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!

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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.

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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…)