When you type in ‘badass metal player’ on Google, Keith Merrow doesn’t show up – but he should. For years Keith has served as a studio musician and a brutal player who has recorded several albums and whose videos have been seen by over 1,700,000 people on YouTube. In this installment of Voices of Metal, we sit down with Keith and talk metal.

First, we need to ask the question that is on everyone’s mind… When are the Merrow Signature Socks coming out?

“Haha, they actually already are! http://www.socksrule.com/proddetail.asp?prod=KeithMerrow “

That’s great, okay we got to get some. So you have a really great tone – and some amazing playing ability. How did you learn to play the way you do? Were you largely influenced by any particular players?

“Thank you! I’ve been playing guitar for about 18 years now, and I’m self-taught. I grew up playing death metal, and sort of adapted that style into my technique for everything that I play. I’m influenced by a lot of different players, from Billy Gibbons to Jeff Loomis, and everyone in between!”

What was it like working with Jeff and having him record with you?”

It was an honor and a privilege. Jeff is a phenomenal player, and a very humble guy. He’s really fun to hang out with. When it comes to laying down guitar tracks, he’s like a machine. Pretty incredible to watch! Some of the stuff he pulls out of thin air when he’s just sitting there messing around, guitarists like me only wish we could do!”

You’re pretty well known for getting a downright brutal tone, whether it be chug or riffing – what gear do you use and how important are the various components in your overall tone?

“I have a few different pieces of gear that I like to use for guitar. A Kemper Profiling Amp, a Fractal Audio AxeFX, and an original Peavey 5150. I typically use the 5150 when I do final recordings, because it works out pretty well for me. More recently, I’ve been using a Rhodes Colossus H100, and it’s probably the most brutal tone yet! The guitars I use are Bernie Rico Jr. and Strictly 7 custom guitars. At the moment, all my recording guitars are equipped with either Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortions, or the Invader model. They contribute a lot to the tone. Makes the guitars sound and feel a lot more lively than anything else I’ve used.”

Let’s talk DeMisery and Hive of Mutation. What inspired you to write this album?

“My partner on that collaboration, Gord Olson (guitar/vox), and I had been talking about writing a traditional Death Metal album for quite some time. One day, we just decided to start writing for the album, and it all just poured out of us in a short amount of time. It was fun to re-visit some of that old school death metal flavor, and it’s something I wish I would have done a long time ago! Our inspiration for this album was essentially all the great Death Metal bands we listened to when we were learning to play. Demisery is our tribute to those bands.”

Do you ever do any touring/shows or do you mainly consider yourself a studio musician?

“It’s rare that I play out these days. I’m pretty much a studio guy. I’m in college full time, have a wife and kid, etc. I’ve been invited to play a few festivals here in the states this year, and possibly a couple overseas. We’ll see!”

Several months ago, Ola dressed up in a full body suit for a video – do you have any plans to match or exceed that?
“Nobody can ever match or exceed Ola. Ever. lol. Ola is great, and such a fun guy. People keep telling us to work together on some music. That would be a lot of fun!”

You guys both use Strictly 7, is that your main guitar?

“The guys at Strictly 7 are designing me a signature model guitar, and I’m currently using a prototype of it for a lot of recordings. It’s fantastic! It’ll be Duncan equipped. I also have some other guitars that are a staple in my home studio, such as the BRJ customs.”

You have a pretty direct relationship with your fans through YouTube, Facebook and your website. How do you believe the internet has helped or not helped the scene as a whole?

“If it wasn’t for the internet, I wouldn’t be here doing this interview with you guys, haha. So for guys like me, the internet is a fantastic thing. It’s a great way to get yourself heard. I tell people all the time: never hesitate to put your own music on the internet for other people to hear, even if you think it sucks! It doesn’t matter, just get it out there! You never know what might happen. I never knew, or even dreamed of getting as far as I have (however far that is).”

To learn more about Keith, check out the links below:

http://www.keithmerrow.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/diobolic5150