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EMIL WERSTLER, GUITAR GOD

 Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 3:00pm by

Here’s a funny story: earlier this year Daath’s Emil Werstler made one of those “Betcha Can’t Play This” instructional videos for Guitar World. Said video showed him playing so fast that some of the staff of that publication actually accused him of speeding up the video. Once he did another video, showing him at PRS clinic proving he could actually play that fast, was released, all was forgiven, and he’s now made a second “Betcha” vid.

It’s good to Werstler getting the credit he deserves. When Daath’s first album, The Hinderers, was released, none of the press concentrated on the dude’s prowess as a guitar player; now that all that shit about the band allegedly being Kabbalah obsessed mystics or whatever has subsided, it seems like people are more willing to focus on the things that actually make Daath worth listening to: great musicianship and excellent song writing skills.

Here’s the more recent “Betcha” segment; after the jump, check out the older one that got Emil accused of cheating, as well the PRS clip that proves that he is, in fact, just a supreme bad-ass.

-AR

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  • bucketochicken

    meh. Gorgon from Yog Sogoloth is way faster – AND more tasteful.

    • Tim

      Part of me finds it hard to believe a man who calls himself Gorgon can be correctly described as tasteful.

    • Slaughterhouse

      Do you have a link because I tried youtubing him and google but no luck!!!!!!

      • bucketochicken

        Yeah, it’s a little too underground to be found on the likes of the You Tubes.

        • SomeKid

          And, Yog Sogoloth references H.P. Lovecraft in their name, so you know they read good books.

          • Tim

            Knew I heard that before… can’t remember which book it’s from though…

        • bucketochicken

          I guess I should clarify/resate that… not so much “tasteful” as “evil.”

          • Jo

            LOVECRAFT REFERNCES DO NOT DENOTE A GOOD MUSIC

        • Uglymicrowave

          if u cant google him or find him ne where on the web…he probably sucks….

          everyone is lying to you

  • Slaughterhouse

    Emil is the shit! I would have never gotten into DÅÅTH if I hadn’t seen him play on youtube! He is one of my favorites now…right up there with Dimebag, Loomis, Vai, Petrucci, Gilbert, Werstler…..Seriously fucking good!!!!!!

    • Slaughterhouse

      and Chris Storey!!!!!!!!!

      • dlux

        chris storey rules.

        • good one

          chirs storey sucks

  • Tim

    Incredible finish on that guitar.

  • I’m not racist, but I hate Oceano

    I read Emil Wrestles Guitar God. Either way thats some sickeningly fast playing on the 2nd vid.

  • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

    Quite cool… and now I know how the band’s name should be pronounced. (With the Å’s in their name, I always assumed that it should be pronounced ‘Doath’.)

    • Sammy

      It should be pronounced as you originally thought, to be sounds better the way they pronounce it.

  • bob

    W.A.N.K.

  • http://www.blacklodges.com steven

    …zzzz boring….

    riffs>guitar wanking.

    • Ty

      I know what you mean. But in his defense, Daath rarely does that in their songs.

  • JOnny fIve aces

    This is pretty much par for the course by shred standards. why did this cause an uproar, again?

    • LilalCFH

      Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagreed.

      • hellboar

        cause its diminished

  • joshkid

    WOW! Now that’s the epitome of SHRED!

  • Me

    he sounded a lot cleaner in the second video. maybe because of the tone he chose or the way he warmed up. I wish I could bend notes with as good a tone as at the end of the first video..

  • dfl

    best guitarist in metal because hes not a metal guitarist. emil can play anything and everything. for those that dont know, hes highly influenced by greats like jimmy rosenberg and birelli langrene.

  • ColinJ

    Brother-man can play.

    But why do I give a shit about his scales if it’s not moving me emotionally?

    • I’m not racist, but I hate Oceano

      I don’t think he was trying to move anyone emotionally, he’s just playing as fast and proficiently as he can. That doesn’t mean he can’t play emotionally, though.

      • ColinJ

        That’s okay.

        But haven’t we moved away from empty ‘widdly-dilddly-dee’ and tried to find a balance of melodic shredding?

        • moyles

          its a “betcha cant play this” segment from guitar world.. not a “I bet this will move you emotionally, because your a fruit cake” segment..

        • timmah

          Listen to the solo on “Wilting on the Vine.”

  • Johno

    Not that impressive….sounded a bit sloppy to me on the first vid (didn’t watch the second). Seriously it wasn’t terrible but he is far from a guitar god.

  • Sammy

    Anyone named Emil Werstler should not look like that nor speak in a Southern accent. But he is a great guitar player, regardless of what the “he’s not that good” idiots above think.

  • pariah

    it DOES sound better than Dead on the Dance Floor…

  • Sammy

    You nimrods, the segment in Guitar World is called, “Betcha can’t play this”. It’s fast, shredding licks. It’s not called, “Emotional, soulful solos”.

  • MoonSnake

    this is really awesome, but i think rusty cooley’s betcha can’t play this is a little better

    • Malacoda

      Haha. No. Boring as fuck.

  • Malacoda

    Gratuitous bends for the win. I don’t think the second one was cheating.

  • brandonmetal

    is not impressed

  • Fufkin

    Haha – listen to the daddy cools on here missing he point about Betcha Can’t Play This. This guy can shred. And betcha can’t play it either.

  • Slaughterhouse

    Anyone who is claiming its “Boring” “is not impressed”…Post a video of you doing something better and if we can see that you shred better, than your statement can be valid…if not…then don’t comment!

  • FrostMechanic

    See that PRS? I played that at the July 1 Conquer & Curse.

  • minimart

    definitely looks sped up…45 seconds looks kinda strange

  • Bicro

    The dude is a Guitar Bro.

  • Benjamin

    Reverend , reverend

    is this some conspiracy

    :D

    DIMEBAG FOREVER!

  • o0Stacey0o

    My mind is blown. I was a fan of Daath before. I am now in love with Daath after seeing this. ::high five::

  • Celts67

    Wow! Awesome shred. Now maybe he can try and write some halfway decent music and not act like a fucking tool on stage. Doubt it though.

  • DaNi

    what the fashizzle! emil’s a frikkin BEAST. finally he gets some recognition!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Blossom-Fist/100000433745076 Blossom Fist

    Emil is so much more than a shredder…he is a well rounded musician with lots of knowledge and taste and is a good writer as well. I have heard him playing this unplugged and his technique is immaculate. Sped up ? No way….he can play even faster if he wants to. Listen to “The Concealers” album by Daath…..you will hear heavy jazz influence, blues licks, great rhythm playing, django dimished type runs, and of course killer shredding. I’d put up his solo for Wilting on a Vine against anybodys !

  • Matt

    I’m surprised he’s not top 5 with the way you guys repped him around here. I’ve listened to a bit of his stuff and he’s definitely worthy of being on this list but does anyone else see him as a James Murphy clone? Well maybe not a clone but their styles seem very similar, which is sad because pretty much nobody these days knows who the fuck James Murphy is even though he’s played on basically everything.

    • Matt

      Shit i didn’t realize i jumped pages

  • Joe

    He’s a skilled guitarist, but his work in Daath is incredibly boring. I will never understand this site’s raging megaboner for that band. Talley’s drumming is garbage with them too.