NEW ADVENTURES IN Sound
Total Guitar|Summer 2020
“We like sounds that are slightly askew and wrong!” says Biffy Clyro’s guitarist/vocalist Simon Neil. With the band’s powerful and experimental new album, A Celebration Of Endings, released this month, he discusses his love of the Strat and his “life-changer” new pedal, his go-to gear and tones, the influence of Soundgarden and Rush, and the art of writing a rock anthem...
Amit Sharma
NEW ADVENTURES IN Sound
When Total Guitar tells Simon Neil that his lyrics for latest single Instant History –specifically the line ‘This is the sound that we make, I love the sound when it breaks’ – feel like a reference to his stadium-conquering crunch tones, the Biffy Clyro singer/guitarist grins with excitement.

“That’s absolutely what I mean!” he explains. “I managed to get a Sunn O))) Drone pedal, that’s what you’re hearing through the chorus and it’s honestly one of the best bits of kit I’ve ever bought – just really twisted and an absolute life-changer. It was a limited edition one, which cost a small fortune, but I think they make another version now. I cannot recommend it enough. Which is why I liked sticking it in such a pop song. So I totally agree... And it’s a little ironic that I’m singing that when it’s a song that doesn’t probably sound too much like what we’re doing. But that key line represents where Biffy sits in the world of things. We like the sounds that are slightly askew and wrong!”

That flair for all things unexpected and off-kilter stretches back to the experimental math-rock the Scottish trio started out playing, though – now in their 25th year as a band – it’s the latter half of their career that has seen them evolve into one of the most admired rock acts of the modern age. Talking to us ahead of the release of ninth opus A Celebration Of Endings, in an interview that runs well past its allocation, the Biffy Clyro frontman is as gracious and forthcoming as it gets, with no shortage of revelations and tips to share...

Esta historia es de la edición Summer 2020 de Total Guitar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición Summer 2020 de Total Guitar.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE TOTAL GUITARVer todo
"THERE WILL BE A LOT OF GREAT GUITAR PLAYING AT THESE SHOWS!"
Total Guitar

"THERE WILL BE A LOT OF GREAT GUITAR PLAYING AT THESE SHOWS!"

Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram is a huge fan of Slash- and the feeling is mutual

time-read
4 minutos  |
June 2024
"THE WHOLE LINE-UP IS STELLAR!"
Total Guitar

"THE WHOLE LINE-UP IS STELLAR!"

Samantha Fish is thrilled to be joining Slash's blues festival - with a new band and as many guitars as she can handle

time-read
5 minutos  |
June 2024
"WHEN YOU HEAR THAT TONE, YOU KNOW IT'S HIM"
Total Guitar

"WHEN YOU HEAR THAT TONE, YOU KNOW IT'S HIM"

Mike Clink is the producer who first worked with Slash on Guns N' Roses' debut album. Now, having reunited with the guitarist for Orgy Of The Damned, he reveals how this new album was created - and recalls those magical sessions with Slash in the '80s

time-read
10 minutos  |
June 2024
“IT'S ALL THE SAME CHORD CHANGES.MORE OR LESS THE SAME NOTES.BUT IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES HOW pos a im TO PLAY THEM.THAT IS WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT BLUES GUITAR...”
Total Guitar

“IT'S ALL THE SAME CHORD CHANGES.MORE OR LESS THE SAME NOTES.BUT IT'S JUST THE WAY THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES HOW pos a im TO PLAY THEM.THAT IS WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT BLUES GUITAR...”

The rock icon finding new inspiration in deathless blues standards. The guitarist synonymous with the Les Paul now mixing up his Gibsons with a Strat and a Tele. This is Slash as you've never heard him before...

time-read
10+ minutos  |
June 2024
"I VIEW A GUITAR AS A WEAPON!"
Total Guitar

"I VIEW A GUITAR AS A WEAPON!"

As a cult hero of underground American rock, Buzz Osborne describes his band Melvins as \"an avant-garde, weird thing”. And as a guitarist, he's all about heaviness and spontaneity...

time-read
6 minutos  |
June 2024
"I'M VERY GOOD AT NOT FOLLOWING RULES!!!
Total Guitar

"I'M VERY GOOD AT NOT FOLLOWING RULES!!!

As one half of Slayer's fearsome guitar attack, Kerry King shaped the sound of extreme metal. With a new album and a new sparring partner, he hasn't mellowed...

time-read
9 minutos  |
June 2024
"PEDALS CAN AFFECT YOUR PLAYING SO MUCH"
Total Guitar

"PEDALS CAN AFFECT YOUR PLAYING SO MUCH"

Shoegaze stars DIIV have abandoned their roots as a live band to redraw their sonic landscapes - with a vast array of effects at the heart of their songwriting

time-read
6 minutos  |
June 2024
"PEOPLE SAID, "WOMEN AREN'T REALLY SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.SO WE WERE VERY LOUD!"
Total Guitar

"PEOPLE SAID, "WOMEN AREN'T REALLY SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.SO WE WERE VERY LOUD!"

Flying in the face of sexism in the '70s, Heart made it big with some of the most powerful and beautiful rock songs of that era. In turn, Nancy Wilson became one of the most inspirational female guitarists of all time. Now, on the eve of a UK tour, she tells TG: “You have to feel proud of your gnarly hands!\"

time-read
8 minutos  |
June 2024
"IS THIS PERSON VIRTUOSIC OR DO THEY TOTALLY SUCK? THAT'S KIND OF WHERE ILIVE!"
Total Guitar

"IS THIS PERSON VIRTUOSIC OR DO THEY TOTALLY SUCK? THAT'S KIND OF WHERE ILIVE!"

St. Vincent's new album sees her teaming up with two Foo Fighters, stealing Josh Homme's secret weapon, using Prince's favourite pedal and embarking on a prog odyssey. It also sees her return to real amps played real loud...

time-read
7 minutos  |
June 2024
"THERE'S SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT THREE-PART HARMONIES"
Total Guitar

"THERE'S SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT THREE-PART HARMONIES"

BATTLESNAKE ARE PUTTING THREE CLASSIC GUITAR RIGS INTO ONE CRAZY HEAVY METAL MELTING POT

time-read
2 minutos  |
June 2024