline right! We are doing our second contest ever, this time giving a lucky winner a copy of Jeff Loomis’s brand new work of shred, Plain of Oblivion. And we made this ever easier than out last contest. So what are you waiting for?
All you have to do is tell us who your favorite modern (recorded new material in the last five years) metal guitarist is. That is it. You don’t even need to give us a reason why you picked that guitarist! We won’t judge your pick either! OK, that’s not entirely true…for purposes of this contest we won’t judge your pick, but we may judge you as person on our own time because we are assholes and that is what we do.
So, leave a comment telling us who is your favorite modern metal guitarist, and see if you get picked! Good luck!
Contest is open to anybody and everybody, no matter where in the world you reside. All entries must be made before 5:00PM EST on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. One entry per person; duplicate entries will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen at random. The winner will be contacted email at the email address used to make the entry. Prize will be sent to winner after we are provided with a mailing address. The winner will also be publicly announced during Episode 30, which will be available on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Void where prohibited.
The Sideshow Podcast 
Disqualification would be worth it to tell you that the best modern guitarist is Warren Haynes. Straight up fact. Don’t shit in my box, Kyle.
While I thought there might be a debate about which guitarists are considered modern, I didn’t think there would be a problem with finding one who is considered metal.
John Petrucci of dream Theater. Hands down the most technological guitarist of our time. He can play it flawlessly!!!!
Mine is Chris Broderick. Amazing style, great virtuosity, and is able to play (and fuse!) multiple genres.
Also, yes, Tosin Abasi is amazing. However, he has his way of playing with 8 strings (he tunes the 8th string down 2 steps so that the 8th and the 6th strings are exactly an octave apart – thus the 8th string is just sort of an auxiliary 6th string for him).
P.S. Is this contest open for people in India?
As noted in the “fine print” of the post, it is open worldwide, unless it is prohibit in your county (void where prohibited).
My favorite modern metal guitarist is actually not as easy a question as I might have first thought, but I have an answer: Phil Demmel. When he joined Machine Head, he took them to the next level. Aesthetics of Hate is probably my favorite guitar solo of all time (I realize it is a dual guitar solo with Robb Flynn), and the added dimension he brings to songs such as Halo and Be Still And Know make him my choice.
One clarification needed is the definition of “modern” and whether Kirk Hammett can be considered modern. Even if their first album came out 30 years ago, Metallica is a band that still tours and releases albums. And over those 30 years, the body of guitar solos that Kirk Hammett has come up with is simply incredible. Kirk Hammett is 49 years old. Phil Demmel is 45 years old. And despite Phil Demmel being only 4 years younger than Kirk Hammett, I am guessing that there would probably not be a debate about whether Phil Demmel would be considered a modern metal guitarist.
One other honorable mention would have to be Tosin Abasi. But one thing I’ve come to realize is that playing an 8 string guitar is like playing a completely different instrument. I play the guitar, not in a band, nor do I play very well, but I can’t fathom playing a guitar with 8 strings. It is hard enough to have 6 strings. What that guy does with 8 strings is so beyond my level of comprehension that I honestly can’t even quite call it “guitar playing” because I truly see it as a different instrument. Just as I wouldn’t say that Steve Harris is my favorite guitar player because he plays an instrument that has two less strings than a guitar, I also wouldn’t say that Tosin Abasi is my favorite guitar player because he plays an instrument that has two more strings.