Stephen "Steph" Carpenter ( /ˈstɛfən/ ''STEF-ən''; born August 3, 1970) is an American musician, known as the co-founder and a guitarist of the

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...

band

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...

. His guitar technique makes use of both ringing open strings and

dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive Sound, sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness ...

chord voicings, as well as stock

power chord A power chord (also fifth chord) is a colloquial name for a chord in guitar music, especially electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly played on am ...

s in

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

s. Carpenter began his musical career with Deftones playing the traditional six-string guitar. After becoming influenced by such bands as

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

and

Meshuggah Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1985. Originally, the band's name was Metallien. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jens Kidman, guitarists Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström, drummer To ...

, he began playing a

seven-string guitar The seven-string guitar adds one additional string to the more common six-string guitar, commonly used to extend the bass range (usually a low B) or also to extend the treble range. The additional string is added in one of two different ways: by ...

in the late 1990s. After Deftones' third album ''

White Pony ''White Pony'' is the third studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on June 20, 2000, through Maverick Records. It was produced by Terry Date, who produced the band's first two albums, ''Adrenaline'' (1995) and '' Aro ...

'', subsequent releases would be written with seven-strings, until 2010's ''

Diamond Eyes ''Diamond Eyes'' is the sixth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on May 4, 2010, by Reprise Records. It was the first album to feature bassist Sergio Vega, who replaced original bassist Chi Cheng. An album tenta ...

'' and 2012's '' Koi No Yokan'', which were written with an

eight-string guitar An eight-string guitar is a guitar with eight strings, or one more than the Russian guitar's seven. Eight-string guitars are less common than six- and seven-string guitars, but they are used by a few classical, jazz, and metal guitarists. The e ...

. Starting with 2020’s Ohms, songs have been written with nine-string guitars. Carpenter was ranked 60th 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 ...

's ''The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists'' poll.

Biography

Early life

Stephen Carpenter was born on August 3, 1970 in Sacramento, California, to an American father and a Mexican mother. He has a sister named Marci. He is first cousin to Testament singer

Chuck Billy Charles Billy (born June 23, 1962) is an American singer who is best known as the lead vocalist for thrash metal band Testament. Career Testament Billy joined Legacy in 1986, replacing vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza who would later join Exod ...

. He grew up in the Sacramento area and pursued many hobbies, including

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

. When Carpenter was 15 years old, he was hit by a car while skateboarding. He used a wheelchair for several months. It was at this point that he began teaching himself guitar by playing along with the records of bands such as

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Stormtroopers of Death Stormtroopers of Death (abbreviated to S.O.D.) was an American crossover thrash band formed in New York City in 1985. They are credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes referred to as ...

and

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

.Interview with Stephen Carpenter, ''

'', October 1997. It has been reported that the driver paid Carpenter a cash settlement that allowed the band to purchase equipment, but drummer Abe Cunningham commented in an interview that this was "a myth about how our band was started." Carpenter attended

McClatchy High School C. K. McClatchy High School, also known as simply McClatchy High School, is a high school in the Sacramento City Unified School District. It is located in the Land Park area of Sacramento, California. Established in 1937, it is the oldest opera ...

with future bandmates

Chino Moreno Chino Moreno (born Camillo Wong Moreno, June 20, 1973) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist and contributing guitarist of the metal band Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project groups Team Sl ...

and

Abe Cunningham Abraham Benjamin Cunningham (born July 27, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the alternative metal band Deftones. Life and career Abe Cunningham was born in Long Beach, California. When he was young, his family moved ...

. They were childhood friends and remained friends through the

scene in Sacramento. When Moreno found out Carpenter played guitar, he set up a

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

with Cunningham and the three began playing regularly in Carpenter's garage circa 1989. After playing with several bassists, the band settled on Chi Cheng and within two years the band began playing club shows and later expanded their playing territory to San Francisco and Los Angeles where they played shows alongside bands such as

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

.Deftones nterview ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', 2000.

Personal life

His relationship with Deftones lead singer and bandmate

has been recorded as being fraught at times. Apparently, recording of ''

Saturday Night Wrist ''Saturday Night Wrist'' is the fifth studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 31, 2006, by Maverick Records. Despite early contributions that were later scrapped, it marked the departure of mainstay Deftones ...

'' was protracted due to their "warfare". With regards to musical tastes, ''Saturday Night Wrist'' being described as "more aggressive" equated to it being "more aggressive for him hino; Carpenter said he'd "definitely be glad to take it to the next level, but that's asking too much right now." In November 2020, Carpenter revealed his belief in various

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

, including his belief that the Earth is flat and expressing anti-vaccination beliefs, among others. Commenting on this in 2021, Moreno suggested this may be related to Carpenter's cannabis smoking or being affected by his attendance of the

Bataclan theatre The Bataclan () is a Theater (building), theatre located at 50 Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, 11th arrondissement of Paris, France. Designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, its name refers to ''Ba-ta-clan'', an ...

shortly before the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

Musical influences

Carpenter has stated that he mostly listens to hip hop, but outside of hip hop,

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

, and

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

are some of his influences. He has also stated that his favorite album of all time is '' Chaosphere'' by Meshuggah, saying: "The most brutal record I've heard, from second one to second last. It left me wondering where the hell I'd been the whole time." While recording Deftones' ''

'', he claimed that the only artist he listened to was American rapper

Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two m ...

Other projects

Carpenter is a member of the underground instrumental project Sol Invicto, formed by producer Richie Londres alongside Technical Itch & Dan Foord. The band released its debut EP, ''Initium'' in 2011 for free. The band's second EP, ''Initium II'' was released in 2013 via the band's official

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

page. The final installment of the Initium series was released late 2016. The group's music is only available to fans via their private mailing list "The Sol Invicto Comiti". Carpenter was involved in the rap metal band

Kush Kush or Cush may refer to: Bible * Cush (Bible), two people and one or more places in the Hebrew Bible Places * Kush (mountain), a mountain near Kalat, Pakistan Balochistan * Kush (satrapy), a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire * Hindu Kush, a ...

, featuring

Christian Olde Wolbers Christian Olde Wolbers (born 5 August 1972) is a Belgian musician, songwriter, and producer who is the bassist and backing vocalist of the heavy metal band Powerflo. He is the former bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist of the heavy metal ...

and Raymond Herrera of

and

B-Real Louis Mario Freese (born June 2, 1970), known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, along with Sen Dog. He has also been a part of the rap metal band ...

of Cypress Hill. The band's debut album, which was set to be released in 2003, was never released. Carpenter also plays drums. In an interview with ''Guitar.com'' he reported that he likes drums more than he likes guitars, "as far as when it comes to creating the ideas." Also on his drumming abilities, he said:

Equipment

Carpenter currently endorses

ESP Guitars is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and Bass guitar, basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments ...

Marshall Amplifiers Marshall is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, brands personal headphones and earphones, drums and bongos. The company also owns a record label called Marshall Records. It was founded in Lond ...

, Engl Amplifiers, GuitarRig and Fishman Fluence Signature pickups. He has been a major endorser of

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, ...

since the mid-1990s with a number of signature six, seven, eight string and baritone models in production. Carpenter currently uses Dunlop .011-.069 gauge strings. He also uses Dunlop 1 mm Tortex picks which are black with a custom logo. Carpenter's current rig consists of only a Fractal Audio Axe-FX II running straight into the venue's PA system. He also uses one or two Electro-Harmonix .22 Caliber pedals to power his monitors.

Discography

With Deftones

* ''

Adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

'' (1995,

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

) * ''

Around the Fur ''Around the Fur'' is the second studio album by American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997, by Maverick Records. The songs "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" were released as singles with ...

'' (1997, Maverick/Warner Bros.) * ''

'' (2000, Maverick) * ''

'' (2003, Maverick) * ''

'' (2006, Maverick) * ''

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the earli ...

'' (recorded 2008, unreleased) * ''

'' (2010, Warner Bros./

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

) * '' Koi No Yokan'' (2012, Warner Bros./Reprise Records) * ''

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

'' (2016, Warner Bros./Reprise Records) * '' Ohms'' (2020, Warner Bros./Reprise Records)

With Sol Invicto

* ''Unidose (Single) '' (2008) * ''Carrion (Single) '' (2008) * ''Initium I'' (2011) * ''Initium II'' (2013) * ''Initium III'' (2016) * ''Morte Et Dabo (Sol Invicto Remix)'' (2011, Sumerian Records) * ''A Lesson Never Learned (Sol Invicto Remix)'' (2011, Sumerian Records)

Guest appearances

*" Savory" – from '' Soon'' by Far (1997) *"Rizzo" – from '' Pass Out of Existence'' by

Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek myth ...

(2001) *"The C.I.A. is Still Trying to Kill Me" – from '' The Future Is Now'' by Non Phixion (2002) *"By_Myslf" – from '' Reanimation'' by

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

(2002) *'' I'd Start a Revolution (If I Could Get Up in the Morning)'' by

Aimee Allen Aimee Allen is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently the lead vocalist for the ska-punk band the Interrupters under the moniker Aimee Interrupter. As a singer-songwriter, she has collaborated with Mark ...

(2003) *''

Blue-Sky Research ''Blue-Sky Research'' is the third major label album by American alternative metal band Taproot which was released on August 15, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan co-wrote three so ...

'' by

Taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

(2005) *"If I Could" – from ''

All 6's and 7's ''All 6's and 7's'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on June 7, 2011, through Strange Music. The album was released to universal acclaim by music critics, and peaked at number four on the ''Billboard 200 ...

'' by

(2011) *"El Sol" - from ''Muerte'' by

Will Haven Will Haven is a noise metal band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 1995, the group issued albums through many labels and have toured with acts such as Deftones and Soulfly before going on a hiatus in 2002. They would regroup in 2005 and con ...

(2018) *"I Once Breathed" - from '' Bloodlands'' by Truth Corroded (2019)

References

External links

*
Carpenter's 2000 Deftones Guitar Rig
GuitarGeek.Com
Carpenter's 2011 Deftones Guitar Rig
GuitarGeek.Com.
Carpenter's 2011 Deftones Pedalboard Diagram
GuitarChalk.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Stephen 1970 births Sol Invicto members Living people American multi-instrumentalists Deftones members Musicians from Sacramento, California Seven-string guitarists Eight-string guitarists American heavy metal guitarists Alternative metal guitarists American musicians of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American musicians Flat Earth proponents