Like many children of the 1980s Randy Rhoads is the reason that I picked up a guitar. That little circular lick in the solo for "Over the Mountain" is still one of my favorites, and when I finally figured out how to play "Dee" all the way through, that was the only thing anyone that came near me heard played for a solid three months. :D

The two guys that have probably most influenced my playing, though, are Tony Iommi and James Hetfield. I'm not a noodler. I'm a rhythm guy. I love a big, heavy slabalicious riff. To me, that's the backbone of the song, and the other stuff, while often impressive, is like icing.

Of course there have been tons of players who have inspired me over the years in one way or another (Dime, Zakk, Criss Oliva, Nuno, SRV, Jon Schaffer, Brian May, Jeff Waters), but if I had to limit it to three, I'd say those are the guys.