The top 100 metal guitarists? Let the debate begin...
Let the flailing begin! Guitar World picks the "100 greatest metal guitarists of all time" in its March issue, due out next week. Tony Iommi is numero uno - pretty hard to argue with that.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
626 - Guitarkid
Who ever said "Metal is about a half step away from rap, and that's being generous." IS WRONG. Metal is miles away from rap.Rap is the way people sing in their song.
rap comes from a different style of music all together and its mostly used with electronic music such as Techno etc. So Metal is real music form thanks to using live instruments. I know of metal bands that rap(Vocals in this particular style) in there music but thats how they sing using their vocals.!
627 - Mythkiller
Brian-Was there a question in there? I couldn't get past your bad spelling. For a second I thought I logged on to a foreign website. Oh well, that's my job. Making the stupid people shut up. You're right guitarkid Metal is a completely different kind of non-musical garbage altogether. Why don't you just listen to monkeys bang on guitars.
628 - gonzo marx
well then, too bad ya ain't made anybody shut up yet...and ya will find "stupid people" when you look into your mirror
try harder, cuz you seriously suck at this...and not in the good kind of way, but in the awful "drag your teeth" way
Excelsior?
629 - Mythkiller
Great spelling bonzo. You make this too easy. I'm just giving you a taste of the crap that metal heads put out. Only the difference is I'm right. Gluteusmaximus, you want facts? How about there's is more to playing guitar then running through the harmonic minor fast. Yngwie can compose? When is he going to start? His songs? are just feeble excuses for doing the same old harmonic minor badly. The same harmonic minor which was used to infinately better effect hundreds of years ago. I could give more facts, if you want to keep beating yourselves up. I would have to warn you though that the facts are not on your side. Furthermore, stop pretending that you appreciate Classical music. If you did you would not listen to metal. Your'e just trying use Classical to validate the mindless garbage you listen to.
630 - Slix36
hey, if u don't like metal then fuck off and let everyone else enjoy it... what's the point in coming here if you're just going to annoy the hell out of everyone? i'm not gonna hold you here, and i'm sure no one else is...
i myself do appreciate classical music (and don't you dare say i don't), and i'm a full on metalhead. people can enjoy more than one style of music.
when you said "Metal is about a half step away from rap, and that's being generous." i was utterly disgusted. rap being nothing more than nursery rhymes for adults, the same old stuff over and over... sure, a lot of old metal/rock bands did that, but i never used to like that anyway. anyone can rhyme...
you say "I could give more facts, if you want to keep beating yourselves up. I would have to warn you though that the facts are not on your side." yet you have not actually proven that any of these "facts" are indeed true... as far as i'm aware it's an opinion from someone who doesn't look at both sides of the argument, just his own... please, link us to some hard evidence that what you say is indeed true, if you can find it. and i'm pretty sure that the facts are indeed very much on our side...
i agree there's more to guitar than shredding the same stuff all the time... but the novelty with malmsteen is that he's virually unmatched in speed, and for a metalhead, that's really cool. i don't know why, but the reasons why metal appeals to some people is that it gives them a feeling of raw power and speed, which i can't exactly explain.
lets see you perform as well as metal guitarists mythkiller... i'm sure we'll enjoy it...
631 - Rafi
All of u fucks should cut it out. For all you guys bitchin about how metal is gay, go suck a nut. For everyone generalizing all rap music as gay......I guess youre not wrong especially with all this bullshit on the radio now. But if anyone wants to do more then fuckin yell and scream through their damn keyboard about how gay this list is...go ahead and do it but keep it out of my sight man...that shits not cool.
632 - Jet in Columbus
Haven't had your morning coffee yet?
633 - MK
Anyone who thinks Malmsteen is unmatched for speed hasn't listened to much Classical or Jazz. There's alot of guys like Yngwie that play scales and arpeggios fast but can't make it work in a song. I have much more admiration for someone like Pete Townsend or Ian Anderson. They may not play fast but they see the big picture. Real composers imagine how all the instruments will work together in a song, and then make their vision reality. How cheap is it to come up with a cheesy progession just because it works with some scale that you can play fast if poorly? What's fast without melody or harmony? Noise, that's what. I could explain these things all day long but if you could appreciate what I was saying you would have already thrown your metal cd's in the garbage by now. I take that back. You would have not bought them in the first place.
634 - Fat boy phil
why the hell didnt u include Buckethead hes fuckin awesom
635 - d
no andreas kisser either???
636 - d
or jeff loomis??? what the hell
637 - WTF
Where is Buckethead on this "list"????
638 - WTF
there's a reason why rap rhymes with crap!
639 - WTF
How 'bout "Dimebag"? (Pantera)
640 - ...
Why is it that everyone loses almost all standards of behavior on the internet? Anonymity I suppose. Can't we just stay on topic rather than simply insulting each other? This supposed to be about a list of metal guitarists; that's it. So here's my opinion on the list;
Everyone is going to have their own opinion of who's really the best, but this list doesn't identify exactly what is the "Greatest". It's sort of hard to pick, but if it's influence (that was the justification for Iommi), It might go
1. Tony Iommi
2. Glen Tipton/K.K. Downing
3. Dave Murray/Adrian Smith
4. Kirk Hammett/James Hetfield
One could argue, but I feel they were the 4 (are pairscheating? They did it) to really change the face of metal.
As for those who are sort of metal, I would have liked to see Buck Dharma, Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, Ritchie Blackmore, and Alex Lifeson higher. And if Robert Fripp (King Crimson) is here, can I justify including Steve Howe? Neil Young is often subtle too, so why not?
One last one: Jan Akkerman! He's right up there with the one's just listed.
641 - Mohib
Rap is crap.... So Tupac was not a musician but a douch*
642 - conorm
horrible, horrible list....atrocious....just fuckin retarded...this is an insult to anyone that knows anything about metal...apparently Ace Frehley & Paul Stanley and those pussies from Korn are better than the guys from lamb of god...lol...half these guys aren't even metal guitarists, didn't know jeff beck played metal.....WHERE THE FUCK IS CHRIS POLAND....the worst fuckin list i've ever see
643 - blue_strat
Iommi is the natural and only choice for the #1 spot, end of story. And although some on the list are some of my favs, meaning no disrespect, I have to question just as many of the other choices for obvious reasons. Lots of great guitarists on the list (some of which are legends), but as far as innovation, originality, influential, longevity, style, etc, etc is concerned ... in my opinion this is mainly a personal fav guitarist list more than one of greatness.
All mentioned above are obviously better than average guitarists, but I feel many on the list shouldn't be. For instance ... Perhaps I missed something, but doesn't it say ... 100 Greatest "METAL" Guitarists of All Time?? When did Hendrix ever play metal? Or what about Pete Townshend? Other styles of rock and blues have distorted guitars, not just metal.
And what about the "greatness" part? Many fine guitarists on the list, but very few are what is, or should be, considered great ... in the big picture. Maybe one day they will be, but not yet folks. Few on the list will even be remembered in yrs to come. Many on the list are known mainly by the ones who follow their music, or "cult guitarists" if you will. VERRRY few on the list are widely known by their legendary name alone, regardless of ones musical tastes ... like Iommi, Hendrix, Van Halen, Neil Young, etc.
644 - Slash
how came paul gilbert and michael angelo were down below 30? and slash is above yngwie? u got to be kidding.. yngwie should be in the top ten.. and how can daron malakian is above the great jason becker?
i respect kirk & james, but i think the great van halen should be on top of them behind iommi..
and where the heck is dave murray & adrian smith (iron maiden)?
this list should be reviewed again..
645 - Snowman
wy is Mark Morton and Willie Adler so low? being a Lamb of God fan thats hurtfull. in my opinion, let me repeat so no one gets butt hurt, in my opinion they should be way higher. some of the best HM guitarists today
646 - Snowman
And at least put Lexi Laiho higher than 96!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he is crazy at playin
647 - Powerslave
WTF???
There's a lot of names that should go down there. Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), Muhammad Suicmez (Necrophagist), Jon Leveassuer (Cryptopsy), etc. All these guys should rank somewhere right at the top. This list sucks!
648 - John Luthier
This list it's far away from reality!
649 - Billy
ACDC IS NOT METAL, for the love of fuck. And why is Azagthoth #55, And metallica does not deserve #2, SLAYER does, how did def leppard beat shadows fall, hmmm, curious. I can agree with Dimes spot but....wait, what the fuck, tom morello, sorry, thought this was a metal list not a posers hangout.