Donny Burbage makes shredding look effortless as he delivers solos with Cradle of Filth in front of 80,000 people. It’s a big turnaround for a gaming nut who initially loathed the guitar.
“I hated being bad at things,” he says. “To push the strings down and make a note seemed so hard.”
But he adds: “I picked my guitar back up because I was bored with playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time on my N64.” The six-string bug attacked him around the age of 13. “I used to practice eight hours a day. When I’m learning a riff, I’ll starve until I nail it!”
Such dedication proved essential when he joined Cradle of Filth in 2022, and had four weeks to learn 16 songs. “My first show with Cradle was in an arena,” he says. “All you can do is play your song and not get burnt by the pyro!”
This isn’t the story of a bedroom guitarist suddenly being catapulted onto the world’s stage: he gained years of experience working as a guitar tech for Evergrey and Nekrogoblikon. “For some reason a lot of players don’t bother to learn how to fix their guitars,” he says.
“But being able to maintain and take care of your instrument is a necessary part of technique. I’ve learned a lot about the things I need for a guitar to allow me to play at a higher level.”
Nothing showcases that level like his melodic death metal band, Aether Realm – arguably the most Scandinavian-sounding group to emerge from the USA. Burbage has built a reputation for his technical skill and obsessive attention to detail.
“Vibrato is the most important thing that no-one works on,” he says to illustrate the point. “Vibrato should be like you’re trying to emulate a singer – it should have a singing quality to it.”
Nuance is super-important on Aether Realm’s albums, he explains. “We double everything, including the leads. The vibrato is doubled. And when there’s a harmony that’s doubled, too. I’m strict about making the vibrato the same for every take.”
It’s not just about mastering the fretboard, he continues. “The sound is more important than your playing ability. I’ll purposefully downpick everything because I think it sounds better. I learned from playing classical guitar to pick down into the string; if you pick across a string, you just get the scratchy attack sound – it loses definition.”
Burbage admits it’s difficult to retain his painstaking approach while performing live. “It’s a skill a lot of people don’t think about: having to nail it every night on stage, over and over again, in a different place, on very little sleep. It’s a cool challenge.”
Much like music, food is how people express themselves
While some musicians struggle under that pressure, he thrives: “If I put a camera on myself, I instantly suck – but if I’m playing in front of an audience, I’m fine.”
He’s proud to have an endorsement with Ibanez, and sports a sleek selection of six-string axes with Cradle of Filth, namely an RG550 (1987), RGR5130, RGT1220 and RGT1221. With Aether Realm he opts for a seven-string RG8527 and a RGD4327. His amp sim of choice is the Neural DSP Quad Cortex.
Of course, it’s not all work. “The best thing about touring is eating food in different places around the world,” he enthuses. “Much like music, food is how people express themselves. Food leaves a cultural footprint that’s like a language.
Burbage is settled in Asheville, North Carolina; but he explains: “I didn’t grow up anywhere; I can’t ever say I’m from anywhere. Asheville has an eclectic culture, incredibly delicious and diverse food, and a vibrant arts scene with a strong emphasis on individuality and self-expression. If that isn’t home, it should be!”
There’s not a day where I don’t play… I love the instrument more than anything in the world
Wherever he is, though, guitar remains at the core of his identity. “There’s not a day where I don’t play. I’m absolutely obsessed – I love the instrument more than anything in the world.”
Whether he’s recording the perfect vibrato in Aether Realm or headlining major metal festivals with Cradle of Filth, Burbage sees music as not just something to play, but something to be mastered, dissected and perfected. “If your entertainment is writing songs, you’re gonna get really good at writing songs,” he argues.
- Cradle of Filth are currently touring the UK.
