Rock Hits
Mike the Music Snob (Become the Knight) Plays His Favorite Riffs

Mike the Music Snob (Become the Knight) Plays His Favorite Riffs

You don’t become “the metal snob” without having some pretty solid music taste. In this Gear Factor episode, Become the Knight YouTuber and Crusade guitarist Mike the Music Snob plays his favorite riffs.

“Metallica is one of my favorite bands. They were my favorite band for a decade of my life and I remember back when I was 10 or 11 and my brother had gone into the Marine Corps. He was at Paris Island and I had his CD collection. Amongst that CD collection were multiple Metallica CDs including the Black Album and man I fell in love so hard with the Black Album.”

Mike lays down some of Metallica’s “Don’t Tread on Me” — the riff that made him want to get a guitar. “That riff just has this serious swagger. It’s down on the open E just all balls and no bullshit and it just smacks you in the face.”

Mike shares a few other favorites that were crucial in his musical development, ranging from Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Rising Force” back to Metallica again with “The Unforgiven II.”

Digging into his own works, Mike turns the spotlight onto his current band Crusade and their newly released Rising Visionary album. During this episode he serves up “Go Full Epic,” which he describes as “if a progressive metal band could write a jam band song.”

You’ll also get a taste of the smooth flowing single “Insatiable” as well as the epic album closer “Standing Before the Fall.” And if you dig what Mike is laying down, you might want to hop on over to Crusade’s Bandcamp page where you can pick up the Rising Visionary album now. Watch the full Gear Factor episode with Mike Kupris below.

Mike the Music Snob (Become the Knight) Plays His Favorite Riffs

These Are the 17 Songs Metallica Have Never Played Live