I thought it would be fun to find out what Korea Guitar’s readers listen to and what influenced them.  I’ll run this in parts so there isn’t too much information overload.

This edition features yours truly, Van Walker of The Bump City Band in Daejeon, South Korea, Matt Ross of Atlantic A.M. and Fake The Future, also in Daejeon,  Armin Kamal of Infrared in Ottawa, Canada and Chris Catero of Razer, from Phoenix, Arizona and David Robinson of Atlantic A.M. in Daejeon.  These are their favorite Guitar Albums.

Ken Vantour (Daejeon, South Korea)

(Most of my choices are from the heart.  Special moments that hold great memories for me.)

1. Rush – Permanent Waves

It was Moving Pictures that got me into Rush, but Permanent Waves quickly became my go to.  In my humble opinion, this album and Moving Pictures both had perfect side 1’s.  The solo in Jacob’s ladder sends chills down my spine and Natural Science is an absolute monster.

Guitarists: Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee

Favorite Tracks: Natural Science, Jacob’s Ladder

2. Van Halen – Van Halen

This is my trapped on a desert island album.  The infamous Brown sound, this album redefined Rock and Roll guitar.  The solo in Ice Cream Man is the reason I play guitar.

Guitarist: Uncle Eddie

Favorite Track: All of them

3. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – Texas Flood

Had the distinct joy of interviewing Stevie’s bass player in Double Trouble, Tommy Shannon.  This album was really the first record that got me into the blues.  I love everything SRV did, but this one is a step above the rest.  Texas Flood should be mandatory listening for every guitar player in the world.

Guitarist: SRV

Favorite Track: Texas Flood, Pride and Joy (Holy Crap!!!!)

4. Iron Maiden – Powerslave

I know this choice is a weird one for Maiden fans, but this album is the one for me.  The first time I saw Maiden was on this tour and the songs from this album were definitely the highlights.  Not many bands can record a 13 minute song (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) and not bore you. Not a bad tune on this one.

Guitarists: Adrian Smith, Dave Murray

Favorite Tracks: 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave

5. Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz

Randy Rhodes…’Nuff Said

Guitarist: Randy Rhodes

Favorite Track: I Don’t Know, Mr. Crowley, Dee

6. Metallica – Master Of Puppets

Simply put, this album should be called Masterpiece of Puppets.

Guitarists: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield

Favorite Track: Master Of Puppets, Battery, Sanitarium

7. Def Leppard – Pyromania

The simplicity is what gets me here. The tour for this album was  the first concert I ever saw, so it holds a special place in my heart

Guitarists: Phil Collen, Steve Clark

Favorite Track: Too Late For Love, Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop)

8. Extreme – Pornograffitti

Screw More Than Words…This album rocks…hard.  Nuno’s rhythms are out of this world and his solos ain’t too bad either.  He’s one dude I want to feature on this site.  (By the way, More Than Words rocks in its own way)    

Guitarist: Nuno

Favorite Track: He Man Woman Hater, Decadence Dance, Get The Funk Out

9. I Mother Earth – Scenery and Fish

This is a strange pick, until you hear the album.  Do yourself a favor…GET IT!  Jag is a beast and there are no duds on this one.

Guitarist: Jagori Tanna

Favorite Track: One More Astronaut (That Breakdown!  Whew), Like A Girl, Used To Be Alright

10. Judas Priest – Defenders of the Faith

I know I’m in the minority on this one (Painkiller is usually the fav among Priest fans), but when I heard the first few seconds of Freewheel burning, I was hooked.  This album is a tour de force guitar-wise.  KK Downing was also the first international star to be interviewed on Korea Guitar.  I owe him a beer or 12.

Guitarists:  KK and Glenn

Favorite Track:  The Sentinel (Those trade off solos make what little hair I have left on my head stand up), Freewheel Burning, Rock Hard Ride Free

Honorable mention: Queensryche-Operation:Mindcrime, Every VH album, Aerosmith-Toys In The Attic, Scorpions-Love At First Sting, Triumph-Thunder Seven, Steve Vai-Passion and Warfare and the list goes on.

VAN WALKER (Daejeon, South Korea via Detroit and Chicago)

(Van was the first guitarist to answer Korea Guitar’s 20 Questions on August 30 2014.  Check out his interview here)

Van is from Detroit but currently lives in Daejeon, South Korea.  He is the singer/guitarist with Daejeon’s Bump City Band.

 Van Halen – Fair Warning

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced

Steve Vai – The Story Of Light

Metallica – Master of Puppets

AC/DC – Back In Black

The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand The Weather

Aerosmith – Rocks

ZZ Top – Tres Hombres

ARMIN KAMAL  (Ottawa, Canada)

Armin Kamal, husband, father, ex P.I., Hi Tech worker and metal head!…..Currently the lead singer and guitarist of the thrash metal band Infrared, which was resurrected after a 27 year hiatus and are just about to release their first album in early 2016. (Korea Guitar: Hopefully to be featured on Korea Guitar Soon!)

 Metallica –Master of Puppets

Perfect album start to finish

Metallica –Ride the Lightning

Great solos, the title track stands out for that.

Scorpions- In Trance

Uli Roth is the king of wicked and soulful guitar riffs….period.

Scorpions- Virgin Killer

Your Light and The Sales of Charon are insane for guitar riffs with total feeling

Scorpions- Taken By Force

Megadeth –Killing is My Business

The riffs shred as much as the solos

Megadeth-Peace Sells

Just memorable all the way through

Megadeth- Rust in Peace

Perfect album start to finish

Iron Maiden –Iron Maiden

I loved the raw energy of the guitars and the vocals

Iron Maiden- Killers

Same as first album

Iron Maiden- Number of the Beast

Perfect album start to finish

Queen- Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera

All things Queen are killer. Brian May really has a unique style all his own

All AC/DC albums 1981 and earlier

This band introduced me to rock and got me hooked. The vocals and guitars were so raw and powerful….loved every note.

MATT ROSS: (Daejeon, South Korea via Charlotte, North Carolina)

(Matt was also featured on Korea Guitar with his band Guilt Kick.  Check out his interview here)

Matt Ross sings and plays guitar for Daejeon bands Atlantic A.M. and Fake the Future.

1. Queens of the Stone Age-Songs for the Deaf

One of the most righteous records of the 21st century and a showcase for Josh Homme’s glorious C tuned guitar sound. Simultaneously heavy, sexy, sly, and dangerous.

Key Tracks: “Song for the Dead”, “No One Knows”

2. Ramones-Ramones

Any guitar player who says the Ramones are easy to play has never tried to do what Johnny Ramone did the way he did it. Most of them can’t hang. And The Ramones played even faster live.

Key Tracks: “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “53rd & 3rd”

3. Black Sabbath-Master of Reality

Very few albums match Master of Reality’s sheer heaviness. Tony Iommi is one of the few guitarists we can really say helped usher an entire genre into existence.

Key Tracks: “Lord of this World,” “Into the Void”

4. Metallica-…And Justice For All

I’m a diehard Master of Puppets guy, but …And Justice is where Hetfield and Hammett really pushed themselves into new and interesting directions. Metallica would never be this daring again.

Key Tracks: “Blackened”, “One”

5. My Bloody Valentine-Loveless

A guitar album so crazy you can mistake the guitars for keyboards. Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher pushed rock guitar to an almost unrecognizable place with pedals, loops, extreme multi-tracking, and dozens of other tricks.

Key Tracks: “Only Shallow,” “Soon”

6. PJ Harvey-Rid of Me

Sparse, heavy, jangly, primitive, and gorgeous, this was PJ at her rawest. This record buries a lot of the so-called heavy alt-rock stuff of its era. Key Tracks: “Rid of Me”, “50ft Queenie”

7. The Beatles-A Hard Day’s Night

The Beatles, even in their early stages, made complex music sound simple. Unusual chord voicings abound. The Beatles never met a 7th chord they didn’t like.

Key Tracks: “A Hard Day’s Night”, “If I Fell”

8. Helmet-Meantime

Heaviest record of the 1990s. Jazzheads playing deceptively simple sounding metal. Any guitar player who tells you Drop D is cheating has never tried to play Helmet.

Key Tracks: “Meantime”, “Turned Out”

9. Prince-Purple Rain

Sure, there’s a lot of non-guitar stuff happening on Purple Rain but you can’t deny Prince’s mastery of the guitar. All his solos in particular here are just classic.

Key Tracks: “When Doves Cry”, “Let’s Go Crazy”

10. Iggy & the Stooges-Raw Power

James Williamson brought the thunder on this one. I remember getting this record when I was 15 and slowly realizing that all the rock music I liked sounded like the Stooges. Gloriously unhinged stuff.

Key Tracks: “Search & Destroy”, “Shake Appeal”

CHRIS CATERO (Phoenix, Arizona)

(Chris was recently featured on Korea Guitar.  Check out his interview here)

Chris is the bass player with Phoenix, Arizona based hard rock band Razer and was also the touring bassist with guitar legend Marty Friedman.

1) Van Halen – “Van Halen” 

2) Ozzy Osbourne – “Blizzard Of Ozz” 

3) Stevie Ray Vaughn – “Texas Flood”

4) Iron Maiden – “Piece Of Mind”

5) Megadeth – “Rust In Peace”

6) Whitesnake – “Whitesnake ’87”

7) Scorpions – “Lovedrive”

8) Judas Priest – “Screaming For Vengeance” 

9) Black Sabbath – “Heaven & Hell”

10) Scorpions – “Best Of Scorpions”

1. FLEETWOOD MAC – Rumours

2. GUNS N ROSES-Appetite For Destruction

3.  IRON MAIDEN – Somewhere In Time

4.NIRVANA – Bleach

5. DEFTONES – Around The Fur

6. AT THE DRIVE-IN – Relationship Of Command.

7.  MOGWAI – Come On Die Young

8. TEXAS IS THE REASON -s/t EP

9. AFGHAN WHIGS – Gentlemen

10 LIFE AT THESE SPEEDS – To Your Health