Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as
lead guitarist
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...
in the
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band
Nevermore
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor,
Sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
. In 2014, he joined Swedish
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...
band
Arch Enemy
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharist. ...
, and in 2021 he joined Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz as well. As a solo artist he has released two albums and one EP.
Biography
Early days
Loomis got his first instrument at nine or ten years old, but did not start practicing seriously until around the age of 15.Metal-Rules.com, ''Nevermore Interview with Jeff Loomis'' a Metal-Rules.com last accessed April 28, 2007. As a teenager in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
he played in a handful of cover bands and three
death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...
bands before joining more established bands.Jeffloomis.com, ''Bio'' a Jeffloomis.com ; last accessed May 26, 2007.Jeffloomis.com, ''Discography'' a ; last accessed May 26, 2007. Guitarists whose style influenced Loomis are
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...
,
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...
,
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
,
Jason Becker
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He was ...
,
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...
and
Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...
At the age of 16, Loomis won Wisconsin's ''Guitar Wars'' contest.
He auditioned for
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
Jeff Young
Jeffrey "Jeff" Young (born March 31, 1962) is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album '' So Far, So Good... So What! ...
was fired from the band. After they played a few songs together,
Dave Mustaine
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
, the band's frontman and other lead guitarist, thanked Loomis and told him that one day he would become a great guitar player, but because of his age he was not right for the position. Loomis saw
Cacophony
Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...
on tour, and told
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
, who became very interested, about the audition. Marty tried out for the position and joined the band in 1989. In 2005, Loomis would then share the stage with Megadeth, as the lead guitarist for Nevermore as part of Mustaine's
Gigantour
Gigantour was a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America (see also Gigantour 2005), and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also trav ...
festival. Loomis began to work on his solo album ''Zero Order Phase''. At this time Megadeth were having tryouts for a new guitarist once again and invited Loomis to join them. He turned the band down in order to keep working on his solo album. Coincidentally, Loomis's co-guitarist in Nevermore, Chris Broderick, auditioned for Megadeth and was given the part.
Sanctuary (1990–1991)
Not too long after being auditioned for the lead part in Megadeth (which was also auditioned for by
Steve Smyth
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
and
Chris Broderick
Christopher Alan Broderick (born March 6, 1970) is an American musician, best known as a former guitarist of the heavy metal band Megadeth. He is also formerly the lead guitarist and keyboardist for Jag Panzer, appearing on four of Jag Panzer's ...
, both playing for his later band Nevermore at different points), Loomis was unable to join the band
Sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
after guitarist Sean Blosl had left. He was able to take his place at this time; however, because of a dispute caused by guitarist Lenny Rutledge wanting to make
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
oriented music, Sanctuary broke up four months afterwards.
Nevermore (1991–2011)
After the break-up, Loomis and former Sanctuary members
Warrel Dane
Warrel Dane (born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the heavy metal bands Sanctuary and Nevermore. He was a natural baritone; though he was known for his high-pitched ...
(vocalist) and
Jim Sheppard
James Patrick Sheppard (born May 8, 1961) is an American musician. He was the bassist and founding member of the progressive metal band, Nevermore, and its predecessor, Sanctuary.Mustica, Giorgio.An Interview with Jeff Loomis: Cooling The Burn ...
(bassist) made plans to form
Nevermore
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
, and in late 1994, Loomis became the lead guitarist of Nevermore after the brief period being in Sanctuary. During his time in the band he was the main songwriter of Nevermore. His contributions can be found in albums such as '' The Politics of Ecstasy'', ''
Dreaming Neon Black
''Dreaming Neon Black'' is the third studio album released by American heavy metal band Nevermore, and was released through Century Media in 1999. Unlike its predecessor, '' The Politics of Ecstasy'', ''Dreaming Neon Black'' contains many slowe ...
'', ''
This Godless Endeavor
''This Godless Endeavor'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released on July 26, 2005. The album was produced by Andy Sneap and is distributed by Century Media Records.
Overview
Guitarist Jeff Loomis revealed in ...
'' (including
Steve Smyth
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
, who previously featured in the band Testament) and Nevermore's 2010 album, ''
The Obsidian Conspiracy
''The Obsidian Conspiracy'' is the seventh and final studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore. It was released on June 8, 2010 in North America by Century Media and at the end of May in Europe. The band's previous album, ''This Godles ...
''. Loomis played an important role in developing the sound that Nevermore has today, using 7-string guitars and techniques such as
sweep picking
Sweep picking is a guitar playing technique. When sweep picking, the guitarist plays single notes on consecutive strings with a 'sweeping' motion of the pick, while using the fretting hand to produce a specific series of notes that are fast a ...
. One of his more important musical showcases is the critically acclaimed album ''
Dead Heart in a Dead World
''Dead Heart in a Dead World'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released in October 2000. In a style comparable to a darker, heavier Queensrÿche, its songs range topics such as criticism of drug possession penal ...
'', for which he wrote most of the songs before Nevermore. On April 21, 2011, he and drummer
Van Williams
Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequel ...
left Nevermore, citing personal and musical differences with Warrel Dane.
Solo, Arch Enemy and other projects (2005–present)
In 2005, Loomis reported that he would take some time as a break and then begin recording a solo album. He said, "It's something I've been wanting to do for some time ... It will be like a Jason Becker/Marty Friedman kind of thing." On April 1, 2008, Loomis said that all 10 songs which had been written had had the drum parts recorded (done by Mark Arrington pretty much overnight) and they would soon begin tracking the rhythm guitar. On July 3, 2008, it was announced that the album would be called ''
Zero Order Phase
''Zero Order Phase'' is the debut solo album by former Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis. It was released on September 30, 2008 through Century Media Records. The album was produced by Neil Kernon and features guest appearances by guitarists Ron Ja ...
''. It was released September 30 via Century Media Records. It features guest solos from
Ron Jarzombek
Ron Jarzombek is an American guitarist best known for his work with WatchTower, Spastic Ink, and Blotted Science, featuring Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse. His most recent project is Terrestrial Exiled. He released a brand new song, "Beyon ...
,
Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to:
Politicians
* Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons
*Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament
Others
*Pat O'Br ...
, and bassist
Michael Manring
Michael Manring (born June 27, 1960) is an American bass guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Biography
Michael Manring was born in Annapolis, Maryland,Tom Mulhern, ''Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories & Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players : from ...
. During this time
Dave Mustaine
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
of
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
invited Loomis to join as the lead guitarist, but he declined the offer to work on his solo record.
In 2010, he played a guest guitar solo on Keith Merrow's album ''Awaken the Stone King'', released on January 1, 2011. He also played another guest solo in the song "Racecar" on Periphery'sself-titled debut album.
On April 10, 2012, Loomis released his second solo album ''
Plains of Oblivion
''Plains of Oblivion'' is the second studio album by former Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis, released on April 6, 2012 through Century Media Records; a limited Digipak edition was also released, containing two bonus tracks.Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
,
Tony MacAlpine
Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960) is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has ...
and
Chris Poland
Chris Poland (born December 1, 1957) is an American guitarist, best known as the former guitarist of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Since 2002, Poland has been the guitarist of the instrumental rock/jazz fusion bands OHM (band), OHM and OHMphre ...
performed guest solos on the record.
In summer 2012, Loomis embarked on a North American tour with
The Contortionist
The Contortionist is an American progressive metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in 2007, the band consists of guitarists Robby Baca and Cameron Maynard, drummer Joey Baca, vocalist Mike Lessard, bassist Jordan Eberhardt, and keyboard ...
,
Chimp Spanner
Paul Antonio Ortiz is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work under the pseudonym, or solo project, of Chimp Spanner. He recorded, produced, mixed and mastered in his home studio, both the 2005 album '' Imperium Vorago'' and ...
, and
7 Horns 7 Eyes
7 Horns 7 Eyes is an American Christian death metal band based out of Seattle, Washington. The band formed in 2006 and released their debut album '' Throes of Absolution'' on April 24, 2012, on Century Media Records in North America and Basick ...
.
In 2013, Loomis started touring with
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...
band
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name ''Inferior Breed'', the band changed their name in late 1996 to S ...
.
It was announced in July 2013, that Loomis would be teaming up with Keith Merrow,
Alex Webster
Alex Webster (born 1969) is an American bass player who is best known as a member of the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He is one of two remaining members of the original lineup of the band, along with drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. He is al ...
of
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...
, and
Alex Rüdinger
Alex Rüdinger (born November 18, 1991) is an American drummer. He started playing drums at the age of 13, and since then he has played for numerous metal bands including Conquering Dystopia, the Faceless and Threat Signal. He has also done a ...
of
The Faceless
The Faceless are an American technical death metal band from the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. They released their debut album, ''Akeldama'', in November 2006, and a follow-up, '' Planetary Duality'', in November 2008. The band's third ...
to record an instrumental album titled '' Conquering Dystopia'', the recording of which will be funded by donations.
On November 17, 2014, Loomis was announced as the new guitarist of
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...
band
Arch Enemy
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharist. ...
, replacing Nick Cordle. His first show with them was on November 26 in Lyon, France, when War Eternal European tour kicked off.
In 2017, Arch Enemy vocalist
Alissa White-Gluz
Alissa White-Gluz (; born 31 July 1985) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, and former lead vocalist and founding member of the Canadian metalcore band the Agonist. Her vocal ...
announced she was collaborating with Loomis for her upcoming solo record.
In January 2019, Loomis said he had been working on material for an upcoming third solo album.
In June 2021,
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.Pr ...
released a statement on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
that Jeff had joined Graham Bonnet’s
Alcatrazz
Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and ano ...
.
Instructional and voice work
Loomis had a monthly column in ''
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...
'' magazine titled "Merchant of Menace", where he explained how to play the riffs and solos of Nevermore. In more recent columns, his former co-guitarist in Nevermore,
Steve Smyth
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
has co-written the column, which is dubbed "The Merchants of Menace". He has also been featured in ''
Young Guitar Magazine
''Young Guitar Magazine'' is a Japanese guitar magazine first published in May 1969 by Shinko Ongaku Shuppansha (now Shinko Music Entertainment), with a focus on folk music. Starting from the 1970s, it started covering hard rock in the 1970s, an ...
'', showing guitarists how to play and explain his style and signature guitar in Nevermore.
In 2006, he provided the voice of Murderface's father in '' Williams Street Presents Metalocalypse'' on
dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
.
In 2009, ''
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...
'' released Loomis's first instructional video.
Slated for a late 2010 release, Loomis has recorded a two-part instructional DVD series with RockHouseMethod. Recording took place late fall of 2009.
Equipment
Loomis plays various Schecter seven (and occasionally six) string guitars, including the Jeff Loomis C7 FR Signature Model with EMG 707 pickups and a Floyd Rose tremolo. He also plays a Schecter C-7 Hellraiser with EMG 707 active humbucker pickups, and the C-7 Blackjack with the
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan is an American company best known for manufacturing guitar and bass pickups. They also manufacture effects pedals which are designed and assembled in America. Guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and Cathy Carter Duncan foun ...
Blackout pickups. Prior to Schecter he played a wide variety of guitars including
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...
(''Politics of Ecstasy'' period),
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
,
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
(''Dreaming Neon Black'' period),
ESP
ESP most commonly refers to:
* Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability
ESP may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment Music
* ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars
* E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...
(''Dead Heart...'' period), and Warmoth. In the video for "Believe in Nothing" he can be seen using an ESP LTD H-307. He also owns a custom ESP Horizon 7. He endorsed Peavey amplifiers and used their XXX head. After that he endorsed Krank amplifiers and could be seen live using the Krankenstein heads and cabs. As of 2008 Loomis endorsed Engl Amplification and used most of their heads at one time or another, most notably the SE 670, then the Fireball then their Savage heads and then the Engl Special Edition E570 Rack-mounted Preamp with Engl 100W Stereo Poweramp.and Engl cabs loaded with Vintage 30s. Early in 2007, Schecter guitars brought out the Jeff Loomis Signature Schecter 7-string, based on the C-7 Hellraiser model. It features the EMG 707 active pickups, ash body in 'vampyre red satin' and three piece maple neck with maple fretboard and Sperzel locking tuners. At
NAMM
The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
08 a new signature model was released. It is the same as his other one but it has a fixed bridge instead of a Floyd Rose.
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in Octob ...
, ''NEVERMORE: JEFF LOOMIS Signature Model Guitar To Debut At NAMM'' a Blabbermouth.net ; last accessed January 13, 2007. Loomis can also been seen on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
playing an electro acoustic LAG Tramontane T100 ASCEBLK.
In January 2014, Schecter announced that the Loomis series had undergone a redesign. They now feature EMG 57-7H and 66-7H active-housed pickups, all-black hardware, a thinner body with a deeper archop, a thinner, un-tinted neck, repositioned volume and toggle controls, stainless steel frets, and the options of either a Hipshot hard-tail bridge (JL-7), instead of the previous TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge, or a Floyd Rose floating bridge (JL-7FR). The neck was also repositioned for better upper-fret access. It is available in either vampyre red satin or gloss black. and for case on JLFR7 use Schecters SGR1C hard shell case. In 2016, the guitars began featuring Loomis's signature Seymour Duncan active pickups.
As of March 2018 Loomis has left Schecter stating more freedom to play other guitars in his collection, notably Les Pauls and Strats.
In December 2018, he became a Jackson endorsed artist and is under development of a signature model to be released in January 2019.
Loomis uses
Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball (born Roland Sherwood Ball; August 30, 1930 – September 9, 2004) was an American entrepreneur and musician who developed guitar-related products. Ball began as a club and local television musician and entrepreneur, building an inte ...
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
. His current gauge 9-46+62 in B♭ tuning, he used to use a heavier 10–52 (skinny top, heavy bottom) + 70 gauge along with Dunlop Tortex 1.5 mm Sharp picks. For amplification he is currently using the Line6 Helix rack with Seymour Duncan PowerStage 700.
Effects pedals
*Maxon 808
*MXR Stereo Chorus
*Way Huge Electronics Green Rhino Mk II
*Morley Dragon Wah Horizon Devices Precision Drive
Recording gear
* ENGL Amps – Engl Savage 120 head. Also E670.
*Digidesign 002 Rack Pro Tools unit
*Korg Padkontrol
*Apple Macbook Pro
*Apogee Quartet interface
*Two Notes Torpedo Studio (load box and amp interface)
*Event Opal Studio Monitors
* Kemper Profiling Amplifier
Discography
Nevermore
*''
Nevermore
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
'' (1995)
*''
In Memory
''In Memory'' is Nevermore's only EP. It was recorded in April and May 1996 and released on July 23, 1996. It features a Bauhaus medley. It was re-issued in 2006 with 5 bonus tracks, which are all demos of songs from the next full-length album, ...
Dreaming Neon Black
''Dreaming Neon Black'' is the third studio album released by American heavy metal band Nevermore, and was released through Century Media in 1999. Unlike its predecessor, '' The Politics of Ecstasy'', ''Dreaming Neon Black'' contains many slowe ...
'' (1999)
*''
Dead Heart in a Dead World
''Dead Heart in a Dead World'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released in October 2000. In a style comparable to a darker, heavier Queensrÿche, its songs range topics such as criticism of drug possession penal ...
'' (2000)
*''
Enemies of Reality
''Enemies of Reality'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released in 2003 by Century Media. Due to the mixed reception of the album's production by Kelly Gray, it was remixed and remastered by Andy Sneap in 2005.
...
'' (2003, remixed in 2005)
*''
This Godless Endeavor
''This Godless Endeavor'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released on July 26, 2005. The album was produced by Andy Sneap and is distributed by Century Media Records.
Overview
Guitarist Jeff Loomis revealed in ...
'' (2005)
*''
The Year of the Voyager
''The Year of the Voyager'' is a double DVD/CD released by Nevermore. It was released in Europe on October 20, 2008 and in North America on November 25, 2008 via Century Media. The set covers the ''This Godless Endeavor'' touring cycle, starting ...
'' (2008)
*''
The Obsidian Conspiracy
''The Obsidian Conspiracy'' is the seventh and final studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore. It was released on June 8, 2010 in North America by Century Media and at the end of May in Europe. The band's previous album, ''This Godles ...
Will to Power
The will to power (german: der Wille zur Macht) is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans. However, the concept was never systematic ...
Zero Order Phase
''Zero Order Phase'' is the debut solo album by former Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis. It was released on September 30, 2008 through Century Media Records. The album was produced by Neil Kernon and features guest appearances by guitarists Ron Ja ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Plains of Oblivion
''Plains of Oblivion'' is the second studio album by former Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis, released on April 6, 2012 through Century Media Records; a limited Digipak edition was also released, containing two bonus tracks.Conquering Dystopia'' (2014)
Guest appearances
*
Rorschach Test
The Rorschach test is a projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a pe ...
– ''
Peace Minus One
''Peace Minus One'' is a studio album by the industrial metal band Rorschach Test, released in 2000.
Production
The album was produced by Neil Kernon.
Critical reception
''CMJ New Music Report'' wrote: "One part raw metal and one part industrial ...
'' (2000)
*
God Forbid
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996.
History Early career (1999-2004)
Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...
– ''
Gone Forever
''Gone Forever'' is the third full-length studio album by American heavy metal band God Forbid. Jeff Loomis of Nevermore contributes the solo on track 7, "Soul Engraved". Track 2, "Antihero", was used in a sampler track hidden in Shadows Fall' ...
'' (2004)
*
Pamela Moore
Pamela Moore is an American singer-songwriter, mixing hard rock, heavy metal, melodic rock and industrial music while her earlier years delved into pop and electronica. She currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
History
Born and rais ...
– ''Stories from a Blue Room'' (2006)
* Annihilator – ''
Metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
(2007)
*
Warrel Dane
Warrel Dane (born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the heavy metal bands Sanctuary and Nevermore. He was a natural baritone; though he was known for his high-pitched ...
– ''
Praises to the War Machine
''Praises to the War Machine'' is the debut solo release/album by heavy metal vocalist Warrel Dane from Nevermore, released on April 25, 2008. The album was produced by Peter Wichers, who was tapped by Dane to work on the album while Wichers was ...
(2008)
*
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
– ''
Future Addict
''Future Addict'' is the seventh studio album by the American guitarist Marty Friedman. The album is a collection of reworked, reconstructed and completely remade versions of songs spanning Marty's entire career, including a few songs from his ...
(2008)
*
Switchblade
A switchblade (aka switch knife, automatic knife, pushbutton knife, ejector knife, flick knife, Stiletto, flick blade, or spring knife (Sprenger,Benson, Ragnar (1989). ''Switchblade: The Ace of Blades''. Paladin Press. pp. 1–14. . The sw ...
– ''
Invictus Infinitum
''Invictus Infinitum'' is the second album by Australian melodic death metal band Switchblade. It was recorded and engineered by ex Cryogenic drummer Darren Jenkins at LA Studios, Sydney, mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Neil ...
'' (2009)
*
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens (born September 13, 1967) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest ...
Periphery
Periphery or peripheral may refer to:
Music
*Periphery (band), American progressive metal band
* ''Periphery'' (album), released in 2010 by Periphery
* "Periphery", a song from Fiona Apple's album '' The Idler Wheel...''
Gaming and entertainm ...
– ''
Periphery
Periphery or peripheral may refer to:
Music
*Periphery (band), American progressive metal band
* ''Periphery'' (album), released in 2010 by Periphery
* "Periphery", a song from Fiona Apple's album '' The Idler Wheel...''
Gaming and entertainm ...
'' (2010)
*Pale Gray Sky – ''Everything for Nothing'' (2010)
*Keith Merrow – ''Heart of the Sea Nymph'' (2011)
*
Glen Drover
Glen Drover (born May 25, 1969) is a Canadian heavy metal guitarist from Ottawa, Ontario. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of Megadeth and King Diamond, along with his brother Shawn Drover who also performed with Megadeth.
Histor ...
– ''Metalusion'', (2011), Magna Carta
*
Single Bullet Theory (metal band)
Single Bullet Theory (SBT) is an American heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band was founded in 2000 by guitarist Matt DiFabio after the disbanding of Cipher (active again as of Dec. 2015 and renamed "Vedic" as of Aug. 2017). ...
Stéphan Forté
Adagio is a French progressive metal band formed in 2000 by guitarist Stéphan Forté.
History
Since their third studio album ''Dominate,'' Adagio has evolved from their original power metal sound, but still adhering to their trademark elemen ...
– ''The Shadows Compendium'' (2011)
*
7 Horns 7 Eyes
7 Horns 7 Eyes is an American Christian death metal band based out of Seattle, Washington. The band formed in 2006 and released their debut album '' Throes of Absolution'' on April 24, 2012, on Century Media Records in North America and Basick ...
Ihsahn
Vegard Sverre Tveitan (born 10 October 1975), better known by his stage name Ihsahn (), is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer, best known for his work with black metal band Emperor. Tveitan is also a founding member of Tho ...
– ''
Eremita
''Eremita'' is the fourth studio solo album by former Emperor frontman Ihsahn. The album features guest appearances by several notable musicians, including Devin Townsend and Jeff Loomis of Nevermore.
Background
The album is Ihsahn's first sol ...
Hannes Grossmann
Hannes Grossmann (born 8 September 1982) is a German drummer who plays for the German progressive band Alkaloid. He was also the drummer during Necrophagist's ''Epitaph'' era and played with Obscura (band), Obscura.
Biography
Early life
Hannes G ...
– ''The Radial Covenant'' (2014)
*
Tony MacAlpine
Tony MacAlpine (born August 29, 1960) is an American musician and composer. In a career spanning four decades, he has released twelve studio albums. MacAlpine is best known as an instrumental rock and heavy metal solo guitarist, although he has ...
– '' Concrete Gardens'' (2015)
*Abnornmal Thought Patterns – ''Altered States of Consciousness'' (2015)
*
Jason Richardson
Jason Anthoney Richardson (born January 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Richardson was taken by the Golden State Warriors as the fifth overall pic ...
– ''I'' (2016)
*
Rob Scallon
Robert Andrew Scallon (born August 26, 1990) is an American YouTuber, musician, and multi-instrumentalist based in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for several viral videos featuring his music, including heavy metal songs played with traditi ...
– ''The Scene Is Dead'' (2017)
*
Scale the Summit
Scale the Summit is an American instrumental progressive metal band based out of Houston, Texas. It formed in 2004 and signed to Prosthetic Records.
The band is influenced by other progressive acts such as Cynic and Dream Theater. The band gain ...
- "In a World of Fear" (2017)
*
Lady Catman
The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...
- “Eyes Wide Open”(2018)w/ *
Warrel Dane
Warrel Dane (born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the heavy metal bands Sanctuary and Nevermore. He was a natural baritone; though he was known for his high-pitched ...
*
Jason Becker
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He was ...
Michael Sweet
Michael Harrison Sweet (born July 4, 1963) is a singer and guitarist from Whittier, California; he is the co-founder, songwriter, guitarist and lead singer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He's also had a successful solo career, and briefly ...
- "Ten" (2019)
*
Amaranthe
Amaranthe is a Swedish metal band originally known as Avalanche. The band is notable for their blend of various metal genres and having three lead vocalists.
History
Formed by Olof Mörck (Dragonland, Nightrage) and Joacim "Jake E" Lundbe ...
- "Do or Die" (2020)
*
Ola Englund
Ola "The Swede" Englund (born 27 September 1981) is a Swedish guitarist, record producer, YouTuber, and the owner of Solar guitars. He is a founding-member of the band Feared, plays lead guitar in the Swedish metal band The Haunted, and is a fo ...
Slow Bloom
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quantit ...
'' (2021)
* Graham Bonnet Band - TBA (2021)
*Kvaen - The Great Below (2022)
Videography
*Super Shred – ''
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...
''
*Extreme Lead Guitar: Dissonant Scales & Arpeggios (The Rock House Method)