Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Charlie Griffiths

Jeff Hanneman is a metal god whose evil phrasing and brutal downpicking gave thrash kings Slayer an unholy dimension

Jeff Hanneman screams as he plays his Heineken/Hanneman graphic ESP signature guitar onstage with Slayer.

Born in Long Beach California in 1964, Jeff Hanneman was a founding member of metal band Slayer in 1981. Sadly Jeff passed away in 2013 aged just 49, but his name lives on as a pioneering guitarist of one of the big four thrash bands.

Jeff’s unique riffing and soloing style featured on 12 studio releases including classic albums such as Hell Awaits, Reign In Blood and Seasons In The Abyss to name a few. In this lesson, we will look at some riffing and soloing approaches that stem from both punk and metal genres, but are also unconventional and share certain similarities with modern classical music.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.