Who are some of the players that inspired you to get into music?
Nuñez: The first two guys that got me into the guitar were Jimi Hendrix and Angus Young. That’s what started my classic rock phase. Later, I got into shredders like Zakk Wylde and Dimebag—those guys are amazing. And I really like Paul Gilbert. He’s super clean and melodic.

Garcia: My favorite guitar player is Joe Satriani. He’s so musical that his songs don’t even need vocals. His guitar is the voice. He can totally shred, but he chooses not to. He chooses to be musical, and I love that. I also really like Jason Becker and Marty Friedman. Jason is like Beethoven—he can just create music, whether he has an instrument or not.

You both mention melody as being important, and your tunes have a strong melodic sense. You tour with a lot of bands that don’t place the same emphasis on melody, either in the vocals or the guitar. How do you go over when you’re opening for a band like Slipknot?
Nuñez: I wasn’t sure at first. I was worried that we might get hated on if we weren’t screaming or growling, but it’s gone surprisingly well. People seem ready for some melody.

How did you prepare for recording Light from Above? What was the preproduction stage with Johnny K like?
Garcia: Johnny didn’t change parts so much, just the arrangements. We had been playing these tunes for a while, so we knew them pretty well. He did give us some advice about gear. We tried out a lot of amps—Bogner, Orange, Marshall, Diezel, and others—but the Mesa Dual Rectifier with the Marshall JCM 2000 was the best combination.

Nuñez: I experimented with some different guitars. My main live guitar is a Dean Dimebag model, but on this record I only used it for some leads. I mostly played an old Gibson SG of Johnny’s, but I played a Fender Strat on “Give Me a Chance” and “Live Fast.”

What advice did Johnny give you about guitar tones?
Nuñez: That not everything has to have a ton of gain.

Garcia: Yeah, we only ran the gain on the Mesa at around six. When we mixed that with the Marshall, it was plenty of gain. It was Johnny’s idea to combine amps for different tones. That was something he taught us.

What gear did you use to track “Shockwave”?
Garcia: I played my Jackson Soloist into the Mesa Dual Rectifier and the Marshall 2000. Alex cut his parts through the same rig, which is how we did it most of the time, though we might change it up for the leads. For the leads in “Shockwave,” I just used the Mesa with a Tube Screamer in front for a little more distortion.

At what point in the recording process do you track the solos, and how do you decide who plays which solo?
Garcia: We usually finish the rhythm tracks first. We generally know who’s going to solo when.

Who played the doubled-tracked lead on “Let Me”?
Garcia: I did. I had already written the solo, so it wasn’t hard to double. I doubled most of the solos on this record. I probably did six takes for the first guitar, and then about six takes for the doubled part. That was my Jackson again. I pretty much used that guitar the whole time. I string it with .010s, and it’s really easy to play. I got it two years ago brand new. It’s perfect. I also had a wah on for that solo, but I wasn’t pumping it. It was just set halfway open.

What’s your favorite solo on the record, Alex?
Nuñez: Either “Hit the Lights” or “Show Me the Way.” I like “Show Me the Way,” because the riff behind it is super groovy rock and I love playing over that kind of feel. It gives me a chance to do a real bluesy lead.

There are a few solos in “Hit the Lights”? Who’s playing what?
Garcia: I play the first one, and then I take a long solo at the end. In the first solo I use this weird Egyptian scale—I forget what the name is. I learned it and wanted to use that kind of sound. Kirk Hammett’s solo on the original Metallica version used blues and pentatonic scales, so I wanted to do something different.

Nuñez: I play the second solo, the one with the wah pedal. It was a Dunlop Dime wah. Live, I use a Dunlop Jimi Hendrix wah that I’ve had for years.

Talk about the acoustic guitars on “Warriors of Time.”
Garcia: I played all the acoustics on that song. The intro came from a part in the middle of the song. I really wanted to use that part somewhere else in the tune—it was too awesome to just be in only one spot. So, I came up with the harmonies, extended it, and used it at the beginning. I played a Gibson acoustic for one track, but I forget what the other guitar was. I’ve always loved Randy Rhoads’ acoustic work. “Diary of a Madman” is one of my favorite acoustic guitar parts of all time.

You both have great right-hand technique. How did you get your rhythm chops so tight and fast?
Garcia: Practicing to a click is the best thing for me. It gets everything together.

Nuñez: Playing with the band is what got my rhythm chops down. That’s my favorite way to practice, jamming for hours and learning how to groove with a bunch of different people.

What guitarists have you toured with that made a big impression on you?
Nuñez: Zakk Wylde at Ozzfest. It was ridiculous watching that guy every day

Garcia: We did a tour with Avenged Sevenfold and Synyster Gates is badass. He’s a great guitar player.

What gear are you bringing on the road to cover all the tones on the album?
Garcia: We’re using Peaveys. I use the JSX and Alex is using the 6505. The JSX is a 3-channel amp and I use all three. The lead channel gives a great boost for leads and for fills in between the verses. Another thing I love about the JSX is it has a direct out so we don’t even have to mic it and it sounds amazing.

Nuñez: I played Marshalls before, and I love Marshalls, but for me to get a really heavy tone, my Marshall had to be cranked. With the Peavey, I can have it on 2 or 3 and it still has the same tone. That’s great because our sound guy is always telling us to turn down.

Has being on the road so much been good for your chops?
Garcia: Not exactly. On the road you get to play your set and that’s about it. I feel like my chops are better when we’re not on tour. I’m always writing, but my playing definitely gets better when I’m at home. I’m really looking forward to getting home where I can sit and play all day.

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