There are few guitarists on the planet that get the shredder’s studio worked up as much as former Asphyx and current Grand Supreme Blood Court guitarist Eric Daniels. He writes the riffs that awaken your inner caveman.
Eric was kind enough to drop in from across the pond and tell us how he started playing and share his thoughts on some of the best riffs in a career full of them. Please welcome the great Eric Daniels to the shredder’s studio.
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I started listening to metal when I was 13. I really liked the sound of heavy guitars and pounding drums. When I was 14, I started to play electric guitar. I did not take any lessons, ‘cause the lessons did not interest me very much. I learned to play the guitar in my room at my parent’s place. I earned my first guitar during school years with a paper route I worked together with my brother.
When I started, I tried to play songs from the early Saxon and Judas Priest albums. Quite hard to learn the riffs, especially when I had no lessons, but I never gave up. In time, it became too soft for me– I wanted to play more brutal stuff.
When Venom’s Welcome To Hell was released, I was sold, knocked out. THAT was the style I wanted to play.
Later on, I played the early Metallica albums, SOD and Anthrax. They had a tight playing style that I really liked. Not very technical riffing, but very efficient, and with feeling. Of course, it wasn’t brutal enough. I kept the tight playing, combined with my guitar sound, and that’s my style today.
I always compose riffs the way I like them, and with feeling inside. It’s a big honor that people like them and experience them the same way I did when I wrote them. It’s magic!
And Thus The Billions Shall Burn – Grand Supreme Blood Court (at 1:37min): I wrote the main riff on a Sunday morning after a strong cup of coffee. I started to play half the riff, and in no time, the second part was there. I like the atmosphere. It’s one of my best riffs.
Forgotten War – Asphyx (at 2:25min): This riff is one of my favorite crushing ones. Simple but effective. I still like this one so much. It breathes pure death metal.
Food For The Ignorant – Asphyx (start of song): This riff was written in the rehearsal room. I write most riffs at home, but some spontaneous riffs occur during jam-sessions during rehearsing.
Fed To The Boars – Grand Supreme Blood Court (start of song): These riffs have power and push forward. The song kills, and I like the doom parts a lot, too.
Feeding On Angels – Soulburn (complete song and riffing): Another style of black/death we did at the time. The song has atmosphere, and I like the riffs very much. This is an album I still like.
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Read previous installments of Inside The Shredder’s Studio:
#1: Elizabeth Schall of Dreaming Dead
#2: Mike Hill of Tombs
#3: Jon Levasseur of Cryptopsy
#4: Alex Bouks of Incantation
#5: Kurt Ballou of Converge
#6: Mark Thomas Baker of Orchid
#7: Andre Foisy of Locrian
