The bands/musicians that changed the way you thought about or played music

[Konfyouzd]

Nevermore
Pink Floyd
George Benson
Stanley Jordan
John Coltrane
Freddie Hubbard
Chopin

 

[Darkened]

I was firstly delighted by Steve Vai and his emotional solos.

After that I listened to a lot of bands and I have found very special band in my life - Gojira. They showed me that without solos you can make fiercly emotional music. I listen to their music every day and I love it.

 

[Konfyouzd]

How did I forget Vai? Damn...

 

[Darknut]

Aerials by system of a down was a big one.
Dream theater, Angra, Necrophagist and Blind guardian all came after.

Nevermore shot my spleen into outer space, still recovering from their break up

 

[DarkWolfXV]

Rammstein got me into metal and playing guitar overall, then i found Megadeth and their song Tornado of Souls got me into playing faster stuff, then i found Carcass, and Corporeal Jigsore Quandary had main riff, then listened to rest of Necroticism and i really loved catchy and brutal riffs. One day, browsing youtube, i found Necrophagist, i didnt really get it until i heard solo in Fermented Offal Discharge, that made me try to write solos in style of Muhammed, though i still cant shred well, well maybe one day. And then i finally found Cryptopsy, the song Phobophile really got me, that entrancing brutal yet melodic riff, with powerful fast drumming over it and Lord Worm spewing out his dark poetry. I really, really loved that and it really influenced my songwriting.

 

[GuitaristOfHell]

Guns N' Roses,
Green Day,
Staind,
Bullet for my Valentine,
Nevermore,
and Rammstein probably is the most prevalent in my playing.

 

[Narrillnezzurh]

They all do on a subconscious level, but I don't think I could pick any out specifically.

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

seems when i hit a rut or get tired of playing i will hear something new and find inspiration to pick up my guitar again.

 

[jam3v]

lately, I've been trying to explore other avenues other than the barrage of notes I'm naturally inclined to produce being inspired by Dream Teather, old Metallica, Periphery, etc.

Paramore and 30 Seconds To Marks come to mind. The guitarists in those bands are very minimal, but the textures they add to the music are very powerful. Less playing, more effects/texturing. Very alien concept to me, but something I'm hoping I can incorporate into my playing.

 

[zero_end]

With me it all started with Metallica (even Testament) in the early 90's, then followed by Pantera, there was no turning back, I was hooked on it like heroin!

By the mid 90's I discovered Dream Theater and my mind was blown away by their music at that time. There was music beyond 4/4 time signatures and 3 min. songs.

Then in the midst of all of my hardcore metal cravings, I flirted with a band called Depeche Mode, and I discovered a new musical pallete, in the sense that great pop songs can be made by a band, and without all of the pre-fabricated, artificial sugary fakeness of most pop artist; also, that electronic music can sound warm and human.

Jo Satriani has always been my favourite guitar player, but it wasn't until I saw him live some years ago, that I really wanted to play guitar (though I'm not near as talented as him) It was one of those moments that you have an epiphfany of some kind, kid you not!

Now, with the rise of the internet, I had an overflow of exposure of so many bands and genres that you could say I suffered an overdose of music (no that there's anything wrong with that) that I kind of lost perspective a bit. [insert your favourite musical genre here ___, I tried to listened to them all]

But when I listened to Steve Wilson's works with Porcupine Tree (a band that I completely ignored due to said overdose) and as a solo artist specially, not only I was blown away like I haven't in a long time, it changed my musical perspective once again! Such beautyfully, well thought and emotionally rewarding music! Who would've thought that prog rock and emotion could coexist.

Steve Wilson is to me nowadays what Bulb is to the SS.org community

Tosin Abasin was a much needed breath of fresh air to the whole guitar solo thing, it was very stagnated and needed a change of perspective and imho, Tosin inyected new life into it, very well done, no turning back now.

And to give credit where credit its due, the whole djent thing is worth paying attention to. I'm not a big fan of the genre, (it is a genre ) but the way it incorporates polyrhythms and grooves (mostly Messhuggha and Periphery, mind you) its quite interesting and worth noticing.

Cheers.

 

[M3CHK1LLA]

s.o.d. & m.o.d. taught me that metal could be fun...

...as in humors lyrics, but still be fast & heavy.

 

[MannyMoonjava]

Animals As Leaders and Mestis.

 

[ausareth]

Meshuggah and Guthrie Govan.

 

[sage]

1988 - Guns n' Roses
1989 - Eric Clapton
1990 - Metallica
1991 - Pearl Jam
1992 - Soundgarden
1993 - Alice in Chains
1994 - Ministry
1995 - Nine Inch Nails
1996 - 1999 - Metallica
2000 - Finger Eleven
2001 - 2002 was a blur
2003 - Coheed and Cambria
2004 - Dillinger Escape Plan
2005 - 2009 Between the Buried and Me, Norma Jean, Misery Signals, The Devil Wears Prada
2010 - Deftones
2011 - Animals as Leaders
2012 - Rooks
2013 - Who knows what's gonna happen on this, my 25th anniversary of being a guitarist?

 

[metalmaiden]

Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Opeth
Children of Bodom
Porcupine Tree
Tool
Alice in Chains
Deftones

These bands made me want to play music.

 

[GizmoJunior]

Underoath is what changed my perspective about music when I was fourteen. It's what got me into "heavier" music rather than the radio or alternative rock. From there I began listening to Rose Funeral and Suicide Silence which didn't have any clean vocals. Regular deathcore began to get old and led me to Within the Ruins, The Contortionist, Animals As Leaders, Protest the Hero, and many more bands. Since I began playing guitar my knowledge has greatly grown about what gear I use or want, music theory, and what I find influence in.

 

[SoItGoesRVA]

BY FAR the band that changed me the most was Iron Maiden. I was instantly hooked from the first time I heard The Trooper when I was 10. A similar moment happened with Death (first song i heard was Spirit Crusher). Other honorable mentions would have to be Dillinger Escape Plan, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and Sabbath.

 

[BIG ND SWEATY]

for me it was probably, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nothing era Meshuggah(rational gaze to be specific), The Acacia Strain, The Faceless( only the first 2 albums though, fuck autotheism) and Beneath The Massacre.

 

[AugmentedFourth]

Jimi Hendrix, Giraffes? Giraffes!, TTNG, Animals as Leaders, King Crimson, Wayne Shorter, Ron Jarzombek, Bill Evans, Ben Sharp, Javier Reyes.

EDIT: Dolphy. C'mon guys, duh. Duh guys.

 

[Chuck]

Rush, Foo Fighters, Periphery, Counterparts, August Burns Red, Scar Symmetry

But most of all, Misery Signals.