We let our hair down this month to ponder our weapons of choice as would-be metal gods. Prince’s touring guitarist Donna Grantis and reader Nick Atkins join us in our fantasy world, where we dream up the axes we’d use to rock faces off (literally, in some cases).
Nick Atkins -- Reader of the Month
What are you listening to?
Karnivool are currently
reminding me that
Australia exports more than
just terrifying, murderous creatures. They
also export terrifying, awesome music. Oh,
and local band Boundary (shameless plug)
out of Coventry, United Kingdom.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
A Dean Razorback. Metal
is all about looking like everything you’re
wearing could kill someone. Color isn’t so
important—you can have any color you
like—so long as it’s black.
Rebecca Dirks -- Web Editor
What are you listening
to?
I haven’t deviated from my
70-song Spotify playlist of
’90s classics from my youth
in preparation for my new cover band with
Jason, Dan, and Tessa. That’s still happening,
right, guys?
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you
rocking?
A silverburst V—watch your back,
Brent Hinds. I’d probably rock a face tat, too.
Daniel Dorman -- Video/Photo Editor
What are you listening to?
Finger Eleven’s The Greyest
of Blue Skies, Soundgarden’s
King Animal, and The
Headhunters’ Survival of the Fittest.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are
you rocking?
I would have a low-slung
Schecter Tempest Custom, because I would
take that guitar for just about any type of
band! (Though it might not hang as low
for softer stuff.)
Andy Ellis -- Senior Editor
What are you listening to?
Tim Sparks, The Nutcracker
Suite. In this 20th anniversary
re-release, Sparks
performs Tchaikovsky and amazing Balkan
music on solo acoustic guitar. A true finger-style
master.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
My 2006 28"-scale Les Paul
Studio baritone in dropped-A tuning. Its
stock 490 humbuckers are a little brash—perfect for cutting through loud drums—and you can shake the walls with its .072
6th string. Bonus: 24 frets on a Paul!
Tessa Jeffers -- Managing Editor
What are you listening to?
My head’s a bobbin’ to
the dirty sax and axe on
Menomena’s Moms. I also
was recently turned on to Marnie Stern …
um, where have I been all her life?
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
Visionary Instruments’ unreleased
metal model, called “Edges,” with a
color-changing LED screen that alternates
between images of Albert Einstein’s face
with Medusa’s hair and an energy force
field. It might impale me, but I’m an artist.
Chris Kies -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
Since I’m in a metal state
of mind, I’ve been rattling
my cerebrum with Dredge’s
vicious Sediment, Dillinger Escape Plan’s
twisting, jazzy-hardcore Miss Machine, and
Kylesa’s forthcoming neo-prog, neck-breakin’
jammer Ultraviolet.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
As a huge Dimebag fan, I’d go
with an old ML, but to steer clear of the
signature path and forge my own legacy,
I’d probably bark at the moon with a
less intimidating axe like a 6120 or an
ES-355.
Donna Grantis -- Guitarist, Prince
What are you listening to?
Prince! Funk riffs for days
with impeccable feel and
some of the most spectacular
lead and rhythm playing ever. Sly & the
Family Stone, especially their live performance
at Woodstock—the energy is incredible!
You’re in a metal band. What axe are
you rocking?
A custom PRS shaped like a
lightning bolt, in white and bright purple,
with diamond studs along the neck, gold
and silver hardware, a Bigsby, and an ebony
neck for fast shredding. Oh, and I’d like it
to shoot out neon light beams.
Rich Osweiler -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
Low, The Invisible Way.
Produced by Jeff Tweedy,
this Minnesotan trio’s 10th
effort is a ballad-rich grouping
of mostly acoustic, alt-folk/country
tunes with stunning harmonies.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
A custom Ibanez RG8. Everything is
black (of course) and no fretboard markers with
the exception of the LED-powered goblin eyes
at the 12th that become more intense the faster
I shred. No animals were harmed in the process,
but my headstock rocks baby goat horns.
Jason Shadrick -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog,
Your Turn. I know Ribot
mostly from his work with
Tom Waits and his Cuban projects, but this
album sounds like the hippest indie-rock
from Brooklyn—without the skinny jeans
and ironic facial hair.
You’re in a metal band. What axe are you rocking?
I imagine it would be an
all-mahogany Les Paul loaded with EMGs,
a set of .012s, and a scene from Game of
Thrones painted on it.
