It's a balance between getting the right string gauge that's thick enough where it sound good, and not rubber bands - but not too thick where your hands start to get real tired.

First and foremost, with everybody we wanted to see if they can pull off the songs, play them correctly, and that they it felt right musically. That's something Mike [Mangini] did, it felt like the band. He really gets the style and delivers in a powerful metal way.

Dark master of sin, now my soul is yours.

You might pick up some influences from another type of music that you wouldn't normally think of, but, you know, maybe as a guitar player, it will come out in your improvisational style, maybe as a song writer it might come out in your note choices, or in your melodic choices, and it just helps to making your music that much more original and unique.

It's hard to answer that from my own perspective because when I'm playing I know where it is coming from and the sources.

Obviously [Black] Sabbath is definitely a huge name and of course deserving with Ozzy coming back.

Music is a communication. It's a two-way street. You need people to play to in order to make that connection complete. That's the way we look at it.