Rob Arnold (born January 3, 1980) is an American musician, best known for performing as the

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the feature ...

ist of the metal band

Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek m ...

and later the rhythm guitarist of the death metal band Six Feet Under. In an interview with Roadrunner Records, he named

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica, he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, ...

, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott,

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...

and

Kerry King Kerry Ray King (born June 3, 1964) is an American musician, best known for being the co-lead guitarist and songwriter of thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and remained a member for nearly four decades. ...

as being influential to his playing styl

Some of his favorite bands include

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wi ...

, Slayer,

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thras ...

, and

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little rad ...

. Arnold is endorsed by

ESP Guitars is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments under severa ...

and has his own signature model, the RA-600, which has an M body shape based on the ESP LTD m-1000. In Chimaira, Arnold preferred the drop-C tuning (CGCFAD). He also uses custom ESP 7-string guitars, tuned to drop-A (AEADGBE). Arnold has been a long-time user of Peavey amps, using the 5150II since the beginning of Chimaira. Since the mid-2000s, he uses a Peavey 6505+ amp head paired with a Mesa Boogie Cabinet. He uses Custo
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DR Guitar Strings (11-52)
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cables, a Digitech GSP1101 Processor, an ISP Decimator pedal, a Boss tuner pedal, a Furman power conditioner, a Peavey wireless system, and EMG 81 guitar pickups. During the mid-2000s, he released a Signature Series guitar with ESP Guitars based on his custom RA-3 model. It is called the ESP LTD RA-600. He also has an instructional DVD available through The Rock House Method which focuses on metal guitar, soloing, riffing, and song writing. Arnold is also the lead guitarist for his band, The Elite, with former Baphomet/Stemm front man T.J. Frost, and Bleed the Sky/

DevilDriver DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, drummer Davier Pérez, bassist Jon Miller and rhythm guitarist Alex Lee. The band was ...

drummer Austin D'Amond. They released an EP titled ''WW3'' in July 2009, and their debut full-length album ''Total Destruction'' in September 2018. On February 27, 2011, it was announced that Arnold along with fellow Chimaira guitarist Matt DeVries, and former Chimaira drummer,

Kevin Talley Kevin Talley (born May 21, 1979) is an American heavy metal drummer for Sylencer and Feared. He was part of Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Six Feet Under, Nothnegal, Chimaira, Suffocation and Dååth, and toured with Battlecross in 2013. Histor ...

, would be joining the band Six Feet Under. Arnold, Talley, and Six Feet Under vocalist, Chris Barnes, wrote and recorded 2011's ''Undead'', then briefly toured Europe and the United States. In November 2011, it was confirmed that Arnold would be leaving Chimaira after their Chimaira Christmas '11 show for personal reasons. On May 22, 2012, Six Feet Under announced that guitarist Ola Englund would be replacing Arnold, who planned to retire from touring. The band suggested that Arnold may perhaps remain a central writing partner and collaborator on future Six Feet Under releases. Currently, Arnold writes, produces, and mixes music for himself and others at his own RobArnoldWorld Recording Studio, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Discography

;Chimaira *'' This Present Darkness'' (2000) *'' Pass Out of Existence'' (2001) *''

The Impossibility of Reason ''The Impossibility of Reason'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Chimaira, released on May 13, 2003. It is the first album to feature Matt DeVries on rhythm guitar. The album is a noted for its groove metal-oriented ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2005) *''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

'' (2007) *'' The Infection'' (2009) *'' The Age of Hell'' (2011) ;Six Feet Under *''

Undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by ...

'' (2012) *'' Unborn'' (2013) * ''Unburied'' (2018) ;The Elite * ''The WW3 EP'' (2009) * ''Total Destruction'' (2018) ;The Disaster * ''Healing Process'' (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Rob 1980 births Living people Lead guitarists Musicians from Cleveland American heavy metal guitarists Guitarists from Ohio Chimaira members Six Feet Under (band) members 21st-century American guitarists