Greatest thrash metal LEAD guitar players

[Stormwatch]

Regardless of riffs, or what songs they wrote, or anything else like that - which thrash guitarists wrote and played the best SOLOS and lead lines?

I'd have liked to post a poll where you can select at least two options, but you can't, so I'm gonna have to vote Marty Friedman first, with Jeff Waters second.
Where a band has two (or more) lead guitarists I've just put the band (unless it someone really obvious like Dave mustaine or Marty).

 

[Stormwatch]

Ah, OK, you CAN do a multiple choice one. Cool.
Well, I chose Marty Friedman simply because he IS God. I even love his fucking solo albums, J-Pop or whatever you want to call it, I just love his guitar playing.
I also chose Jeff Waters, his solos blow me away, perfect blend of technical skill, speed and feel (just like Marty).

And, fuck you all, I also chose Kirk. I know he's shit these days, but the solos he did on the first four or five Metallica albums are fantastic. "Fade To Black", "Master of Puppets", "Eye of the Beholder", "One", fucking legendary. No, he's not technically great, and his stuff over the past couple of decades has been pretty turgid but those first few albums....perfect.

 

[Stormwatch]

Oh, I should have put an "other" option but I forgot Sepultura and couldn't really leave them out although I doubt anyone will vote for Andreas.
Don't forget Chris Poland!

 

[aliasp]

Great thread man!

I love Marty too but I also think in tandem with Dave on RIP they were simply the best. The duelling solos on Holy Wars and Tornado on Souls are probably my all time favs.

I too also think Kirk is great.

 

[ironmaidenfan09]

DIMEBAG blows away all of these guys imo and he's not even on the list.

 

[mrthrax]

DIMEBAG blows away all of these guys imo and he's not even on the list.

 

[Social Distortion]

I voted for Marty Friedman. I would have also voted for Dimebag, but Marty is and always will be my number one lead guitarist in any metal band.

 

[johnnieCzech]

DIMEBAG blows away all of these guys imo and he's not even on the list.

Pretty much. Voted for Waters and Friedman.

 

[Stormwatch]

DIMEBAG blows away all of these guys imo and he's not even on the list.

Pantera weren't a thrash band, why would I have put him on there? Only Cowboys From Hell was anything like a thrash album. I don't remember anyone ever calling anything the Big Five, since Pantera were easily up there with Anthrax on record sales.
Do you just like to have a little gripe about everything?

 

[Thrashard]

true, Pantera weren't a thrash band but they are considered Thrash by some people, the same goes for Iced Earth.

 

[johnnieCzech]

Cowboys sound pretty thrash to me.

 

[Stormwatch]

Yeah, Cowboys was pretty thrash, and on Iced Earth, Something Wicked is a pretty thrash album. But they're not classed as thrash bands by most sensible people just because they have some thrash elements.

 

[Thrashard]

Iced Earth's 'Stormrider' is pretty thrashy and John Schaffer is one of the best rhythm guitar-players in Metal, just like Scat.

 

[Stormwatch]

And Ralph Santolla is one of the best guitarists in metal too, but I think most people would class Iced Earth as either just classic metal or even power metal, rather than thrash.

 

[Thrashard]

imo they are Power Metal.

 

[mrthrax]

Pantera weren't a thrash band, why would I have put him on there? Only Cowboys From Hell was anything like a thrash album. I don't remember anyone ever calling anything the Big Five, since Pantera were easily up there with Anthrax on record sales.
Do you just like to have a little gripe about everything?

When u think of thrash it's an old old term,in fairness to pantera were to good a
Band to be considered thrash, what they were was one heavy fucking band

 

[ironmaidenfan09]

Pantera weren't a thrash band, why would I have put him on there? Only Cowboys From Hell was anything like a thrash album.

What kind of music would you call this? Just curious. Doesn't sound so outrageous to say Pantera is Thrash or that Dimebag wasn't a Thrash guitar player

 

[Stormwatch]

I own all the Pantera albums, I know what they sound like.

 

[mrthrax]

Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work

sounds alot like pantera to me,although pantera is much greater than that term

 

[ironmaidenfan09]

Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work

sounds alot like pantera to me,although pantera is much greater than that term

no no, stormchaser says differently so it must not be true. Sepultura is considered thrash metal to him but not Pantera