One of my favorite things to do lately is listen to a bunch of EPs and demo tapes. That why I get exposed to be a bunch of different bands. And I just wanna say, shout out to Suicidal Tendencies. I veer more toward straight thrash than crossover thrash, but what a great, inventive band. 

Infectious Grooves is a lot of fun in short bursts every now and then. It also shows how woefully underutilized so much of Robert's talent is in Metallica. Oh, well.

Metallica and bass aversion. Name a more iconic duo.

True on the funk being the best part, and true on can't blame the dude for getting paid!


In general, I think it can be very cool or very awkward. Funk and metal are two of my favorite music genres, but I don't necessarily like when one is just played at face value in the other's arrangement. A lot of "funk metal" is just playing funk music with metal settings and gear, and I think it sounds weird.

I like when it's more subtle, like borrowing rhythm patterns or drum fills here and there. Korn's early work for example was heavy groovy riffs on top of funky rhythms and drumming, and it was really magical.

The legendary cover of Higher Ground is an exception to this. That one is good.


Off the top of my head, pretty much anyone in Megadeth in the last 15 years other than Dave, ha. Particularly Broderick on his last few with them and both Chris Adler and Dirk Verbeuren recently.

Agreed on Loomis in Arch Enemy. I haven't explored this much, but I feel like I read the guitarist from Staind was classically trained before they broke through in the no-solos simple music era.

Kirk Hammett has been intentionally playing below his own ability for years, but I don't think that's what you meant.

So on the topic of recording metal, I am taking my hobby of playing at recording music to the next level...by buying more software and gear I don't have time to use!

I have a modeling amp that I can plug in via USB that has a reasonable number of settings but only a couple I like, and various pre-recorded drum loops and programmed drum tracks. My recording this far has been the equivalent of writing down an idea on a paper napkin at a bar, but I'd like to try my hand at full songs.

If you follow it at all, you know there's a billion different digital interface devices to plug your guitar into a computer, and just as many software packages to record it, emulate amps and pedals and all sorts.

One of the better known ones is Amplitube. They have digitized versions of pretty much every major amp and pedal you could want. Well, they also have a full virtual studio software package, including virtual bass guitar instruments, drummers, synths, samples, and the stuff to mix and master it. Well they were having a killer sale on their current max package I've been wrestling over for weeks. I finally bit the bullet using some birthday money. I'm also going to probably spend a littttttle beyond budget for their recording interface, too.

It's considered one of the best out there and it is specifically for guitar recording, as opposed to a 10 year old discontinued amp that happens to allow it.

Maybe one day I will actually use all of this stuff!


This is not a plug, just sharing the story. Though if you are interested in all this crap, it seems a decent time to buy with this sale.

Thanks! A lite version of Amplitube came with my old Fender Mustang amp in...God, what, 2011? So I'm familiar with the software in general. It was impressive then, and it's only gotten better. Even the maxed out package of that is rarely on sale for what I got their whole studio package for. Even if I never use 75% of the stuff, it's so much for the money I can't complain, and it wasn't even that much money in the grand scheme. You can blow that in a weekend just not paying attention feeding a family of 4.

While I aim to do whole songs, I am fairly confident I will at least dive into the amp sims if nothing else. Time to play with Marshalls and Mesas I can't afford and don't have room for.


I have no delusions of being the next Eddie Van Halen or even a three chord hero, but I think I could do something along the lines of the below, vocals aside. I even have a riff I've been nurturing since I first started noodling around in the late 90s that would be a base.

Also, good song!

This song works so well as metal, I love the Disturbed cover (below) as well. However, this new one gets extra points having a puppet singer, love it!

Love it! I think this would be super fun, great songs you've come up with. I'm trying to make something work with Medusa and hair metal here...