In this feature from the October 2015 issue of Guitar World, the guitarists of Five Finger Death Punch, Bullet For My Valentine, We Came As Romans and other metal acts tell how they'll beat the heat and tame the crowds on the season's biggest tours.
TODAY: Devil You Know guitarist Francesco Artusato
Tips for playing in extreme heat
Pour water over your head before going on stage, especially if you have long hair. Drink as much water as possible. Sometimes I even soak my shirt with water before a very hot show.
Must-have on-the-road item
Beard conditioner. It’s getting ridiculously long now and I have to take care of it, otherwise it looks like a crow’s nest in the mornings.
Best live show I’ve ever seen
Liquid Tension Experiment in Los Angeles in 2008. I wanted to see that band live so bad. I started playing guitar after listening to their first record. And the show was just amazing. Exactly what I was expecting from them.
Tips for winning over a tough crowd
Show absolute confidence that you are giving 110 percent. Eventually they’ll get it…as long as your music doesn’t suck.
Most fun song to play live
“A New Beginning.” It’s the first song we play in our set and it’s obviously a very energetic track that gets the crowd pumped. A lot of fun riffs to play too.
Best song I’ve heard this year
“Ancestral” by Steven Wilson. He’s one of my favorite artists and I pretty much love everything he does. He put out a new solo album this year and it’s great!
Gear I couldn’t live without
My Custom Shop Ibanez RGA 7 string guitar. It’s one of the most unique guitars I’ve ever played. Everything about that guitar is special and somewhat different. Incredible amount of resonance and tone richness.
Craziest performance injury
I sprained my right ankle pretty bad once while performing and my foot slipped on a monitor. I obviously had to keep playing, and the rest of the tour was not easy because of that. I’m extremely careful now while on stage.
Here's the lyric video for "A New Beginning":
“Eruption was my phone alarm for a while – we have a love-hate relationship because it woke me up every morning”: Sophie Lloyd names 10 guitarists who shaped her sound
“Loads of guitarists could knock spots off Neil Young, but he’s aware of his limitations and hasn’t spent his energy perfecting his technique. I’ve carried that forward”: Meet Steve Logan, the singer-songwriter putting a distinctly Welsh spin on Americana
