Full disclosure: I had never heard of Monte Pittman before I received a promo copy of his new single 'Dark Horse'. However, upon reading the press release that accompanied the single, I was surprised that I wasn't familiar with his work.

Monte spent time in Prong but he's known best for being Madonna's guitarist. I remember footage hitting the internet a few years back of Madonna playing the main riff from Pantera's 'A New Level' and wouldn't ya know - Monte taught her how to play it. It's no secret that I'm not a fan of pop, but the biggest pop star in the world playing Pantera riffs in front of an arena full of people makes me smile.

A fellow Texas boy, Monte grew up in Longview but left for the bright lights of L.A. when he was 24. He eventually started giving guitar lessons and one of his first students was Madonna's husband, British film director Guy Ritchie. A little while after that, he started giving Madonna lessons and before long was invited to join her band.

That's a helluva day job but when metal is in your blood, you gotta scratch that itch from time-to-time. Monte did a couple of rock EP's but famed producer Flemming Rasmussen pushed him to release a metal album after hearing some of the heavier tracks he had demoed. The result was The Power of Three, Monte's return to heavy music.

Monte dialed the BuzzLine for the 2/15 edition of the Oath. We talked about his recent deal with Metal Blade Records, working with the legendary Rasmussen and more. Listen to our conversation below.

Monte Pittman Interview Part I

Monte Pittman Interview Part II

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