We’ve teamed up with Chained Saint guitarist Ethan Kahn for his picks of the seven riffs that changed his life. Check ’em out below and definitely check out Chained Saint‘s latest single right here – it’s a rager.

“Feel the Pressure” – Drain

The opening riff to this song is a hardcore masterpiece. Hearing it for the first time had me stank facing and wanting to throw something. This riff absolutely made me want to play heavier stuff, and write riffs that give people the same reaction that I had hearing it for the first time.

“Scatterbrain” – Jeff Beck

Hearing the main riff to this track was a surreal experience for me. The use of chromaticism and half steps shook my younger self, only making me want to understand it even more.

“Shed” – Title Fight

Without a doubt, the main riff is easily in my top 10 of all time. This entire track alone has so many riffs that continue to influence my guitar playing now, but none of them stick out more than the opening riff to this song.

“Arise” – Sepultura

As a thrasher, the opening riff became my bible. This riff alone was certainly what made me want to write the type of music I do now. A perfect mix of speed and aggression.

“I’m the One” – Van Halen

A classic. The main riff to this song is what propelled me to want to incorporate leads with rhythm, and ultimately become a lead player. The mix of fast little licks while still keeping that groovy riff going really set it apart from the rest for me.

“Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres” – Rush

I’ve always been a major Rush fan, but only this song has had the biggest impact on me as a musician. As much as I love this track, nothing compares to the first time I heard it, where the whole band comes in and creates an almost dream like experience. This one really opened my eyes to what is possible when writing music, and made me want to try it myself.

“Aqua Dementia” – Mastodon

My first reaction when hearing the opening riff was no more than simply, wow. I didn’t even know I could make my guitar sound like that, and it really inspired me. Hearing and learning that riff really taught me the importance of proper technique. It is still hard to wrap my head around it, but it only made me want to understand it more.