Genius 3

Alex Skolnick was the lead guitarist in the '80s metal band Testament. Unfortunately the band ripped off a bit too much from other popular bands of the time. I remember saving money to buy their third album, Practice What You Preach, and being thoroughly disappointed that so much of it sounded like Metallica. Except, that is, the solo work. Even though it fit well within the framework of the music, there was something different going on there. Something no quite, well, metal.

Flash forward a few years after Skolnick left Testament and I found out he'd left to pursue a jazz guitar career. Nowadays, with his band the Alex Skolnick trio, he can be found taking classic hard rock and metal songs and redoing them in a jazz/bebop style as well as making original tunes.

Oh yeah, you might also catch him on tour with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. He's one of the bands many tour/studio guitarists.