Alex Skolnick primarily for his influence on their lead guitar playing. Schenker, however, is often not in the discussion when it comes to thrash metal's musical foundation, which is largely attributed to the combination of punk rock, MOTÖRHEAD and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. In a recent interview with Dead Rhetoric's Matt Coe, Schenker explained where he continues to find creativity nearly 50 years into his career: "Because I was always the kid in the sandbox," he said. "Things are fun, playing the guitar with strings to put things together and creating goose pimples. No competition, no comparing, I'm not looking at what other people are doing. How does