Bass Player UK Magazine 95 September 2013 Back Issue

Thrash metal is not known for its bass players. There are too many guitar riffs for a start, played at ridiculous speeds, making the musical environment a difficult one for bass players. But then there’s Frank Bello, the most notable exception, whipping out super-melodic fills with amazing fingerstyle precision – and headbanging like a demon at the same time. How does anyone do this for 20 minutes without sustaining an injury, we ask him, let alone 30 years? Read and learn. Elsewhere in this issue we talk to Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith, surely one of the few remaining acts playing at stadium level with roots in the 1970s; Norman Watt-Roy of the Blockheads, one of Britain’s most accomplished bassists; the ineffably funky Freekbass; and bassists from Volbeat, Skid Row, Saint Jude, Devildriver, The Faceless and many more. As always, we aim to cover as much bass territory as we can, so as well as the talking bass-heads you’ll also find reviews of gear to suit all budgets and playing styles. Affordable, eye-wateringly expensive, acoustic, electric (even upright, if you count our tuition columns) but in every case essential consideration for anyone who plays the bass, it’s all here.