Marissa Martinez-Hoadley is:
A. Awesome
B. Bandmates with our first ever studio participant Elizabeth Schall
C. A bonafide shredder
She’s also working to finalize a new Cretin album for release this year. It’s about eight years later than we wanted but it’s a new record so we’ll take it. Please welcome Marissa Martinez-Hoadley the shredder’s studio, our tenth episode!
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Exhumed: Festering Sphinctral Malignancy – Excreting Innards EP
Honestly, I love every riff in this song, but the bridge riff at 2:02 has always been one of my favorite Exhumed riffs ever. It’s so catchy. Well…rhythmically catchy anyway. Admittedly the notes are difficult to make out, but what else would you expect from a 1992 7” EP!?
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Metallica: Seek and Destroy – Kill ‘em All
Metallica was the band that inspired me to dig out the guitar I inherited from my deceased father and learn how to play it. I started guitar lessons and my teacher started me with the absolute basics. We started with “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. It was absolute torture, but fine … I learned about chords and how to play them. Then he taught me “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by Scorpions so I could learn phrasing in guitar solos. I suppose I see the value in that, but it’s Elizabeth’s job now. Finally, he asked me what I wanted to learn. I whipped out my Kill ‘em All tape and excitedly screamed “Seek and Destroy!” We worked our way through the riffs and I finally felt like I was getting somewhere. When we got to the bridge at 3:16, the song sped up, and I found myself alternate picking through palm mutes, power chords, and single note runs. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Especially when my teacher scolded me, shaking his head, and stating flatly: “you’re playing that entirely too fast!” I guess my days as a thrasher were numbered…
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Carcass: Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment – Symphonies of Sickness
Identifying the best riff from one of the greatest death metal albums of all time seems like an exercise in futility. It’s completely unnecessary really. But, since it would be really lazy of me to say “the whole album,” I’m going to have to go with the chorus riff at 2:24 of “Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment.” I feel like every riff of that song builds up to this point, getting faster and more frenetic, before finally breaking down to fall into this anthem. It’s just so epic! It’s so dynamic! It really sums up the entire Carcass sound (in that era) to me.
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Repulsion: Crematorium – Horrified
I’m looking at the number 0:11 and I can’t help but chuckle. How perfect is it that my favorite Repulsion riff doesn’t come after a two minute mark? I mean, really… there aren’t many Repulsion riffs at all that come after a two minute mark! For the longest time my favorite song was “Eaten Alive.” (What can I say… I’m a fool for constant, trem picked, power chords, and a rolling blast beat). After having the privilege of playing these shows live with the guys, “Crematorium” really stands out to me. I mean … sure, that was typically the point in the show where I got to play the guitar break… But, seriously… It’s an awesome riff! It’s blasting. It easily gets stuck in your head, and it’s really fun to play. Really … Check it out … I mean it! It’s not just ‘cause it was my moment in the spotlight…
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Pungent Stench: Viva la Muerte – Dirty Rhymes and Psychotronic Beats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMptdRJQJEk
I don’t know if this choice is too obvious, or too dismissive of the greater body of work that Pungent Stench put out on their full-lengths, and I don’t care. The main riff at 1:11 is one of my favorite riffs of all time. It’s just so filthy! I can’t get enough of this song!
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Dismember: Override the Overture – Like An Everflowing Stream
The opening riff of the first album… This is probably an easy pick, but it’s so strong. It’s a super catchy melody, and a great exercise for trem picking. I use this riff to this day to warm up before I play.
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Napalm Death: The Chains That Bind Us – Harmony Corruption
As an old school grindcore fan, it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m a Napalm Death fan. But, what probably isn’t a foregone conclusion is that Harmony Corruption is my favorite Napalm album. I really love the elements of death metal that they brought into their sound on this album. A lot of the riffs are really good. But the standouts for me come at 1:55 in “The Chains That Bind Us.” The entire bridge is amazing! I love the hammer-ons and pull-offs in the initial riff. It think it was a really creative technique to use in grind, at that time. Then the marching power chords come in as a great counterpoint after the lyrics. I’m humming it as I type this…
Read previous installments of Inside The Shredder’s Studio:
#1: Elizabeth Schall of Dreaming Dead
#2: Mike Hill of Tombs
#3: Jon Levasseur of Cryptopsy
#4: Alex Bouks of Incantation
#5: Kurt Ballou of Converge
#6: Mark Thomas Baker of Orchid
#7: Andre Foisy of Locrian
#8: Eric Daniels of GSBC and Asphyx
#9: Kevin Hufnagel of Gorguts