The most underrated rock guitarist, according to Slash: “He’s phenomenal”
The world of the music business isn’t necessarily fair when it comes to great musicians. It’s every guitarist’s dream to be praised for how fast that can fly up and down the neck, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be one of the most successful musicians in the world once they hit the big time. Even though Slash is one of the few guitarists who sound like they’re incapable of hitting a wrong note, he still thinks that Tom Morello hasn’t really gotten the credit that he deserves.
Then again, one of the problems surrounding Morello is how much he switches up his style on almost any record. Rage Against the Machine’s riffs don’t sound like Audioslave, and none of his rock-focused lines are going to compare to a project like The Nightwatchman, which is basically Morello trying on his folksy protest persona.
Even when Morello was starting out, part of his mission was to get away from the kind of fretboard theatrics that Slash had become a part of. While what the Guns N’ Roses master did was more indebted to bluesy players like Joe Walsh and Eric Clapton, Morello thought that the technical virtuosity of someone like Yngwie Malmsteen and Eddie Van Halen had been played out. It was time for something new, and he got there by becoming the DJ in the group.
Since Rage’s music came down to a traditional band setup, Morello ensured that his instrument sounded as little like a shredder as possible. So when he decided to solo on tracks like ‘Killing in the Name’ or ‘Bulls on Parade’, the effects were doing most of the work, whether that was using a whammy pedal to send everything into orbit or making noises that sounded like record scratches with no real notes.
While Slash was more inclined to play first and add effects in later, he still thought that what Morello did was beyond compare, telling Louder, “It’s funny ‘cause we all know he’s one of the most inventive, most interesting and most innovative guitarists around, but no-one seems to pay enough attention to him. He’s phenomenal, I know the guy and have played with him… he’s so talented and creative.”
Aside from both musicians being burned into every millennial’s mind by being featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock together, Morello has much more going for him than just the effects. If you think that all he does is make white noise for solos, just listen to the solo break on ‘Take the Power Back’. Regardless of his effects and pedals, that’s the playing of someone who’s studied their fair share of shredders back in the day.
It’s not like he’s necessarily stopped his creative streak, either. While the band themselves have been divisive among the rock community, his contribution to Maneskin’s album Rush!, ‘Gossip’, is one of the highlights of the entire project, featuring him delivering one of the more ferocious solos to be found on a mainstream rock record. Even though Slash doesn’t have to worry about his iconic status, any guitar battle that could take place between him and Morello might be a bit closer than some rock fans might realise.
