yeah,the last guitar-guy i saw Alexi "bash" was Steve Vai(i believe it was in GW mag),and i cant remember the exact words he used,but,even not being a big Vai fan,i was surprised at what Alexi said and remembered laughing & thinking "what the heck has this guy done on the guitar",compared to what Vai has done over the years...it's not that i hate Alexi,and i'm not trying to piss anyone off on this forum who might like him alot,but i just dont see what's so great about his playing ability or his band,for that matter,and where they've made some big contribution to the "metal" world or set themselves apart from the "sea" of other bands,currently,out there(and i love everything from 70's hard rock,up through death/doom/thrash metal music)...oh well,hopefully his band's next album will be better than the last two you mentioned! sorry,just felt like venting...