Learn Some Killer Down and Corrosion of Conformity Riffs from Pepper Keenan

There’s very little debate about what I’m about to say and if you have problems with the statement, you’re just wrong. Okay, here goes: one of the great riff lords of our time is the great Pepper J. Keenan. From Corrosion of Conformity‘s Blind to Down’s Down IV – Part II and everything else in between, the man has a killer right hand and a knack for writing some tasty riffs over the years.

Earlier today, Gibson TV released an 80 minute-long YouTube video featuring nothing more than Pepper Keenan sitting on a stool, guitar in hand, and going over some of the more noteworthy riffs in his career. In between each song he teaches, he shares some bits of wisdom or a behind-the-scenes anecdote that manages to make the video interesting even for people that have never picked up a guitar before.

What I find particularly interesting about this video, however, isn’t the songs he selected or anything he said about a particular riff, but rather that it’s a Gibson video altogether. Pepper and his fellow CoC guitar player Woody Weatherman were turned on to ESP guitars by Metallica’s James Hetfield back when they toured together in the late 90s. Almost every time after that, you see the guys playing Vipers instead of Gibson SGs. I admit I haven’t exactly been keeping up with who’s endorsed by who these days, but it’s just interesting to see Pepper holding an original Gibson SG playing these tunes.

What’s also interesting is the fact that Pepper was able to take time out of working on both Corrosion of Conformity’s double album and Down’s new offering.

So yeah, if you’re a fan of some good ol’ Southern sludge metal and want to play some killer downtuned riffs from Deliverance, Wiseblood, and In the Arms of God, as well as Down’s NOLA and Down II, this is the video for you.

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