Jacky Vincent

Jacky Vincent is a British musician who was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Falling in Reverse from its formation until his departure in 2015 and was the guitarist of the power metal band Cry Venom. Since then, he has concentrated on his solo career and teaching. Vincent has two solo albums: Star X Speed Story, released in 2013 through Shrapnel Records that came third in the Guitar World 2013 readers poll for Best Shred album, and Life Imitating Art released in 2018. Vincent won the Alternative Press Guitarist of the Year award in 2012 and came third (after John Petrucci and Joe Satriani) in the Guitar World "Best Shredder" readers pool awards in 2013.

## Early Years

Jacky Vincent was born 23 January 1989 in Portsmouth, England. He is one of three siblings, having one older brother and an older sister. His father was a luthier who also played guitar, as well his brother. He began messing around with the guitar at the age of 5, played on and off for a few years, but did not start to actually practice until he was around 14–15. His first guitar was a 12 fret cheap nylon string that he inherited from his brother. His first electric guitar was a black Squier Stratocaster included in a guitar pack. He has said that the moment he began taking the guitar seriously was when his cousins introduced him to both Racer X and Michael Angelo Batio. Before this, he primarily focused on playing like Slash and Joe Satriani. During his teen years, he was able to teach himself all of the Best of the Beast by Iron Maiden. Being an all-time fan of Iron Maiden, it was a great honour when Cry Venom were asked to cover "Aces High" on track 10 on Kerrang magazines Maiden Heaven Volume 2 – An All-Star Tribute To Iron Maiden, released in June 2016, accompanying issue 1623 of the magazine. He attended a music school in England, but has never stated which one, but has credited it with helping him with practice schedules.

## Falling in Reverse (2008-2015)

Vincent joined Falling in Reverse in 2008 as a founding member of the band. They released their debut album, The Drug in Me Is You, on 26 July 2011, which peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, selling 18,000 copies in its first week of sales. In December 2019 the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with 500,000 copies sold. Falling in Reverse's second studio album, Fashionably Late, was released on 18 June 2013, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200. The band released their third studio album, Just Like You on 24 February 2015. On 30 October 2015, Vincent left the band on good terms to focus on his solo career.

## Cry Venom (2016-Present)

In 2016, Vincent formed a power metal band called Cry Venom with bassist Niko Gemini, keyboardist Colton Majors, lead vocalist Aleksey Smirnov and drummer Wyatt Cooper.
It is Vincent's first band since his departure from Falling in Reverse in 2015.
They released their debut album called Vanquish the Demon on 6 December 2016.
They embarked on a small club tour dubbed the "Vanquish the West Tour" in mid 2017.
The band was also the opening act for LoudPark in Japan, however, Wyatt Cooper was unable to attend. Because of this, former Falling in Reverse drummer Ryan Seaman reunited with Vincent for the show.

## Personal Life

Vincent moved to the United States at the age of 20 and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In his spare time, besides playing guitar, he has stated that he practices the piano, has a passion for keyboard and plays a Korg Triton Extreme 88. He can be heard playing keyboard solos in songs 'Soul Shines Through' – (Life Imitating Art) and 'Grand Uppah' – (Life Imitating Art). His keyboard inspirations include YUHKI of the Japanese band GALNERYUS and Janne Wirman of the bands Warmen and Children of Bodom.
He trains in Muay Thai, enjoys playing video games and is an avid fan of RPGs, fantasy, and anime. His favorite games are Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. He enjoyed drawing in an anime style, but this was later replaced with guitar playing.