Jeff Loomis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jeff Loomis | |
|---|---|
 Jeff Loomis |
|
| Born | September 14, 1971 Appleton, Wisconsin, USA |
| Genre(s) | Progressive metal Thrash metal Power metal Death metal |
| Affiliation(s) | Sanctuary Nevermore |
| Notable guitars | Various Schecter guitars |
| Years active | 1991 [1] |
| Official site | Jeffloomis.com |
Jeff Loomis (born in Appleton, Wisconsin, September 14, 1971) is the lead guitarist for the Seattle thrash metal band, Nevermore. He has listed players such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman as his influences.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early days
Jeff took up guitar at an early age, self-taught even to this day[2], and played in various Wisconsin death metal bands while growing up. At the age of 16, Loomis's guitar entry won Wisconsin's Guitar Wars contest.
Jeff was auditioned by Megadeth (during the So Far, So Good...So What! era) at the age of 16, when their lead guitarist Jeff Young left the band. After they played a few songs together, Dave Mustaine, the band's frontman and other lead guitarist, thanked Loomis and told him that one day he would become a great guitar player, but because of his age and lack of experience he was not right for the position[3]. Jeff Loomis saw Cacophony on tour, and told Marty Friedman, who was very interested, about the audition. Marty tried out for the position and joined the band in 1989. Ironically, in 2005, Loomis would share the stage with Megadeth, as the lead guitarist for Nevermore as part of Mustaine's Gigantour festival.
[edit] Sanctuary
Not too long after being auditioned for the lead part in Megadeth, Sean Blosl left the band Sanctuary. Jeff was able to take his place at this time; however, because of pressure from the band's record label to change genre to a more grunge oriented style, Sanctuary broke apart 4 months afterwards[4].
[edit] Nevermore
After the break-up, Warrel Dane (vocalist) and Jim Sheppard (bassist) made plans to form Nevermore, and in late 1994, Jeff became Nevermore's lead guitarist after the very brief period being in Sanctuary. Now, Jeff is the main songwriter of Nevermore, immensely adding to the unique sound that fans are familiar with. His contributions can be found in albums such as The Politics of Ecstasy, Dreaming Neon Black and their latest album This Godless Endeavor (including Steve Smyth, who previously featured in the band Testament). Currently, Jeff plays an important role in portraying the sound that Nevermore is today, by using guitar techniques like sweep-picking. One of his most important musical showcases is in the album Dead Heart in a Dead World, in which he wrote most of the songs before Nevermore.
[edit] Other
- Jeff Loomis has recently been given a monthly column in Guitar World magazine entitled "Merchant of Menace" where he explains how to play the riffs and solos of Nevermore. In more recent columns, Jeff's co-guitarist in Nevermore, Steve Smyth has co-wrote the column, which is now dubbed "The Merchants of Menace."
- Jeff has mentioned at various times that he's been planning for a long time to record a solo album, but it is not yet known if or when that album may be released.
[edit] Equipment
Jeff plays various Schecter seven string guitars, including the Jeff Loomis C7 FR Signature Model with EMG 707 pickups and a Floyd Rose tremolo. He also plays a Schecter C-7 Hellraiser with EMG active humbucker pickups, and the C-7 Blackjack with Seymour Duncan pickups. Prior to Schecter he played a wide variety of guitars including Ibanez, Jackson and ESP. He was endorsed by Peavey amplifiers (using the XXX model), but has recently switched to Krank Krankenstein amplifiers. He has also made his own 6-string custom Warmoth guitar with EMG pickups. Schecter guitars recently brought out the Jeff Loomis Signature Schecter 7 string, based on the C-7 Hellraiser model. It features the EMG 707 active pickups, original Floyd rose, ash body and two peice maple neck. [1].
[edit] Discography
[edit] Nevermore
- Nevermore (1995)
- In Memory (EP, 1996)
- The Politics of Ecstasy (1996)
- Dreaming Neon Black (1999)
- Dead Heart in a Dead World (2000)
- Enemies of Reality (2003, remixed in 2004)
- This Godless Endeavor (2005)
[edit] Pamela Moore
- Stories from a Blue Room (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ Blabbermouth.net, News about Jeff Loomis signature guitar, including picture at Blabbermouth.net; last accessed January 13, 2007.
