“Something I tell people at guitar clinics is, ‘All techniques are equal.’ If you don’t know modes, you think they’re exotic and mysterious. But once you know them, you realize that they’re no different from any five-note scale. It’s all music.

“On Last Temptation, I didn’t shy away from just slamming down barre chords, because that’s what was needed. At the same time, I combined those chords with super-heavy licks that the whole band would play. I was thinking of ensemble playing with really pounding chords. Lots of exploding and contracting.

“We had a great time arranging this song on the spot. When we record, a lot of times we’ll play a song a few times, and everybody will throw ideas around – Mike or Chad will want to shorten a part or change something. This was a pretty fast coming together from the whole band. We played it live and put in a few overdubs – that was it. Very fresh, with everybody tearing in and going for it.”