Narcotics

Arif Mirabdolbaghi is Lethal...
see for yourself... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FMo...feature=related

That being scene, and brad pit now being dead i give to you in my opinion the best bass player in progressive metal, the man from Protest the Hero.



The Video clip above is from the first single Sequoia Throne off of their second album
Fortress. This song was my first protest song, broke the seal for me. Once i learned
this song with its 8 bar tapping got me thinking, i like that. Then my bass playing
changed forever. I learned about 5 songs off Fortress and recommend everyone who
can, to do the same. Fortress is definately the most technical of the bands 3 albums,
full of lots off tapping, slap, and just straight shredding... on da bass. It even
sounds good!

Maybe one of the more, under-noticed bassists, Arif ( A like Awesome rif like a guitar
riff) Took tapping to a new height for me. His many many tapping parts on such
songs as Blood meat, palms read, bone marrow, limb from limb and more really bring
a new respect to the things a bass player of such calibur can do. But not to say
thats all he does, as they are short beautifully melodic tapping parts that orchestrate
with the band perfectly, but also does plenty of root noting it to a breakdown
machine gun beat, or just driving the sh*tt out of that bottom end.




Tone and influence

The iranian bassist born in toronto, uses a spector 5 string im pretty sure
( there is not alot on the net about just him) and he knows how to use it to satisfy
himself and the band and the fans. Protest the hero often has the bass higher in the
mix as a whole so you can hear it, and his tone is more middy as to not blur out
everything else and to be audiable, More so on their newest fantastic bass carried
album Scurillous. He was the composer of the majority of their work as a whole over
most albums ( all of this more notably on scurillous ) Where you can just tell, alot of it
was actually written around the bass ala geezer butler. Their latest album he got
past the tapping part a bit but stayed right on parr with the addition of slap bass in
almost every song! (larry graham style not flea... although fortress has flea style on
spoils)



The album art for their latest album is also of his own family heritage. His Grandfather
in iran was a fairly successful local painter often doing works of pain and passion.
The album piece is one of his works entitled Scurillous, after the album. Which is a
word for things that are vile, vulgar and rude. In this Album there is alot more of the
root noting but always with filler notes to add a certain melody that is otherwise
unaccounted for. But he also has more of the same hard riffs that are just SO SOLID!
and his slap bass is all over and it is magnificent. One of the things i may have
neglected up to this point is, he is a pocket player! Often the guitarists are off doing
some crazy riffage and he just hold it down, so, so, solid. Thats just the thing that
makes him so great, everything he does just could not have been better.



Any way, If you have been in sort of a rut, and are looking for the next step to
advance your bassist...ment.
Then i highly, highly recommend learning some protest the hero songs.
He has a style to me that can only be come by, by being that kind of... foreign?
dont know if thats the right word, but he seems so pure in his bass playing.
That americanized commercialism is a bit less there then i find in most bassists is see now.

My absolute favorite bass player at the moment ( even over took cliff burton )
Arif Mirabdolbaghi is lethal.

Anything Wrong plese let me know, but be gentle


Glad to be back on the ug bass forum.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

gilly_90

Welcome back

I can't stand Protest the Hero to be honest, but you did a good job here and that video was great

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6stringbasshred

I met him in January in a McDonalds before a Protest gig in Manchester. Hes a great guy! Great player too!

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fleajr_1412

Make sure you put your name down for a BPOTM before you do one yourself, it's Dan's turn this month. Stickied.

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Trust and fear not.

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smb

Bacon! How the devil are you?

skater dan0

I'll take my name off for the time being, I start a new job next week so I won't have the time. Bacon, very good BPOTM.

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skippy_moogoose

Not really ever listened to Protest the Hero, but have heard v good things about them, and this thread may just tip it,ill check 'em out, cool to hear about a bassist I dont know about who seems to have some high calibur chops...Im sure somehow I could make some pork based pun here now, to do with chops and bacon, but Im tired, and the exact wording is alluding me...good thread tho dude

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GrStMyGn

I ****ing love Arifs parts. The Main riffs in Wretch, Spoils and C'est la Vie are groovy as hell. I will argue though that I find he is mixed out a lot of the time. Maybe not out, but its hard to hear.

Narcotics

I'm quite good actually! Finally getting some shows and a touch of recordings down! although my new signer is getting terrible reviews and is growing less and less on us each day :P Im trying to configure the encoding on my thing to get some of my new songs up but its being wierd :S




jelous... lol


Sorry Dan did not realize i had to sign up, i was just really excited about doing this for some reason :P

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

Deliriumbassist

He also uses a 5 string headless Steinberger of some description, as seen in the video for Sequoia Throne.

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Narcotics

ya iv always wondered what that was.
wonder why he doesnt use them more :S
more for the recordings only or something ?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

Tostitos

Its a white Spirit by Steinberger XT-25. I'd guess he doesn't use it much seeing as it's just a budget headless bass. His Spectors are all several magnitudes nicer.

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Narcotics

ya, im not a big spector fan, but his do look very high quality

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

thedonutman

Spectors are fantastic. I've owned three (including a green Euro 5 like Arif's) and they've all been amazing sounding and feeling basses.

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Buy my stuff - Ibanez Xiphos XPT700 £300

Narcotics

welcome!

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

c3powil

Narc, Id really like to thank you. This thread made me finally youtube some of their videos, and I really love Protest the Hero. Id only heard about them prior to this, but I was just too lazy to do anything.

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Tossed Sallads and Scrambled Eggs

Narcotics

haha no worries! happy to give some ideas.
i wish there was more things with just arif tho, theres alot of interviews and theres actually one really cool video where its him playing upright, jayda kelly singing and guitar and another dude busking in the street

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Quote:

Originally Posted by anarkee when Moses brought down the plagues upon Egypt one of them involved Behringer amps

Dont be so humble, your not that great....

sneyob

Favorite Bass Player Ever!

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Blindfolds aside I'd probably still close my eyes

And try to feel a trembling fetal life inside
that shotgun barrel that's about to make me bleed

Like an ulcer in the stomach of the beast



CSUSM