“He did all the Ozzy stuff you’d think he would do – he got down on his knees and performed. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. This is so weird’”: A hair-metal hero turned nu-metal synth-guitar maverick who impressed Ozzy Osbourne – who is the real Amir Derakh?

Amir Derakh plays a custom single-cut onstage.

The name Amir Derakh is bound to elicit one of two reactions from guitar fans. Some people will light up with immediate recognition, while others will stare blankly and go, “Who?” As it turns out, the guitarist is quite aware of his niche status in the music world, and he’s OK with it.

“I realized a long time ago that I was a bit different, and I quite like it, to be honest,” he says. “I don’t think I’m that obscure or unknown, but I don’t go out of my way to conform. I couldn’t see being a blues player and that’s all I ever did – no offense to blues players.” He laughs. “I just like doing different things. I get bored easily.”