Neelakantan performed Curse of the Legions of Death at the band's show in Las Vegas, where she showcased her lightning-fast alternate picking technique
(Image credit: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)
Maya Neelakantan has had quite a year. From appearing on America's Got Talentto stunning audiences with her metal-meets-sitar interpretation of Metallica’s Master of Puppets, she is quickly establishing herself as a masterful shredder despite her young age.
This past week, Neelakantan further cemented her rising star status with a surprise appearance at a Testament concert, where she performed Curse of the Legions of Death [from 1987's The Legacy] alongside the band at their House of Blues concert in Las Vegas last Friday (September 13).
“Once my AGT finished, now that I was free, I was able to go to the Testament concert in Las Vegas! I’ve never been to a heavy metal concert so I thought it’ll be a great opportunity! I texted Eric Peterson [Testament's rhythm guitarist] and we thought it would be really fun if I could jam a song together with the band,” Neelakantan recounts.
Testament with 11 Year Old Maya Neelakantan In Live Concert - "C.O.T.L.O.D" - YouTube
“He picked a really fast old-school thrash metal song Curse of the Legions of Death for me and he even showed me the riffs and taught me his solo so I can play that together with Alex Skolnick on stage.”
The young shredder goes on to say that the song features the fastest alternate picking she has ever played. She tackled the challenge head-on, as evidenced by her electrifying performance, wielding her Gibson Dave Mustaine Flying V EXP. Testament frontman Chuck Billy even called her “the future of heavy metal”.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
