When Will 18-String Metal Arise To Compete With This Dude?

Why is metal so slow to catch up with Ian Ethan? Taking a pretty simple concept – using hammer-ons and a percussive sweep to simultaneously play both necks of a double-necked guitar (with a 12-string top neck) – this dude is sort of laying it all out there for the next budding Tosin Abasi/Misha Mansoorcore guitarist to do this sort of thing in metal.

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Kudos to the Ian for writing a catchy tune. It’s based in open tunings and limited harmonic movement so that he can fret one neck while strumming voices on the other (or perform the piano-esque Stanley Jordan style two-handed tapping that Tosin Abasi has become known for). Now where’s the kid that has the patience to distort this and make 18-string metal?

Check out “Butter II” below and if you dig it, he’s got a full album of songs like this that came out a few weeks ago, entitled Run Toward the Mountains.

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Max is managing editor of Gear Gods.