Testament's Alex Skolnick: "One of the biggest influences on my playing is Michael Schenker"
Guitarist reflects on how Schenker shaped his style in exclusive video
Bastion of hard-rock guitar playing Michael Schenker is a name that unites players across the rock and metal world, including Testament gunslinger and fusion ace Alex Skolnick, who sat down to wax lyrical about the guitarist in this exclusive video.
In the clip, Skolnick goes in depth on how Michael Schenker influenced him as a musician, thinking back to his first Schenker listening experience and even playing one of his favourite riffs.
Skolnick’s plaudits are timely, as Schenker readies his first album with the all-star Fest line-up, Heart And Soul - featuring vocalists Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley, with guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen.
The album is available to preorder via Nuclear Blast now.
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Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
