Who are todays generation of heavy metal guitar heroes?

[cslebn]

Marco Sfogli - I just find his riffs enjoyable, he seems to be able to combine fat and tasty riffs with technical runs and that is something I wish we could see more of
George Bellas
Tim Miller and Luke Hoskin (PTH) - you can hear them mature and their skill catch up to their writting as the albums progress
Tom Eklund
Daniel Gildenlow - I know PoS takes a lot of heat on the boards but I still enjoy the writing and the way the solos come together. There may not be as much flair there but I find it enjoyable. The second half of the solo on A Trace of Blood from remedy lane is fun with all the scoops
Stephen Lill (Vanden Plas) - enjoy the style and structuring used
Kal Groom

 

[TribunalRecords]

Someone had to say it.

i agree his brother Christopher is the better player and far more melodic based.

just listen to his ARMAGEDDON albums, which CM just reissued the two non-death metal ones.

 

[Taliwakker]

I don't think there are that many "new" guitar heroes. All the kids I talk to(I work with middle school ages, 11-14), who are into guitar, they are wearing Metallica shirts and stuff like that. I suppose you could say the new gen. of guitar heroes are Kirk Hammet, Herman Li, Jeff Loomis, STILL Eddie Van Halen, and Dimebag Darrell. Although, a lot of younger players are influenced by Yngwie, Maiden, Priest and the like. I have yet to ear any kid extolling the playing of Avenged Sevenfold, or Bullet For My Valentine, or Slipknot or Godsmack. Maybe it's just the area I reside in, i'm not to trying to make a generalization.

I teach guitar at a music school and pretty much go along with this...infact in the last 3-5 years the only guitarists that could be considered "new" that have been raved about by more than a few students are Alexi Laiho, John Butler and John Mayer...i then do my best to steer them onto the right track.

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

Well, Im only 19, so I guess Im qualified to put in my opinion...

My biggest guitar heroes are:
Eddie Van Halen
John Petrucci
Steve Vai
Jason Becker
Joe Satriani
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
Michael Amott
Michael Shenker
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Glen Tipton
KK Downing
Marty Friedman
Alex Skolnick
Chris Oliva
Chris Poland
And I think you get the point. I don't wanna sit here naming off hundreds of guitarists.

 

[Mr. Zane of HW]

Well, Im only 19, so I guess Im qualified to put in my opinion...

My biggest guitar heroes are:
Eddie Van Halen
John Petrucci
Steve Vai
Jason Becker
Joe Satriani
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
Michael Amott
Michael Shenker
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Glen Tipton
KK Downing
Marty Friedman
Alex Skolnick
Chris Oliva
Chris Poland
And I think you get the point. I don't wanna sit here naming off hundreds of guitarists.

Well I think you really prove my point to some degree. I have even met kids who are influenced by Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. Not to call you a kid, but , your still a kid. hehe BUT, I am an old fart.

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

Well I think you really prove my point to some degree. I have even met kids who are influenced by Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. Not to call you a kid, but , your still a kid. hehe BUT, I am an old fart.

Oh I know Im a kid. And I love it! hahaha

And I only listed my more metal influences. I'm definitely also influenced by Hendrix, Santana, Angus Young, Ted Nugent, Ace Frehley, Uli Jon Roth, Zeno Roth, and hundreds more.

But yeah... Not many newer guitarists are doing anything really interesting. I hate to say it, but the guitar has been taken about as far as it can go in terms of hard rock and metal.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Well, Im only 19, so I guess Im qualified to put in my opinion...

My biggest guitar heroes are:
Eddie Van Halen
John Petrucci
Steve Vai
Jason Becker
Joe Satriani
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
Michael Amott
Michael Shenker
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Glen Tipton
KK Downing
Marty Friedman
Alex Skolnick
Chris Oliva
Chris Poland
And I think you get the point. I don't wanna sit here naming off hundreds of guitarists.

That's great, but you haven't listed one axe slinger that is current. The original intention of the thread was asking about the "new" generation of guitar heros.

By the way, you need to listen to Jake E Lee if you haven't. He should be at the top of your classic list, but that's just my opinion. ...and it's Criss Oliva not Chris.

~Brian~

 

[Mr. Zane of HW]

I think the point of his post was, that as a kid, all his influences are the older ones. There aren't hundreds of new heroes to list. And the fact that this thread has been inundated with lists of older heroes displays, at least a little, the indifference people have with today's young slingers. They're fast, they're technical, but ultimately boring.

 

[Mr. Zane of HW]

I also have to think back to when I was starting to play, at age 14 in 1988, and my heroes were not necessarily the current guys in that era. CC Deville was not an influence at all, neither was John Sykes or Adrian VanDenberg. Slash was a bit, but what influenced me was Randy Rhodes, Jimmy Page, Ace Frehely. I did have a lot of influences of that era(Mark Kendall, Van Halen, etc), but I also had a lot of affection for Gilmour, Beck, Vaughn, Clapton, Hendrix. I guess what i'm wondering, are we talking influential players of today? or are we talking just heroes in the shredder sense? I think in 10 years or so, guitar students will be listening to Herman Li or gus G. with the same awe i listened to Yngwie as a kid.

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

That's great, but you haven't listed one axe slinger that is current. The original intention of the thread was asking about the "new" generation of guitar heros.

By the way, you need to listen to Jake E Lee if you haven't. He should be at the top of your classic list, but that's just my opinion. ...and it's Criss Oliva not Chris.

~Brian~

I listed Michael Amott. He's pretty current. And other than him, it's really only Gus G that I reeally like in more recent metal.

And, how the hell did I forget to mention Jake??? Badlands is one of my all time favorite bands. Voodoo Highway is such an incredible album!

Oh, and sorry about the Chris/Criss mix-up, Im still a kid. I've only been listening to Savatage for a little over a year now, so I don't know every little detail about every person in the band. I just know that they kick ass, and wish I could have seen them back in the day.

 

[edgeofthorns]

I listed Michael Amott. He's pretty current.

Yep, I missed that one, so I stand corrected.

And, how the hell did I forget to mention Jake??? Badlands is one of my all time favorite bands. Voodoo Highway is such an incredible album!

Jake had the chops with the stage presence to boot!

Oh, and sorry about the Chris/Criss mix-up, Im still a kid. I've only been listening to Savatage for a little over a year now, so I don't know every little detail about every person in the band. I just know that they kick ass, and wish I could have seen them back in the day.

I'm sensing some sarcasm here, but someone's name is important to him/her. Plus, Criss is deceased, so people need to honor him with the correct spelling of his name.

~Brian~

 

[Kimavir]

Being a member of the generation in question, I figure I can take the list that old people like, cross them off my generation's current list... and give you the remains.

Alexi Laiho
Mattias "IA" Eklundh
Christopher Broderick
Gus G.

Those are the only newer players I've had non-metal fans walk up and ask if I knew about them. Of course, none of them knew Gus G's stuff pre-Ozzy... and none of them are aware of Freak Kitchen, they just know that IA is awesome.

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

Being a member of the generation in question, I figure I can take the list that old people like, cross them off my generation's current list... and give you the remains.

Alexi Laiho
Mattias "IA" Eklundh
Christopher Broderick
Gus G.

Those are the only newer players I've had non-metal fans walk up and ask if I knew about them. Of course, none of them knew Gus G's stuff pre-Ozzy... and none of them are aware of Freak Kitchen, they just know that IA is awesome.

Oh yeah, how did I forget Mattias???

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

I'm sensing some sarcasm here, but someone's name is important to him/her. Plus, Criss is deceased, so people need to honor him with the correct spelling of his name.

~Brian~

Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry.

 

[MysticX9]

Theodore Ziras
Johnny Ohlin(dionysus)
Magnus Karlsson
Rob Marcello
Chris Broderick
Joel Gregoire(ex Stride)
Rafael Bittencourt
Kiko Loureirio
Rob Johnson (Magnitude 9)
Patrick Rondat
Magnus Nilsson (Richard Andersson Space Odyssey)
Olaf Lenk (At Vance)
Stephen Forte (Adagio)
Charley Corbiaux, Olivier Lapauze (Heavenly)
Vesa Nupponen (Excalion)
Chris Brooks
George Bellas
I know some are not like over the top amazing, but they play kick butt solos. I always wondered in my head like how much greater a band like Edguy would be if they had a really good guitar player, and not just an average one, because there songs are all so catchy and great, then you get to the solo, and your like eh, whatever change the track. Well, maybe that's just me but I love great guitar solos in my music thats why it's so hard for me to listen to Axel Rudi Pell. I have every ARP album, because I love Johnny Gioeli,Rob Rock,JSS whoever even Charlie, and his songs rock great riffs,chours, everything but the solos are the worst thing I have ever heard in my life! I can not believe how bad and Long they are in every song, oh well I really am a bad typer, and I can't even express how much I think he is the worst solo player down there with Kirk Hammett,and Herman Li(The Two Worst) too me anyway. so nobody please write me any angry letters saying whatever. ARP is better than them though because his songs still rock hard! But if anyone ask me why i think they are the two worst i will gladly tell u, just please don't cuss me out, it's just my opinion, and im nobody.

No cussing here, that's a cool list you have - I knew I was going to forget some big names and you have several of 'em on there, most of all Joel Gregoire...

 

[Daybreaker]

I think many young people who pick up guitar these days don't do it for the love of music. Instead of playing guitar as art, they play guitar as a skill to show how good they are at something. I've seen a billion teens who sweep away into oblivion but when you say let's jam on Green Manalishi, all the way through without stopping, it's like "huh?"

So that's the reason why I think that it will be a good while until a passionate new guitar god emerges. And I'm talking about young people as in 05 - now, not dudes like Loomis who are the bomb tits.

I'm so tired of sweeping, I don't even want to learn it. In my lowly opinion, Glenn and KK's solos in Beyond The Realms of Death are the most heavenly solos I've ever heard and every time I hear them I feel so full of life.

 

[TheGraveDigger]

My favorite "newer" guitarists (meaning having appeared since about 1995)


-Doug Aldrich (Dio, Whitesnake)

Doug goes further back then 1995 having played with bands like Hurricane and House of Lords.

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Doug goes further back then 1995 having played with bands like Hurricane and House of Lords.

He was great in LION, also. Speaking of LION, I fucking love the theme song to the "Transformers" animated movie from 1987.

 

[Rick Pierpont]

John Petrucci
Michael Romeo
IA Eklundh
Mats Haugen
Marco Sfogli
Synyster Gates (guy from Avenged Sevenfold)

I think those are all current guys. I didn't mention the many older ones like Rhoads, Vai, Malmsteen that I was brought up on. ;-)

Christian, I understand you including Marc, I feel the same way about my keyboardist and bassist! Those kids are SICK monsters.

Someone mentioned Danny G from PoS... I agree! He writes awesome cool solos! Plus, he plays crazy rhythms and sings complex vocal lines at the same time! I also like the guys from Evergrey.

 

[cslebn]

Really need to throw Joey Eppard's name out there as well. His playing is something completely different from what so many musicians are doing out there, and I would think he would count as young enough. Solo linked below isn't the long held notes or thick and tasty but it is unique and tasteful imo not the pure shred that puts me to sleep sometimes at concerts and listening at home.