Carl August Tidemann’s role and importance in Winds has increased exponentially from album to album. He went from being simply a solo guitarist on the first album to playing all the guitars on the second, and now he has a significant influence over everything from composition to arrangements and production. Carl is perhaps most known and recognized for his unique guitar-solo work, which he has displayed on all his performances from with his first band Tritonus which he started in 1990, to his brief but renowned stint with Arcturus, and through his latest focus and dedication to Winds. Carl has been compared to guitar legends such as Malmsteen, Vai and Petrucci, and being hailed a truly accomplished guitar player with a very unique style he has even been considered by some to be among the very best guitarists in the world. From listening to his playing one would not think that Carl actually didn’t start playing guitar until quite late, at the age of 17. He was a student of the Norwegian guitar-guru Mats Eriksen for a while before he moved to Hollywood for a while to study at the Guitar Institute of Technology where he developed his style even further. Still to this day he is very dedicated to practicing technique and he often spends hours playing guitar every day which leads him to new accomplishment that will surely be featured on many Winds records to come.