Andy LaRocque

Biography

LaRocque started in the Swedish hard rock band Swedish Beauty that later switched names to Swedish Erotica. He also played on the Death album Individual Thought Patterns and the IllWill album Evilution, along with other former members of Mercyful Fate.

According to Metal-Rules.com, Death's Individual Thought Patterns is the 100th greatest heavy metal album of all time. Also according to Metal-Rules, it is the 11th greatest extreme metal album of all time. It is included in Guitar Player Magazine's Metal Guitar albums Top 20.

LaRocque contributed a guitar solo to the track "Cold", featured on the album Slaughter of the Soul by Swedish melodic death metal group At the Gates. Producer Fredrik Nordström was responsible for the idea, and telephoned LaRocque. At the Gates' guitarist Anders Björler gave LaRocque an audio cassette recording of the song. The tape played at the wrong speed at LaRocque's house, so LaRocque had to transcribe the recording. Two days after receiving the cassette, LaRocque laid down a guitar solo for the song within half an hour. Björler described the solo as "great" and in a November 2007 interview admitted he still couldn't play the solo "properly".

He can be heard on other albums as well, such as Falconer's Chapters from a Vale Forlorn, where he performed lead guitars on the song "Busted to the Floor".

He owns a studio called the "Los Angered Recordings" in Angered, Sweden, since 1995, where he records many albums of other bands. In 2007, Andy moved the studio to Varberg and renamed the studio to "Sonic Train Studios" where he keeps producing bands to this date.

He is well known for his signature guitar style incorporating neoclassical elements into his playing, specially by using exotic scales such as harmonic minor, phrygian dominant, diminished minor scale. His extended theory knowledge makes him able to mix these neo-classical scales with other ones such as blues scale or melodic minor. He has a very distinct guitar tone for his solos, and often incorporates layers of harmonies over his scale runs and phrasing. He frequently uses a mixture of classically flavored arpeggio sequences and alternate picked scale runs intermixed with melody lines to create his signature style. He cites Michael Schenker and Randy Rhoads as major influences. He also likes Steve Vai, Tony Iommi, and was impressed by the playing of Chuck Schuldiner when he recorded "Individual Thought Patterns" with him.

With E.F. Band

With King Diamond

With Death

With IllWill

With X-World/5

As guest musician

As producer

Andy LaRocque owns Sonic Train Studios from Varberg, Sweden. Some of the bands and projects which recorded in Sonic Train Studios are:

Compilations