He is a versatile bassist who threads grunge, metal, traditional hard rock, alternative, and permutations thereof on record and on stage.
A member of Alice in Chains since 1993, Mike Inez does it all – from lower register grooves to upper register counterpoint as the situation warrants.
An engaging performer, educator, composer, sideman, band member, and collaborator – among Mike’s high-profile gigs aside from AIC includes Ozzy Osbourne, Slash’s Snakepit, Heart, and Black Label Society, to cite a select few.
A hard hitting drop D tuning plectrum player inspired by John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Geezer Butler and his mom’s Elton John and Beatles slabs, among Mike’s weapons of choice include: Ampeg SVT, Fender Bassman, Warwick and Spector basses.
By Thomas Semioli
He is the foundation of an ensemble whose influence, akin to The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, is incalculable – and will be for as long as there is an art form which calls itself rock ‘n’ roll.
Subtract Ozzy and Bill Ward at your own risk – however if you dare eliminate bassist Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler from any version of Black Sabbath: call it a Tony Iommi project, with all due respect to the iconic guitarist and the gifted musicians who nobly served in the various Sabbath mutations.
Geezer wrote the book (and most of Sabbath’s lyrics) by way of his massive tone which fortifies the sound of metal; along with his execution, technique, altered tunings, and innovative use of pedals and effects.
By positioning his right hand at the base of the neck or atop the neck pickup and striking deliberately hard– Butler achieves a brutal crunching resonance that studio bassists and engineers once feared!
Eschewing flash and dexterity for rhythm – Butler’s brilliance lies firmly in the manner in which he encircles the almighty riff – embellishing Iommi’s maudlin motifs with sustained notes, hammer-ons, and glissandos that groove.
Geezer Butler Sound & Vision…
Black Sabbath
“N.I.B.” https://youtu.be/MWTzHHoySaI
“War Pigs” https://youtu.be/S_A6y58afFY
“Supernaut” https://youtu.be/7H4PIWBcnYs
“Hole In the Sky” https://youtu.be/TyiwkLoXTTs
“Sweat Leaf” https://youtu.be/boNNEoXdzIM
Solo Geezer:
“Plastic Planet” https://youtu.be/EHeRbpVhKVo
“Has to Be” https://youtu.be/R-v4eYol15I
With Sabbath firmly in the past, Geezer anchors Deadland Ritual, featuring Matt Sorum, Franky Perez, and Steve Stevens.
“Broken and Bruised” https://youtu.be/RUPp6fD7Jco
KYBP Adjunct Professor Tony Senatore’s Rendition of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” https://youtu.be/2MraS5gK0SM
Courtesy of Black Sabbath Com Deadland Ritual Courtesy of Geezer Butler Com