The Riffhard Podcast

Doc Coyle is a guitarist for Bad Wolves, the now dormant God Forbid, and many other projects including The Wedding Band with Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. He’s also the host of The Ex Man Podcast. On this episode: Knowing when to quit Meshuggah's career trajectory Bad Wolves releasing new music Writing solos that serve the material And more! Follow Doc Coyle on Instagram and Twitter. Listen to...

Mark Tremonti is the guitarist and founding member of Alter Bridge and Creed. He also releases solo music under the name Tremonti. On this episode: Being a metalhead and Creed’s guitarist Staying relevant Songwriting as the main focus Simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve And more! Follow Mark Tremonti on Twitter and check out his website. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard...

Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström are the guitarists in Avatar.  On this episode: Developing your identity as a musician  Collaboration makes everything better Guitar tones and technique Getting unstuck with creative work And more! Listen to Avatar on Spotify.  Follow Avatar on Twitter. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutor...

Dallas Molster is a guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist in Grayscale.  On this episode: Using voice memos for songwriting Demoitis Band members knowing their roles And more! Follow Grayscale on Instagram and Twitter. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutorials with tabs A chance to enter our monthly King Of The Riff contes...

John 5 is a legendary guitarist and songwriter who currently plays with Rob Zombie. He’s previously worked with Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many others.  On this episode: Why personality is important in the studio Focus on your craft before anything else How tour prep differs from studio prep And more! Follow John 5 on Instagram and Twitter. Want to level up your guitar game...

Kevin Thrasher is a guitarist in Escape the Fate. He is also a producer, mixer, and songwriter.  On this episode: Kevin’s deep dive into classical guitar Why outcome oriented practice makes a huge difference Having 75 versions of one song Choosing a different guitarist in the studio Working with Travis Barker And more! Follow Kevin Thrasher on Instagram and Twitter. Want to level up your guitar ga...

John Petrucci is the guitarist of Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment.  On this episode: You shouldn’t need motivation to do something you love Making use of voice memos to remember ideas Why some practice is better than none How John writes for Dream Theater And more! Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutorials wi...

Steffen Kummerer is the main songwriter, vocalist, and a guitarist in Obscura as well as Thulcandra.  On this episode: Steffen’s melodic style What working with Fredrick Nordstrom was like The technical aspect of Steffen’s playing Daily routines The difference between laziness and burnout And more! Check out Steffen’s website.  Follow Steffen on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check...

Gary Holt is a guitarist and the main songwriter in Exodus. He was also a guitarist in Slayer from 2011 to 2019. On this episode: Downpicking as part of Gary’s style How technology has changed the game Tracking rhythm guitar with Andy Sneap Gary’s modded Marshalls and his pedal collection And more! Follow Gary Holt on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign...

Buster Odeholm is a drummer, guitarist, producer and mixer. He is the drummer of Vildhjarta, guitarist for Humanity’s Last Breath, and the owner of Odeholm Audio. On this episode: How Buster plays guitar upside down Not all music needs to be playable live Why Buster doesn’t tour with an amp What to do when you don’t like the sound you’re getting And much more! Follow Buster on Instagram. Check out...

J-F Dagenais is a guitarist in Kataklysm, Ex Deo, a producer, mixer, audio engineer and the owner of JFD Studio. On this episode:  Adapting as needed in order to survive Overcoming not being a natural at songwriting The power of collaboration Touring with backup guitars and amps Why you can’t replicate someone else’s tone And more! Follow J-F Dagenais on Instagram. Check out JFD Studio. Want to le...

Andy Gillion is a multi-instrumentalist, video game composer, and songwriter who was previously in Mors Principium Est. and is now a solo artist. On this episode: Creating a theme song from a brief You don’t need to use theory as a guide Technology has a time and place How Andy uses writing as practice And more! Follow Andy Gillion on Twitter and Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check...

Herman Li is a guitarist for DragonForce and a successful Twitch streamer.  On this episode: Do endorsements even matter? Live-streaming is hard!  Having fun while remaining professional  Why Herman continues to practice guitar And more! Follow Herman Li on Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video...

Sammy Boller is a guitarist and songwriter. He’s a brand ambassador for Friedman, Scott Stapp's guitarist, and previously played guitar in Citizen Zero. On this episode: Growing up in a musical family The difference between writing and practicing Playing with friends can hold you back And more! Check out Sammy Boller on Instagram and YouTube. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard....

Sammy Duet is the guitarist and a founding member of Goatwhore. He also played in Acid Bath and Crowbar.  On this episode: How Sammy got into extreme music How crucial picking hand stamina is What it’s like having Kurt Ballou mix his record Selling out his signature guitar in 2 minutes And more! Follow Sammy Duet on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up...

Miles Dimitri Baker is a guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. He currently plays in Interloper and previously played with Rings of Saturn and AEnimus.  On this episode: Making mistakes while on tour Why ProTools is scary Learning intervals helps other aspects of playing How theory and harmony affect guitar playing And more! Follow Miles Dimitri Baker on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game...

Josh Rand is a songwriter, producer, and guitarist for Stone Sour. He also has a new band with Casandra Carson called The L.I.F.E. Project. On this episode: What he can and can’t record in his studio Being a multi-instrumentalist Why your pick choice and guitar setup are important And more! Follow Josh Rand on Instagram and Facebook. Listen to Stone Sour on Spotify.  Listen to The L.I.F.E. Project...

Malcolm Pugh is the guitarist in Inferi and A Loathing Requiem, the bassist in Demon King, and co-founder of the metal label The Artisan Era. On this episode: Making technical music sound musical Doubling guitar with other instruments Malcolm’s unique pick holding And more! Follow Malcolm on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: O...

Joe Mabry is a guitarist and songwriter in Capstan.  He sits down with Eyal Levi to discuss: Capstan’s new record Separate How lockdown impacted the band Guitar solo restraints And more Follow Joe Mabry on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutorials with tabs A chance to enter our monthly King Of The Riff contes...

Dino Cazares is the guitarist, co-founder and primary mind behind Fear Factory, Divine Heresy, Brujeria, and Asesino. On this episode: Applying sports methodologies to guitar playing How picking affects tone Getting endorsed by Line 6 Using amp sims on the new Fear Factory record And more! Follow Dino Cazares on Instagram and Twitter. Fear Factory’s website Want to level up your guitar game? Check...

Joshua Travis is the guitarist in Emmure, previously in Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, and a founding member of Glass Cloud. On this episode, Joshua Travis and Eyal Levi discuss: Knowing how to play drums and how it helps with guitar Why most people can’t master downpicking How Joshua ultimately joined Emmure And more! Follow Joshua Travis on Instagram, Twitter, and Twitch. Want to level up you...

Stevie D is a guitarist and songwriter for Buckcherry.  On this episode, Stevie D and Eyal Levi discuss:  The difference between touring life and quarantine life Shifting from spending on radio to focusing on social media Why Buckcherry signed to a label And more! Follow Stevie D on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 v...

Ryan “Fluff” Bruce is a guitarist in Dragged Under and a YouTuber who reviews gear on his channel Riffs, Beards, and Gear. On this episode, Fluff and Eyal Levi dive into: Why guitarists should learn video basics Dealing with gear elitists Handling imposter syndrome And more! Follow Riffs, Beards, and Gear on YouTube. Follow Fluff on Instagram and Twitter. Want to level up your guitar game? Check o...

Nick Rossi plays guitar in Born Of Osiris. On this episode, Nick Rossi and Eyal Levi discuss: The toxic mentality of comparing guitar players Soundtracks vs. orchestral music Integrating into an established band And more! Follow Nick Rossi on Instagram. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutorials with tabs A chance to ente...

Ol Drake is a guitar player, vocalist, songwriter and most recently a Twitch streamer from the UK best known for his work with thrash legends Evile. On this episode: Playing guitar without a pick Streaming on Twitch Ol’s fretboard visualization  Learning intervals And more! Follow Ol Drake on Twitch, Instagram, and Twitter.  Listen to Evile on Spotify. Want to level up your guitar game? Check out ...