Adelaide-based emerging shred lord, YouTube sensation and Fender/ Jackson-endorsed artist, KEYAN recently joined forces with the formidable Marcus Vik of Texan metalcore leaders Invent Animate on the blistering new single 'Arrest'.
The final chapter of a cardiac-themed trilogy of singles, 'Arrest' finalises the notion that even the darkest sides of one's being still share the same heart. 'Arrest' conveys this lyrically, portraying a person battling an internal conflict, struggling to come to terms with the worst version of themselves.Vik lends his vocal prowess to the track, bringing the narrative to life with scorching delivery and haunted melodic moments.
KEYAN is a modern guitarist who has made a name for himself in the guitar community through his social media videos, amassing over 150,000 followers, collecting over 50,000,000 views, and collaborating on guitar and production content with notable acts including Spiritbox, Northlane, Plini, Fit For A King, Alpha Wolf and so many more.
'Arrest' arrives off the back of a milestone moment for KEYAN, following his recent appearances across Australia with Monolith Festival, where he not only hosted his own guitar workshop, but facilitated a workshop for prog legends Periphery, who KEYAN cites as major influences to his journey.
KEYAN's dedication and passion has seen him become a leader in his field, earning him the tick of approval from masters of their craft and seeing him play shows across Australia with monumental progressive metal acts like Animals As Leaders, Intervals, Leprous, Caligula's Horse, I Built The Sky, The Omnific and more.
As one of Australia's most promising young guitarists, KEYAN's shares his top 5 guitarists who have inspired him. "I got my start on socials, and by extension as a guitarist, by covering Periphery songs and demonstrating how to get their guitar tones.
"I would not play guitar the way I do currently, I would not be pursuing music, I wouldn't have the opportunity to host my own workshop – and actually have people show up – if it wasn't for them and their impact on me in my formative years. So without further ado."
Mark Holcomb (Periphery)
All of the guitar players within Periphery are massive inspirations to me. I've always found Mark's playing to be very interesting as he has this almost acrobatic, spider-like way of manoeuvring around the fretboard.Learning his riffs and licks over the years really opened up the guitar for me and broke a lot of restrictive barriers within my playing that I didn't even realise were there in the first place. I would not be moving around the fretboard the way I do if it wasn't for Mark's riffs and influence on me.
Aaron Marshall (Intervals)
Aaron is not only an absolute standup guy, but a fantastic guitar player. I really admire Aaron's cleanliness on the guitar, as well as how consistent he is. I've seen him play every lick, riff and solo from all the albums from about 30cm away and it looks, sounds and feels exactly the way the albums do.Having that sensibility on the fretboard and the consistency to play everything exactly how it was written or even better every single time is astounding, and is something that I try my best to mirror in my own playing, especially live.
Plini
As a young instrumental progressive metal guitarist who is also based in Australia, it's no secret as to why Plini is a huge inspiration to me. I'll be the first person to admit his influence and melodic sensibility around his playing definitely does come across in the softer, sultry excerpts of my own music.Musicianship aside, I'm also inspired by Plini's story and come up in this extremely small niche of instrumental progressive metal guitar music. I try my best to follow in his footsteps and follow the path in which he worked so hard to pave the way for new guitar artists like myself.
Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage)
Killswitch Engage was my gateway into heavier styles of music back in high school around 2013. Admittedly I was a bit late to the party as Killswitch were well in their prime when I was about six, seven years old.Nevertheless, Adam's melodic tendencies and intricate playing around harder styles of music succeeded in reaching future generations, and drew me in initially as a young teen. I have no doubt those foundational findings were the catalysts for taking guitar seriously, eventually manifesting into my obsession with progressive metal later down the line.
John Browne (Monuments)
One thing I enjoy more than anything is heavy riffing and heavy handed rhythm playing, and John Browne of Monuments is the epitome of both of those things.I am 100 per cent sure that just by listening to and learning Monuments riffs over the years, it has shaped my picking hand into what it is today. I often get asked why I pick so hard and why I'm always downpicking, and the answer is simple: John Browne.
KEYAN launches 'Arrest' at Crown & Anchor (Adelaide) on 29 December.
