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Audition tapes for The Queen Extravaganza are starting to pile up. In case you've been living under that proverbial rock for the past few weeks, Queen, led by drummer Roger Taylor, are forming their very own tribute band - The Queen Extravaganza - that will hit the road in 2012 for the 2012 Queen Extravaganza Live Tour.

Recently, we took a look at some of the vocalist entries, and one clear-cut Freddie Mercury emerged: Marc Martel. The guy's got it all. Chops, spirit, even the moustache - the dude's Freddie! Even Marc's stand-in will have his work cut out for him (or her - women are open to apply, as well).

Now it's time to assess the guitarists, which we'll do in a number of installments. Much in the way that Freddie Mercury was a one-of-a-kind singer, the same can be said for Brian May as a guitarist. Using his home-built "Red Special" guitar, his unique playing style and tone informed the Queen sound. For anyone hoping to join a Queen tribute band, especially one sanctioned by the group, Brian May's shoes are mighty big ones to fill.

Here's nine guitarists who think they can rock you. The question is...do they?

Tristan Avakian

Tristan is sonically accurate in his interpretation of the main lead lines from Killer Queen. He's tasteful, and his phrasing is assured. He gets extra points for playing to the camera. If he grew his hair out more, he'd make a convincing Brian May.

Brian Cassidy

Whoa! Brian's really crankin' the volume. Not only that, but his tone is a wee bit thin. A little bass and mid-range could help him out. He adds some of the answer-back lines that Tristan didn't play, but Brian's overall technique, while impressive, lacks a kind of magic.

Daryle Dean Warkentin

Give it up for Daryle, who apparently could be any one of the Queen members - he implies as much - but seeing as the contest states that you can enter only once per instrument, he's going with the guitar. Unfortunately, he's got the distortion maxed out, making much of his playing sound washy - and it totally drowns out his background vocals. His leads are solid and serviceable.

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