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INSANE: Vito bratta | Rare Historical Photos

"I said, 'This is our last show.' He said OK. We never, ever talked about why it was so easy to break up the band." The curious story of the thinking man's hair metal band, and where it all went wrong

Two million sales. A dizzying rise. And a cataclysmic fall

Louder

“In the ’80s,MTVbuttered our bread. But after Kurt Cobain wore his grandfather’s sweater in the video forSmells Like Teen Spirit, there was no place on MTV for bands like us and Mötley Crüe”: The life and death of the thinking person’s hair metal band

Two top 10 hits and two million album sales couldn't save them

MusicRadar

“Ozzy had a problem with my short hair. Sharon had a problem with my green guitar – she said it looked like a booger”: The unlucky 13 guitarists who auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne – but didn’t make the grade

A procession of all-time guitar greats tried their hand with the Prince of Darkness but were ultimately rejected – sometimes for surprising reasons

Guitar World

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Two top 10 hits and two million album sales couldn't save them

MusicRadar

"We had a deal one day and it was gone the next, but we still had the money in the bank": The dashed hopes and early trauma of White Lion

White Lion's second album Pride went double platinum, but debut Fight To Survive was a different story altogether

Louder

“‘You got long hair, right?’ Right. ‘And you’re over 6 feet tall?’ I’m like, ‘I’m 5’7 but I’ll have an operation’”: Marty Friedman recalls missing out on joining Kiss because of his height

Yngwie Malmsteen and White Lion's Vito Bratta were also rejected due to image-related reasons

Guitar World

“White Lion was on tour with Aerosmith, and I wanted to switch from Strats and see what Steinberger was all about…”: Vito Bratta on why he made the leap to his iconic ’88 Steinberger GM2T

The former White Lion axe-slinger on how a newfound love of the hi-tech – and a desire to stand apart from Eddie Van Halen –led to an all-new guitar that found its way onto the cover of Guitar World in 1989

Guitar World

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“I was trying to be Dave Navarro or Vito Bratta – those moments where you go into the spotlight with wind blowing”: Terry Corso on how he finally fused ’80s shred with nu metal for Alien Ant Farm’s surprising comeback

Writing shreddiest record yet, Mantras, was like a debut album experience for Corso. He reveals why he’s reveling in building his own guitars, loves surprising audiences with Strandbergs, and the guitar lessons he learned from Stone Temple Pilots’ DeLeo brothers

Guitar World

“It was all automatic Eddie Van Halen comparisons. I wanted something different”: Vito Bratta explains why he switched from Stratocasters to his iconic Steinberger

The shred trailblazer recalls how links to EVH's Frankenstein – and a fondness for high-tech gear – prompted his switch to a headless alternative in the '80s

Guitar World

“My friend came to my taco stand, telling me Leslie West wanted to jam. I was like, ‘What kind of drugs are you on? I’ve never even played a club before’”: At 17, Peter Baron went from street food vendor to playing with a rock guitar icon overnight

Peter Baron spent decades touring with Leslie West. He reveals what the Mountain guitar legend taught him (and vice-versa), and the one-of-a-kind guitar quirk West got from watching Porky Pig…

Guitar World

“People would tell me, ‘Oh, you sound and play just like Eddie Van Halen.’ It got under my skin enough that I called Eddie”: Vito Bratta, one of the definitive ’80s shredders, looks back on a career of world-beating solos with White Lion

The legendary White Lion guitarist sits down for a rare interview to share the stories behind the solos, what it’s like to record with Jimi Hendrix’s Strat plugged into Leslie West’s Marshall, and why his recording career began with disappointment

Guitar World

Meet the daredevil guitarist taking on Vito Bratta's hair-raising White Lion solos – and winning his hero's approval

Mike Tramp sideman Marcus Nand reveals what it's like to step into the shoes of one of '80s shred's most revered players, how he struck up a friendship with his idol, and what makes Bratta distinct from every other virtuoso

Guitar World

“A f**king disaster”: Vito Bratta says White Lion’s debut album left him “devastated” – here’s why

The virtuoso doesn't harbor too many fond memories of White Lion's 1985 LP Fight to Survive, and that's partly because of the guitar tracks that made it onto the final album

Guitar World

Vito Bratta recorded White Lion’s All You Need is Rock 'n' Roll with Jimi Hendrix’s black Stratocaster – and Leslie West’s Marshall amp

West's 100-watt Mountain Marshall is still owned by Bratta, who got his hands on the fabled Strat through Al Kooper – who was gifted the guitar by Hendrix himself

Guitar World

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Guitar World

Sophie Lloyd on the pros and cons of being 2023's reigning shred queen – only in the new Guitar World

Also featuring new interviews with Vito Bratta, Warren Haynes and Jake Kiszka, plus Sevendust, Opeth, Dirty Honey, and a review of the new Boss SDE-3000 EVH Dual Digital Delay

Guitar World

Vito Bratta names 11 guitarists who shaped his sound

The virtuoso behind White Lion’s platinum rock sound pays dues to the players who showed him what to do on guitar (and what not to do), and recalls an emotional encounter with Eddie Van Halen

Guitar World

Vito Bratta recounts emotional meeting with Eddie Van Halen: "I was touched enough to where I had to leave the room, go to the bathroom, and cry"

"I got a lot of s**t from people who said I was aping his style," the White Lion legend told Guitar World in a recent interview. "He didn’t agree"

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