The Riffhard Podcast

The Riffhard Podcast

By RiffhardMusicMusic Interviews
Download on the App Store

The Riffhard Podcast episodes

  • Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)
    Joel Stroetzel is a guitarist for Killswitch Engage. Joel is also active in various side projects including Brothers Born and The Hidden Skyline.
    On this episode:
    Why both Eyal and Joel dropped out of Berklee
    How to avoid guitar related hand injuries
    Joel and Adam D’s approach to downpicking in Killswitch Engage
    You HAVE to practice playing standing up if you’re going to play live
    How high should you hold your guitar?
    How Joel adapted to learning Adam D’s insane finger stretching riffs
    Is being a super shredder genetic? 
    How Joel healed his hand injury
    Andy Sneap and Adam D’s collaboration changed metal mixing forever
    Kirk Hammett’s incredible luck finding Joe Satriani as a guitar teacher
    How did a bluegrass technique like hybrid picking become the cool thing for metal shredders to learn? 
    The groundbreaking importance of Shadow’s Fall
    How sick it is to have Andy Sneap mix your band
    One of the major keys to Killswitch Engage’s success
    Is luck real? How much does it matter?
    How Joel approaches learning polyrhythms
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    50 min
  • Chris Garza (Suicide Silence, The Garza Podcast)
    Chris Garza is a guitarist in Suicide Silence and the host of The Garza Podcast.
    On this episode:
    What it was like having Ross Robinson on the Garza Podcast
    How Taylor Young captured the true spirit of Suicide Silence in the studio
    What Keanu Reeves prioritizes to be able to handle being John Wick at 54 years old
    What are you willing to sacrifice to live your dreams?
    How much do you trust your team?
    Lessons learned from the Self Titled Suicide Silence album, good and bad
    The dark side of risk vs reward
    When DAATH toured with The Acacia Strain
    How Suicide Silence blended influence from Cannibal Corpse, Slipknot, and Korn
    It takes a LONG time for the metal scene to accept you
    Chris’s daily routine
    How Chris knew that Suicide Silence was worth the risk
    Getting big without a record label
    Check out The Garza Podcast.
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 6 min
  • Nolan Ashley (Kublai Khan TX)
    Nolan Ashley is the guitarist and songwriter of Kublai Khan TX.
    On this episode:
    Documenting riffs with voice memos
    Why Nolan deleted his Facebook
    Jazz musicians that hate distortion
    Zakk Wylde and Killswitch Engage pinch harmonics
    Real amps vs sims
    What Kurt Ballou from Converge and God City Studio uses to sound AMAZING live
    How to get the most out of your Line6 Helix
    How John Browne dials his insane live rig
    Nerdy guitar amp talk
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Follow John Browne on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 7 min
  • Steven Jones and Craig Gowans (Bleed From Within)
    Steven Jones and Craig Gowans are guitarists in Bleed From Within. 
    On this episode:
    How Bleed From Within use voice memos for riff writing
    Eyal Levi’s dream state music composition
    Are you messing up your songs by writing to programmed drums?
    Working with a string quartet on the new record
    Making music and lyric videos though 12 Inch Media
    The RIGHT way to use Guitar Pro
    The genius of Sean Reinert
    Should you record drums first or last?
    Death metal bands that pocket their advance instead of investing in their production (big mistake)
    How Bleed From Within have managed to keep it together for 17 years!
    What record labels actually look for in 2022
    That time that Devin Townsend and Chad Kroeger collaborated
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr
  • Rafael Trujillo (Obsidious)
    Rafael Trujillo is a guitarist and songwriter that is best known for his former band, Obscura and his newest project, Obsidious. 
    In this episode:
    How Rafael shreds so hard while avoiding hand injuries
    How Obscura sounds inhumanly precise without faking it
    Rafael’s technique building routine
    The true definition of “classically trained”
    The difference between Eddie Van Halen and Zakk Wylde’s solo writing process
    How Eyal tortured his bandmates with strobe lights and space heaters
    Live click track disasters
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 15 min
  • Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry)
    Per Nilsson is a guitarist best known for his band Scar Symmetry and his stint as a live guitarist for Meshuggah. He has played guest spots for artists such as God Forbid, Threat Signal, Scale The Summit, Francesco Artusato, and more. 
    On this episode:
    How Per and Eyal both came back stronger after years long hiatuses from guitar
    Per’s trick for learning Meshuggah songs
    How Chris Arp from Psyopus wrote an album on a cardboard guitar while locked up
    Steve Vai’s 10 hour workout
    Per’s method for practicing guitar in his mind
    What it was like playing with Tomas Haake every night
    How the Meshuggah experience influenced Per’s approach to Scar Symmetry
    When Eyal and DAATH got kicked out of England
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 8 min
  • Doc Coyle, Mark Holcomb, Mark Heylmun, Nick Johnston, and Jason Richardson
    Eyal Levi and John Browne are joined by a killer lineup of guests to celebrate episode 100! They’re joined by Doc Coyle from Bad Wolves, Mark Holcomb from Periphery, Jason Richardson from All That Remains, Mark Heylmun from Suicide Silence, and Nick Johnston.
    On this episode:
    What it was like to have Rob Trujillo of Metallica on the Ex-Man podcast
    Kicking close friends out of the band
    How Bad Wolves persevered through seemingly insurmountable challenges
    How Jason Richardson joined All That Remains
    How Periphery maintain great communication as a band
    How Suicide Silence rediscovered their sound 
    Nick Johnston's unique perspective on touring as a solo artist
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 53 min
  • Doc Coyle, Mark Holcomb, Mark Heylmun, Nick Johnston, and Jason Richardson
    Eyal Levi and John Browne are joined by a killer lineup of guests to celebrate episode 100! They’re joined by Doc Coyle from Bad Wolves, Mark Holcomb from Periphery, Jason Richardson from All That Remains, Mark Heylmun from Suicide Silence, and Nick Johnston.
    On this episode:
    What it was like to have Rob Trujillo of Metallica on the Ex-Man podcast
    Kicking close friends out of the band
    How Bad Wolves persevered through seemingly insurmountable challenges
    How Jason Richardson joined All That Remains
    How Periphery maintain great communication as a band
    How Suicide Silence rediscovered their sound 
    Nick Johnston's unique perspective on touring as a solo artist
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Follow John Browne on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 48 min
  • Jesse Cash (ERRA)
    Jesse Cash is a guitar player, songwriter, and vocalist in ERRA.
    On this episode: 
    Being a control freak and how to work on yourself 
    Handling technical difficulties on tour 
    Comparing yourself to others is both good and bad 
    The connection between the artist and the recording engineer can make or break the record
    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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 22 min
  • Joakim "Jolly" Karlsson (Bad Omens)
    Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson is a guitarist in Bad Omens. He is also a producer and mixer based out of Los Angeles. 
    On this episode: 
    Getting a US work Visa can be hell
    Bands gotta spend money to make money 
    Only picking up the guitar for tours
    Blending tones to complement the rest of the band
    And more!
    Listen to Bad Omens on Spotify.
    Follow Jolly 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 contest
    Livestream Q&As and other events
    Our private community
    Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook.
    Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram.
    Follow John Browne on Instagram.
    Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1 hr 8 min

About The Riffhard Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The Riffhard Podcast, Eyal Levi goes in depth with the best guitarists in metal. These are the conversations you always wished you could hear with your guitar heroes.