If you were a disenfranchised kid like Ryoji Shinomoto, “a shy kid with long hair, prone to being bullied,” heavy metal – with its massive following in Japan, and its tendency to lead youths to band together in army-like fashion in sometimes small, and often sweaty spaces – was akin to an oasis in a desert.
“When I was about eight years old, I became interested in my father’s guitar,” Shinomoto tells Guitar World. “I was learning classical guitar, but I only really wanted to play an electric one. That was absolutely clear. I didn’t want to hang out with anyone; I only wanted to play my guitar.”
