Joe Stump

To those in guitar and metal circles, Joe Stump needs little introduction. The Shredlord has been raining down full-throttle neo-classical, shred and speed metal since his debut Guitar Dominance, establishing himself as one of the foremost practitioners of high-octane, classically influenced heavy metal guitar.

Stump has been named one of the Top 10 Fastest Shredders of All Time by Guitar One magazine, one of the 50 Fastest Players of All Time by Guitar World, and one of the Top 20 Shredders of All Time by Guitarist magazine. He has toured the world both as a solo artist and with bands including Joe Stump’s Tower Of Babel, Joe Stump’s Reign Of Terror and HolyHell, and is also the guitarist in legendary hard rock band Alcatrazz. Beyond the stage, Stump is an Associate Professor at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, where he has served as its metal and shred guitar specialist for nearly three decades.

In 2026, the Professor of Shred returns with the pedal firmly to the metal on his new solo album, Lord of the Strings, set for release on October 16th via Silver Lining Music. The 12-track instrumental opus sees Stump laying down the speed and revisiting the classic grounds of traditional melodic heavy metal, while also taking the guitar into lyrical territory and moments of poetic acoustic reflection. From searing riffs to jaw-dropping shred, Stump delivers with extraordinary power, precision and purpose on what the man himself describes as “a heavy metal guitar orgy.”