Andreas Kisser Reveals the Guitarist Who Is His Kiblat in Music

Andreas Kisser (Wikipedia)

JAKARTA - Andreas Kisser, guitarist SEPULTURA, talks about riffs that every guitarist must master. He also answered by pointing to the legendary Judas Priest album, British Steel, as the main foundation in the latest episode of "Five Minutes With" from EMGtv.

Kisser admitted that he was familiar with music from an early age through classical guitar, but Priest was the real teacher. "Every time someone asks me to teach a riff, I always say: listen to British Steel," he said.

He is aware that he is not a patient teacher, but the album is called a complete school.

According to Kisser, songs like "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight" have simple riffs but are full of metal essence. "That represents everything in heavy metal. Like elementary school metal," he added.

He also recalled the moment when he first played the riff "Grinder" with his own guitar. "The riff is very simple, but at the same time has a rhythm that makes you get into 'Judas Priest mode'. It's amazing," he recalled.

Kisser also emphasized the importance of an autodidactic approach to music. In the past, he admitted that he trained his ears by playing vinyl and cassettes repeatedly, then tried to transfer them to the guitar. This method is considered much more effective than just reading tablature.

Not only about technique, Kisser praised Judas Priest as a band that never felt ashamed of being metal. He said it was different from Deep Purple or Black Sabbath in certain eras. "If you want to know the definition of metal, British Steel is the answer," he said.

Beyond the matter of Priest, SEPULTURA itself is preparing to end their long journey. The band has just announced a final EP titled The Cloud Of Unknowing, which will be released in a limited edition vinyl for their farewell tour in North America.

The EP will be SEPULTURA's first record with their new drummer, Greyson Nekrutman, who officially replaced Eloy Casagrande earlier last year. Casagrande himself left to join SLIPKNOT.

SEPULTURA's own final tour began in March 2024, with the first show in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.