Joel McIver - 100 greatest guitarists in metal

[Rei-kun]

Here we go, another "Greatest x who do y" list. I got this from Jeff Waters's FB feed where he's listed as #3. I have so many problems with this list (like James Hetfield being # 8 ), but my doctor told me to avoid stress to keep my blood pressure down. Anyway, Here is the list.

1 Dave Mustaine- Megadeth
2 John Petrucci- Dream Theater
3 Jeff Waters- Annihilator
4 Zakk Wylde- Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne
5 Dimebag- Pantera, Damage plan
6 Tony Iomi- Black Sabbath
7 Trey Azagthoth- Morbid Angel
8 James Hetfield- Metallica
9 Mikeal Akerfeldt- Opeth, Bloodbath
10 Chuck Schukdiner- Death, Control Denied
11 Fredrik Thordendal- Meshuggah
12 Pat Obrien- Cannibal Corpse
13 Alex Skolnick- Testament
14 Ralph Santolla- Deicide, Obituary, Iced Earth
15 Kirk Hammett- Metallica
16 Tom Morello- Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave
17 Ihsahn ( Vegard Sverre Tveitan)- Emperor
18 Kerry King- Slayer
19 Mick Thomson- Slipknot
20 Herman Li- Dragonforce
21 Alex Laiho- Children Of Bodom
22 Jeff Hanneman- Slayer
23 Phil Demmel- Machine Head
24 Samoth (Tomas Haugen)- Emperor, Zyklon
25 Glen Tipton- Judas Priest
26 Marty Friedman- Megadeth, Cacophony
27 James Murphy- Death, Testament
28 Michael Amott- Arch Enemy, Carcass
29 K.K Downing- Judas Priest
30 Marten Hagstrom- Meshuggah
31 Alex Auburn- Cryptopsy
32 Ron Jarzombek- Watchtower, Blotted Science
33 Christopher Amott- Arch Enemy
34 Bjorn Gelotte- In Flames
35 Erik Rutan- Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel
36 Eric Peterson- Testament
37 Rudolf Schenker- Scorpions
38 Jeff Loomis- Nevermore
39 Fredrik Akesson- Opeth
40 Andres Bjoler- The Haunted, At The Gates
41 Adrian Smith- Iron Maiden
42 Michael Schenker- Michael Schenker Group, Scorpions, UFO
43 Dino Cazares- Divine Heresy, Fear Factory
44 Waclaw 'Vogg' Kieltyka- Decapitated
45 Jensen (Patrik Jensen)- The Haunted
46 Rob Barrett- Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation
47 Dave Murray- Iron Maiden
48 Kai Hansen- Gamma Ray. Helloween
49 Andreas Kisser- Sepultura
50 Devin Townsend- Strapping Young Lad
51 James Root- Slipknot, Stone Sour
52 Karl Sanders- Nile
53 Corey Beaulieu- Trivium
54 Matt Bachand- Shadows Fall
55 Gary Holt- Exodus
56 Rand Burkey- Atheist
57 Mille Petrozza- Kreator
58 Scott Ian- Anthrax
59 Timo Tolkki- Stratovarius
60 Andy La Rocque- King Diamond, Death
61 Martin Larsson- At The Gates
62 Chris Degarmo- Queensryche
63 Niklas Sundin- Dark Tranquility
64 Andre Olbrich- Blind Guardian
65 Jon Schaffer- Iced Earth
66 Synyster Gates ( Brian Haner JR.)- Avenged Sevenfold
67 Matt Heafy- Trivium
68 Piotr Wiwczarek- Vader
69 Dallas Toler-Wade- Nile
70 Jason Mendonca- Akercocke
71 Jesse Pintado- Terrorizer, Napalm Death
72 Marc Rizzo- Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy
73 Zacky Vengeance (Zachary Baker)- Avenged Sevenfold
74 Jack Owen- Decide, Cannibal Corpse
75 Sam Totman- Dragonforce
76 Matt Tuck- Bullet For My Valentine
77 Matthias Jabs- Scorpions
78 Kirk Windstein- Down, Crowbar
79 Thomas Fischer- Celtic Frost, Hellhammer
80 Janick Gers- Iron Maiden
81 Dan Spitz- Anthrax
82 Chris Poland- Megadeth, Ohm
83 Dave Suzuki- Vital Remains
84 Michael Weikath- Helloween
85 Max Cavalera- Soulfly, Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy
86 'Fast' Eddie Clarke- Motorhead, Fastway
87 Michael Denner- Mercyful Fate, Force Of Evil
88 Stefan Elmgren- Hammerfall
89 Galder (Thomas Rune Andersen)- Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child
90 Paul Allender- Cradle Of Filth
91 Paul Masvidal- Cynic
92 Mantas (Jeff Dunn)- Venom
93 Robb Flyn- Machinehead
94 Dan Swano- Edge Of Sanity, Bloodbath
95 Joe Duplanter- Gojira, Cavalera Conspiracy
96 Michael Romeo- Symphony X
97 Jim Martin- Faith No More
98 Matt Wilcock- Akercocke, The Berzerker
99 Peter Lindren- Opeth
100 Euronymous (Oystein Aarseth)- Mayhem

Ja

Rei

 

[dionysus11]

Wow what a sad joke this list makes me sick it's so bad.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

Not that I expected to see them on the list, I guess, but the fact that Jorn Viggo from Pagan's Mind and Mattias from Freak Kitchen aren't on the list is just a crime. This, when they've included dudes from Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Shadows Fall, and Bullet for my Valentine...and put all three of those above Paul Masvidal.

It's worthless to bitch about I guess, but I did anyway.


Edit: and a dude from Slipknot is above Andy LaRocque. I'm done. I'm not clicking on this thread again. Sorry. I choked on my coffee. I get bitter this early in the morning. I gotta go do the weather now.

 

[AngraRULES]

Mattias Eklundh? Kiko Loureiro? Stefan Forte?

Herro?

 

[mel_progson]

(like James Hetfield being # 8 )

You think James should be lower on the list? Or not on the list at all?

 

[Harvester]

This was my favorite part!

80 Janick Gers- Iron Maiden
96 Michael Romeo- Symphony X

 

[Still Remains]

Dave Mustaine #1 and Marty Friedman #26 Good Lord!!

 

[Metal_Camden]

This was my favorite part!

80 Janick Gers- Iron Maiden
96 Michael Romeo- Symphony X

Hahaha! I mean really, how in the world can someone put these people that low on the list.

I was going to rant but the list is soo far off what it should be. It just seems like a giant trolling list lol

I mean Dave is number one with no mention at all of Chris Broderick? Or Chris Impelliteri?

 

[Harvester]

Hahaha! I mean really, how in the world can someone put these people that low on the list.

Just to clarify, Janick doesn't belong in my local hometown Top 100 metal guitarists.

 

[Metal_Camden]

Just to clarify, Janick doesn't belong in my local hometown Top 100 metal guitarists.

Based on this list though, I would still say he's better and more worthy of a 'top20' position over the dude from Slipknot!

Edit: not that he isn't a good guitarist, I just think a maiden guitarist would know a little more about music composition.

 

[Rei-kun]

(like James Hetfield being # 8 )

You think James should be lower on the list? Or not on the list at all?

Lower on the list. Then again, I have no idea what this guys criteria is to be a "Great Metal Guitar player". When you say the name James Hetfield, I think frontman first, guitar second. now if Kirk Hammett was #8 instead of #15, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

Ja

Rei

 

[Palabra de Dios]

I still think James is a great guitarist. Some of his solos are better than Hammett solos (he doesn't rely too heavily on the goddamn wah pedal), and his riffs are crushing. To play those riffs and sing at the same time takes great talent. And Jon Schaffer is the greatest rhythm guitar player ever in my opinion. Even he deserves a spot on the list. But the omissions and placements based purely on popularity are laughable.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

Also, why are both guitarists for Slipknot listed? Have I missed something, where both guitar players for Slipknot are listed and a myriad of prog/power/thrash guitarists remain dormant? This IS a heavy metal list and not a greatest of all genres list right?

Extra bitching over. Back to doing the news.

 

[dcowboys311]

To play those riffs and sing at the same time takes great talent.

Plus the INSANE DOWNPICKING.

Also, why are both guitarists for Slipknot listed?

They only have two?

 

[euleria]

There are 8 billion errors on this list of 100, but to pick at just one silly one:

Rudolf Schenker ahead of Michael, and no mention of Uli Roth? If you're going to regard Rudolf to be a metal guitarist, then I can't begin to comprehend...

Where's the :exploding brains: emoticon?

 

[AeonicSlumber]

Mattias Eklundh? Kiko Loureiro? Stefan Forte?

Herro?

Who who and who? *

This list is actually way better than I thought it'd be. Haters gonna hate everything. I think Mustaine at number one is really stupid though, and I don't agree with some of the ordering.

Also while James is a terrible guitarist now, he was one of the tightest rhythm players in metal and pretty much re-defined that style of playing. Even in the thrash scene, nobody played that razor-sharply.


(*inb4 raeg. I'm a huge Freak Kitchen fan, but lettuce be sereal)

 

[Palabra de Dios]

I really think IA is only respected in Sweden (where he's guested for bands like Evergrey and Soilwork among others) and in niche communities elsewhere. I'm guilty of not know his or Freak Kitchen's music until before their ProgPower performance. But that goes with several other bands that do have guitar players on that list.

Next will be Revolver's Top 50 most brutal albums with Sepultura - Roots right at the top or some shit.

 

[Comic Book Dude]

Bah...no Yngwie, no Paul Gilbert....no good!

 

[nomisofsiman]

I'm so very confused. This list is like a couple years old. Why are we talking about it? Why do we all care so much about these sort of lists when realistically, no list is ever going to be to everyone's likings?

 

[zinescene]

Any "Metal" list that doesn't even breathe the words "Randy Rhoades" in it's top 5 let alone omit him completely is a complete waste of space.