His worst take is miles better than most modern "guitarists" best attempts... Alex is one of the hardest working and most gifted musicians in metal. Hats off to you, sir!
@@scottashe984 your a fool. Most people that are great at something hit a plateau life. I can't say he's better than he was 29 years ago but he ( probably unlike you ) has rediscovered himself as a guitar player and can still capture other guitarist mind as a soloist . Alex is a fabulous guitar player and you have to be a fool not to appreciate that but to bother to criticize. Not to accept that because you think your opinion is superior to all lol
@@scottashe984 And it was better than 99% of other people's 30 years ago... what's your point? His phrasing, melodic sense and technique are ALL more proficient individually than most good guitarists, put together you get something pretty awesome.
That means a lot from you, Alphonse- thank u! A remake album would be amazing, and introduce your great music to a whole new generation. Of course, count me in!
Thank you for busting your ass for my entertainment. I Met You in 2015 in Jacksonville, you and Chuck we're very humble. Stay true to yourself much love
Thank you Alex, for everything - for all the good times, all the screams, the licks. You truly are a guitar God. Thanks for being here in TH-cam too. You rock!
Agreed. While I love Murray and Smith's original, some of the overly used pentatonics make it a bit cliche. Alex staying true to the original structure while adding own spin makes it perfect 😊
I was just listening to "Musical Death(A Dirge)" from "The New Order" and it still blows my mind to this day. The phrasing and melodies are perfect. It's even more incredible that Alex was 19 or 20 when that album was recorded. Great tone as well....
Powerslave is my fav solo ever EVER , Alex what an incredible take on it . So amazing that it betters the original . I can’t believe I just wrote that . What an amazing job you’ve done . Brilliant . Well done sir
Fantastic guitarist covering one of the greatest - Adrian Smith - while giving the solo his personal flavour! TESTAMENT and MAIDEN, two of my favourite bands put together 😎
I freaking love this solo and video. Love to see someone get as much excitement from this kind of thing as me, just looking at how he smiles when he plays the solo. The first licks, the little nuances like the harmonic. And the rhythm through the solo, the ticking through the licks by right hand. So, so good.
At 1:15 where he seems like he is having some difficulty playing this one line he wants to do... then busts into this cool sweeping lick just to remind himself "Ok... I'm still Badass!!" Alex you rock!!
Revisiting this for nostaliga before i made a cover of this song, i now realize that what makes him the legendary Alex are those bends and vibrato, the very personnal touch that's extremely hard to reproduce (of course i tried, and kinda failed haha). Technical things like sweeps can be reproduced easily, but to sound like the Man, THAT'S the challenge. It's crazy how much you can put in perspective in regard to your own progress and revisit an old video that had marked you, and see what impresses you today, in comparison of what impressed you back then.
The incremental improvements with each pass are what make this so watchable. We can see where it's headed and it's clear that he'll get there...and does.
Alex is a master...has become my favorite player! I practice his licks everyday and it has advanced how I look at the guitar and how I play. He is amazing!!
This is a few years old but you still got it man. I remember getting "The Legacy" when I was 12 years old and thinking that the all other metal guitarists really needed to up their game. Awesome. Pretty much learned guitar figuring out testament riffs.
Well, Smith has recorded some of metal’s tastiest solos, no question. Alex shreds past him, but will never be so “creamy” in solo construction. Both guitarists are legends, deservedly.
Seen Alex with Testament around 91 with Megadeth and Judas Priest, thought his playing was great however I felt when he joined Savatage in the 90's his ability of being a musician really started to shine through. Some of his work with Savatage still blows my mind today, especially the live Japan video that was never "released" but is out there none the less...........
I really enjoy the approach by alex to technique and how he shows the session time spent by great guitarists. By definition musicians are perfectionists and a sour note can ruin a great performance to even the average listener. So many people dont realize the countless hours spent doing tracks over and over again to find the right take. These studio vids certainly makes me apprecaite the time spent even more refining the raw nuggets into the finely finished product. Thanks Alex for your time!
After that dry-run, when he says "let's rock" and just becomes 1,000 times bigger as soon as the backtrack kicks in.. that run at 1:50... that taste of picking, the slide in and outs... the man is a living guitar lesson. Long live Alex, be careful out there.
here i am revisiting this timeless video in preparation for my next cover (of a cover) and i'm still in as much awe at my current level as i was 11 years ago when i 1st found this video, which to me is like a treasure. Videos of legendary guitarists trying out takes, making mistakes and being human is so valuable to me. I wish this was more of a standard.
Excellent and 12 years later now. Still excellent I am improvong my leads (guitar), this is a great help. I saw Testament last February at Hollyood Casino and they rock hard!!
Alex your such an inspirational player and compliment the song well capturing the soul of Adrian and Dave. You guys totally nailed this cover with the awesome vocals, thundering bass, intense technicality of the drums by Gene and of course the aforementioned, thanks Alex and long live Testament 🤘🏼❤️
testament is my all time favorite band the members hold it down evenly tastefully and still in your face just listen ive been playing there music for years and still cant get enough of it.......
@TheRealAlexSkolnick Alex u are one my main influences as a guitar player Ive only been playing for a year and I want to thank you for your music that inspires me -Keep thrashing Zane
+hazzpolo Yeah they are super skilled on their instruments especially alex who even studied jazz but what people often forget when it comes to metallica or sometimes music in general is how important songwriting skills most of the time and mr hetfield definately wrote good stuff at least to my ears.
Rouwiinator True, it is subjective. Metallica did write come catchy riffs, but I think Mustaine played a big role in shaping their tone in the early stages, then Hetfield kicked him out and took all the credit.
Love them all, but Waters bury them all.. This man is a terminator, a machine. There is no way his fingers are flesh! Live, he does not look at his gear.. He just rips everything with such ease
Man, all I can say is I'm 58 and always wanted to talk with you about everything.lol. I love your guitar style and lyrics are so awesome and righteous. Testament is one of best bands I have ever heard. Love that you love!
Oh man of course, you're right, I'm so glad you could enlighten me with your unparalleled intelligence and mastery of rational thought and a well thought out and educated retort to my previous comment. Life is just better knowing I have been educated by such a brilliant man. Thank you so much.
So cool to hear you play Maiden! Among other things, the first half of your solo in The New Order works spectacularly well as the first solo of the 4/4 part in Phantom of the Opera.
You are prob the most bad ass guitar player brother. Love the emotion you hammer into that Les Paul. Saw you play on shredders. Funny when the judge smokes the entire competitors lol.
What a sweet way to hang out at home on my day off!!!! Alex smokes!!! It just makes me want to listen to Testament right now (after this video of course). Shredmeisters take a listen to this!
Really loved how he changed up the solo in this...also their cover of Animal Magnetism is brutal fucking heavy. Great cover of Dragon Attack as well by Queen
I think Alex Skolnick just became my favorite guitarist. I like his humility, and his joy joy for sharing music making.
+GuitarMaven One of the best, a great shrader.
+GaëlB Galbar amen brother ... Skolnick absolutely rocks
That's right. I've started liking Testament much more since I started watching Alex's interviews a few months ago.
and he's so good !
GuitarMaven his jazz fusion techniques are awesome..
His worst take is miles better than most modern "guitarists" best attempts... Alex is one of the hardest working and most gifted musicians in metal. Hats off to you, sir!
His lead work hasn't improved in 30 years..
His lead work hasn't improved in 30 years...
I second that. He’s a true ”musician”!
Plus he seems to be a supernice guy 😊
@@scottashe984 your a fool. Most people that are great at something hit a plateau life. I can't say he's better than he was 29 years ago but he ( probably unlike you ) has rediscovered himself as a guitar player and can still capture other guitarist mind as a soloist . Alex is a fabulous guitar player and you have to be a fool not to appreciate that but to bother to criticize.
Not to accept that because you think your opinion is superior to all lol
@@scottashe984 And it was better than 99% of other people's 30 years ago... what's your point? His phrasing, melodic sense and technique are ALL more proficient individually than most good guitarists, put together you get something pretty awesome.
I'm glad the mistakes are shown. I think we forget that even the legends have to practice and they don't kill everything in one take.
7StringBlazer That’s very true. Everyone has to practice
Well said
You have to practice what you preach
Even his mistakes are great. kkkkkkk
Well said
That means a lot from you, Alphonse- thank u! A remake album would be amazing, and introduce your great music to a whole new generation. Of course, count me in!
Thank you for busting your ass for my entertainment. I Met You in 2015 in Jacksonville, you and Chuck we're very humble. Stay true to yourself much love
Thank you Alex, for everything - for all the good times, all the screams, the licks. You truly are a guitar God. Thanks for being here in TH-cam too. You rock!
Always the best 💪
super ballsy to show the missed notes and mistakes, Honest playing and working to get the take better!!! My Hero!
He's, my favorite. Gary Holt is right there on top of my list as well.
Alex never disappoints. He will go down as one of the greats. Simply a phenomenal player and seems like such a cool dude
His solo on the song Souls Of Black is still one of my favs.
It’s so good it gives me eargasm
I don't think I've seen anyone so enthusiastic about recording and so into it wanting it to be just perfect. lml,
Alex is amazing. Hands down one of the best metal guitarists who's ever lived.
I like the way he stayed true to the basic structure of the original solo, then added his own shred licks.
Agreed. While I love Murray and Smith's original, some of the overly used pentatonics make it a bit cliche. Alex staying true to the original structure while adding own spin makes it perfect 😊
his playing is so great..Skolnick was one of the best 80´s shredders!!
He is the best guitar player on the planet today :)
except it's not the 80s and neither is this album
Felipe Trejos Piney nobody plays w the emotion of Skolnick but the sadly deceased Randall William Rhodes.
Pipe Trejos to this day is one of the top guitarist is any genre...just on another level
is
This only has increased my respect for Alex's craft. True Master!
I was just listening to "Musical Death(A Dirge)" from "The New Order" and it still blows my mind to this day. The phrasing and melodies are perfect. It's even more incredible that Alex was 19 or 20 when that album was recorded. Great tone as well....
A pleasure to watch the greatest metal guitarist on the planet
Powerslave is my fav solo ever EVER , Alex what an incredible take on it . So amazing that it betters the original . I can’t believe I just wrote that . What an amazing job you’ve done . Brilliant . Well done sir
Fantastic guitarist covering one of the greatest - Adrian Smith - while giving the solo his personal flavour! TESTAMENT and MAIDEN, two of my favourite bands put together 😎
I freaking love this solo and video. Love to see someone get as much excitement from this kind of thing as me, just looking at how he smiles when he plays the solo. The first licks, the little nuances like the harmonic. And the rhythm through the solo, the ticking through the licks by right hand. So, so good.
Love those little touch-harmonics. Beautiful.
At 1:15 where he seems like he is having some difficulty playing this one line he wants to do... then busts into this cool sweeping lick just to remind himself "Ok... I'm still Badass!!" Alex you rock!!
Revisiting this for nostaliga before i made a cover of this song, i now realize that what makes him the legendary Alex are those bends and vibrato, the very personnal touch that's extremely hard to reproduce (of course i tried, and kinda failed haha). Technical things like sweeps can be reproduced easily, but to sound like the Man, THAT'S the challenge. It's crazy how much you can put in perspective in regard to your own progress and revisit an old video that had marked you, and see what impresses you today, in comparison of what impressed you back then.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that pulls those faces when listening to Alex play.he does it himself.what a maestro.
The incremental improvements with each pass are what make this so watchable. We can see where it's headed and it's clear that he'll get there...and does.
God dammit!
I can listen to that solo on a loop all day long xD
I thought i was the only one :) By far my favorite thing in the song :) Skolnick is a phenomenal guitarplayer and this really shows it.
I suddenly want to play Powerslave.
Darren Cook do it, Adrian's solo is epic and Alex's rendition, so fuckin good
Alex is a master...has become my favorite player! I practice his licks everyday and it has advanced how I look at the guitar and how I play. He is amazing!!
This is a few years old but you still got it man. I remember getting "The Legacy" when I was 12 years old and thinking that the all other metal guitarists really needed to up their game. Awesome. Pretty much learned guitar figuring out testament riffs.
How old was Alex when he recorded "The Legacy" album? maybe 18?
The take at 3:48 was the best, squealed every harmonic sharp and strong, he's awesome
Surely that can we hear on final mix 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
That is one of the sickest solos I've ever heard I had to keep rewinding it I love this version I'm gonna try and learn it note for note.
Such a great player! I has always liked his phrasing and tasteful licks.
It's hard to mimic the soul Adrian puts into his solos. That's why him and Murray are legends!
Well, Smith has recorded some of metal’s tastiest solos, no question. Alex shreds past him, but will never be so “creamy” in solo construction. Both guitarists are legends, deservedly.
True dat.
Alex Skolnick.....the versatility of Steve Lukather in metal embodied. He's a legend. Love his attitude, tone and chops for days.
Well said buddy
@@WEEKEND-AT-BURNIES thx buddy.
Alex is one of the guitar gods. Thanks for choosing powerslave a classic song with great guitar solos, truly inspiring
Alex is a living legend and one of the all time guitarist. Is a joy to watch this guy play guitar.
I love dark roots of earth! Killer album! Then again the mighty testament never fails to deliver a powerful album!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Seen Alex with Testament around 91 with Megadeth and Judas Priest, thought his playing was great however I felt when he joined Savatage in the 90's his ability of being a musician really started to shine through. Some of his work with Savatage still blows my mind today, especially the live Japan video that was never "released" but is out there none the less...........
I really enjoy the approach by alex to technique and how he shows the session time spent by great guitarists. By definition musicians are perfectionists and a sour note can ruin a great performance to even the average listener. So many people dont realize the countless hours spent doing tracks over and over again to find the right take. These studio vids certainly makes me apprecaite the time spent even more refining the raw nuggets into the finely finished product. Thanks Alex for your time!
I have listened all my life. My parents were even questioned by my school when I was 7. Today Alex is one of the people making it all worth it
This solo is the reason I’m gonna buy a guitar and learn to play
After that dry-run, when he says "let's rock" and just becomes 1,000 times bigger as soon as the backtrack kicks in.. that run at 1:50... that taste of picking, the slide in and outs... the man is a living guitar lesson. Long live Alex, be careful out there.
I absolutely love his take. That beginning lick is killer
Alex is the man - I remember when He filled in for Chris Oliva from local Tampa Based band Savatage !
*Savatage is such amazing band too !*
And the Sava album on which he appears, Handful of a rain, is amazing. As is the live release recorded on that album’s tour.
Handful of Rain. Sorry.
awesome. cannot get enough of this video - thank you for posting this Alex. You are the best!
I've never been a Testament fan but Alex has easily become one of my favourite guitar players.
..whatever it takes...no real trash fan either,..but ballsy Fusion!🎸🎼💞
here i am revisiting this timeless video in preparation for my next cover (of a cover) and i'm still in as much awe at my current level as i was 11 years ago when i 1st found this video, which to me is like a treasure. Videos of legendary guitarists trying out takes, making mistakes and being human is so valuable to me. I wish this was more of a standard.
One of most talented and my personal favorite metal lead guitar player of all time.
Thank you SO much for sharing with us the hard work that was put into the solo. I will appreciate it so much more when I listen to it 😁
just goes to show how fucking Epic Iron Maiden is. love it
He always was one of my favorite not only the was he plays but his love and determination for the best metal sound. Thanks Alex.
Excellent and 12 years later now. Still excellent I am improvong my leads (guitar), this
is a great help.
I saw Testament last February at Hollyood Casino and they rock hard!!
Alex is the Man! Such a inspirational guitarist!
This guy is the best lead guitar player I've ever heard,frickin'ridiculous!😂
Great rendition of a true classic. I really like ths one. They've kept it true to the original.
Always professional. Class act, mad skills.
One of my favorites guitarists. He can dosis feeling and heavy stuff on the same time. Glad i have met him once =)
It's amazing to see Alex work. So intense and strict. He's one of the best in the business.
Always loved his playing since over the wall, Alex has come along way since them
Such a breathtaking talent. Absolutely love watching him play
Alex Great guitarrist, Testament was my favourite band when I was a teenager
Alex your such an inspirational player and compliment the song well capturing the soul of Adrian and Dave. You guys totally nailed this cover with the awesome vocals, thundering bass, intense technicality of the drums by Gene and of course the aforementioned, thanks Alex and long live Testament 🤘🏼❤️
testament is my all time favorite band the members hold it down evenly tastefully and still in your face just listen ive been playing there music for years and still cant get enough of it.......
Wow, He feels EACH NOTE in the Guitar Solo ... Fantastic Player !!!!!
You guys blew my mind with this cover and would like to see a vid of you playing it live. Thanks for doing it! :)
this guy is a such a god of guitar. what an awesome watch. the hard work that goes into this holy shit. Respect
Loved watching you since i was a kid. Still can't get over how easy you make pinky bends look!...could never master that myself, lol.
Testament style !!! Yeah !!!
Glad you went with the ESP family... But lovely to see you at work in the studio. Stay healthy brother!
Cannot stop watching this what solo and what a player 🤘
I was just checking out Heritage guitars and that brought me here ultimately. Great job Alex. You're one hell of a guitar player.
Yes!!! Thank you guys. This is much appreciated
Skolnick has always been one of the greatest guitarist!
@TheRealAlexSkolnick Alex u are one my main influences as a guitar player Ive only been playing for a year and I want to thank you for your music that inspires me
-Keep thrashing
Zane
Testament is an underrated band, they are so much better and technically skilled than metallica. People who know guitar can understand this.
+hazzpolo Yeah they are super skilled on their instruments especially alex who even studied jazz but what people often forget when it comes to metallica or sometimes music in general is how important songwriting skills most of the time and mr hetfield definately wrote good stuff at least to my ears.
Rouwiinator True, it is subjective. Metallica did write come catchy riffs, but I think Mustaine played a big role in shaping their tone in the early stages, then Hetfield kicked him out and took all the credit.
to some degree sure I agree. But I'm happy things happened that way since Metallica did good stuff with him and we wouldN#t have Megadeth otherwise!
Rouwiinator Haha, yeah cheers to that for sure!
i completely understand. hes my main inspiration
Alex Skolnick, John Petrucci, and Jeff Waters are not very mentioned as many other popular guitarists; these three guys here are a real powerhouse.
Love them all, but Waters bury them all.. This man is a terminator, a machine. There is no way his fingers are flesh! Live, he does not look at his gear.. He just rips everything with such ease
That double bass part at the end of his solo was sick!!!
Man, all I can say is I'm 58 and always wanted to talk with you about everything.lol. I love your guitar style and lyrics are so awesome and righteous. Testament is one of best bands I have ever heard. Love that you love!
Good Maiden lead!
I know the other members are just like you. Ty for all the years!
Oh man of course, you're right, I'm so glad you could enlighten me with your unparalleled intelligence and mastery of rational thought and a well thought out and educated retort to my previous comment. Life is just better knowing I have been educated by such a brilliant man. Thank you so much.
This is an original Adrian Smith's solo and Alex made him justice. Great version,with more technique,but i'll stick with Mr Smith's original one...
True, but they both still kick ass.
I agree.
The original song is my favorite from Maiden, but Testament did them justice. Gave them a run for their money :) The song overall is a perfect cover.
I just bought the LTD AS1 Skolnick signature such a sweet guitar
I rather see them replace metallica :)
Testament should headline a tour like that.
And put Exodus in there too.
satchbooggy Testament, Exodus, Slayer, Kreator, Sodom. that would be the tour of a lifetime.
satchbooggy and Overkill.
dkyelak and Blood on the Dance Floor....
I saw this tour a year ago here in Finland. Testament was headlining. Exodus and Death Angel played first. It was awesome!
We’ll, we’re getting that plus one with DA now!
one of my favorite guitarist all time👍
Every take he did sound great to my ears.
So cool to hear you play Maiden!
Among other things, the first half of your solo in The New Order works spectacularly well as the first solo of the 4/4 part in Phantom of the Opera.
One of my all time favorite Maiden songs being covered by one of THE best Thrash Metal bands of all time. \m/
What a boss! Shredder extraordinaire with real taste
You are prob the most bad ass guitar player brother. Love the emotion you hammer into that Les Paul. Saw you play on shredders. Funny when the judge smokes the entire competitors lol.
This is like Maiden on steroids. Great stuff!
Had the pleasure of meeting Alex back in 07 or 08, I forget which. But no rock star attitude. Totally humble and a fun guy to shoot some pool with!
Workin it out, hell yeah. Thnx for sharing. Great job
What a sweet way to hang out at home on my day off!!!! Alex smokes!!! It just makes me want to listen to Testament right now (after this video of course). Shredmeisters take a listen to this!
wow, I was just amazed watching him pick out a track he recorded and wanna better himself. that's just great.
Alex is awesome!
The legend! Greetings from Brasil!
awesome human being...
Great meeting him 3 weeks ago
That tone is CRUSHING!!!!!!! @2:14 Riding The Wind.
I come back to this video. So good. Best lead guitarist in metal? Might be.
Absolutely love this song.
Really loved how he changed up the solo in this...also their cover of Animal Magnetism is brutal fucking heavy. Great cover of Dragon Attack as well by Queen
great player! and that Kalamazoo Heritage sounds amazing
what a guitar player !!!!
This is who made me get a guitar.Testament are savage.