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
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
43 comments:
why is kerry king EVEN in the LIST???
a list to make the metchul kids prance around with joy!
I strongly disagree with this list. How can Chuck be less better than Dimebag. Dave Mustaine , okay I can agree to that :p , but missed out god players like Michael Angelo Batio , Muhammad Sucimiez (Necrophagist) , and Ron Jarzombek must be somewhere near top 10! Why is the Maiden trio so low? They've probably been the sources of inspiration for more than ton of the players listed..
Seen this one before. Total MEHHH i say. :-/
Karl Sanders at 52 and Hetfield(No offence, Ishaan)at fucking 8? Zacky Vengeance above Dave suzuki? Michael Romeo 96 while Matt from BFMV's at 76??? :P this list's a joke man!
@ Subho: Oh I COMPLETELY agree with you about the Kerry King thing man.That guy has to be the worst 'shredder' in the history of the electric guitar.
@ Shreyas: Dimebag shouldn't even be on that list and yeah,the Maiden trio AND the Judas Priest duo need to be much higher up.
@ Jadis: Kamon cholche? OH BTW,were you at the Lamb of God gig and standing at the back near the railing?I think I saw you and I was on the opposite side.And yes,Hetfield should not be at 8 DEFINITELY.Sanders and he should have switched places.
paul allender of cof WTF. Gian and Stuart were cradles best guitarists. zakk wylde higher than iommi. it is good to see some black metal guitarists make it on here though.
How about Rex Carrol from Whitecross? Yeah, OK, they are a Christian metal band, but that shouldn't matter!
This guy is better than most players in this list!
This list is horseshit....There are some great players on there, but the order in which these players rank, is way off to say the least. Anyway..Godspeed.
This list is not accurate, at least not in my opinion..The order in which these players rank is just not right in my eyes...Steve Vai is not even on the list.
List is totally inaccurate...
i disagree with this list..where is kiko loureiro from angra? randy rhoads?luca turilli?Gentaro Satomura from Storm Rider?
What the hell is that!!
Herman Li only number 20, are you kidding...
Don't you ever see his playing?
Come on!
So, I read this douchebag said he didn't put guys like Rhodes, Blackmore or Vai because this is a METAL list, and then I see Fn' TOM MORELLO at 16?????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
And Dave Mustaine would only be ranked nr. 1 in a guitar player list if it was the Most Full of S*** Metal Guitarists list, and would lead by far!
The a-hole who wrote this book said Mustaine was the most complete guitarist, taking every aspect in consideration - now anyone can tell in what aspect of guitar playing is Dave superior to John Peter Petrucci??? Biting the pick?? Placing on the strings?? Oh, I know, fucking up the Cemetery Gates solo!!
Remember, talking shit is not guitar playing...
Yeah this list has some good players, but so many missing and the order just plain sucks...Matt Heafy above Michael Romeo? Or hell, Trivium even appearing on this list?!?! And that's just one of many problems!!!
All due respect to Mustaine, IMHO Petrucci deserved the top spot, but at least it didn't go to Slash or something (shudder).
@ Rohmad: Herman Li is too overrated. It is well known that he cannot reach the speeds he reaches on the studio songs of Dragonforce because the band speeds up the song by 20 BPM or so.
@ Pedro: While I agree with most of what you said,I do believe Mustaine is a really good guitar player. He definitely does not deserve no.1 spot here but he should definitely be on this list.He is easily the most arrogant musician I have ever known though.
@ Hunter: Trivium,Bullet For My Valentine,Slipknot and all...lots of bands should not even be known for their guitarists.Those guys do the job required by the band but they do nothing spectacular.Also,I know its difficult to play that 8th string in a tremolo style but that's all that Thordendal and Hagstrom from Meshuggah can do.They definitely cannot even be on this list and here they occupy 11 and 30 respectively.
Yall are bitching way to hard. No one would have the same list and everyone would disagree. As for the greatest metal guitarist of all time (dave Mustaine), no one can write a better riff and or more intricate riff. hes a decent lead and the best rhythm player in the world. Kerry king is a butt lead player but a great rhythm player. And petrucci sucks ass as well as those awful satanic death guitarists. Morello sucks also
"Also,I know its difficult to play that 8th string in a tremolo style but that's all that Thordendal and Hagstrom from Meshuggah can do."
Horseshit. Their riffing style may often be technically simple, but the rhythms are far more complex than most metal players could manage. Not to mention that Fredrik, as a soloist, is definitely near the top of the list for his technique, tone, and harmonic/melodic inventiveness.
"Horseshit. Their riffing style may often be technically simple, but the rhythms are far more complex than most metal players could manage. Not to mention that Fredrik, as a soloist, is definitely near the top of the list for his technique, tone, and harmonic/melodic inventiveness."
I've tried to believe this but when I hear Meshuggah I just can't.Its basically just tremolo picking and breakdowns.
If you actually READ THE BOOK, McIver says very explicitly and great articulation what his esthetics were for choosing his list. And he writes about each player in an engaging way. The closer he gets to the Top 20 the more he writes about each player.
He knew full well there would be a lot of EASY "This guy is ful of shit asshoel!" kind of comments.
I disagree with his criteria. He says at the beginning why he doesn't consider EVH, Rhoads, and a few other of the gods "metal," but it's funny: a LOT of the players he includes cite those guys as the best players in the world, and hugely influential. Tipton gets mentioned a lot by the other guys on the list and Tipton did make it on the list. Other players on the list gush over Paul Gilbert, Allan Holdsworth, and Yngwie.
McIver's smart enough to know that this was the sort of book to get metalheads talking. But I think most of us would want more articulate content about WHY we disagree with him, not that he's an idiot or moron because someone was or wasn't on the list on they weren't higher or some player was too close to number one.
I for one would have Jarzombek at number one (Marty Friedman agrees with me), for his technique, his cerebration, and his innovation, not to mention he can suddenly sound like Holdsworth if he wants. But that's MY esthetic choice. No one will be the same, and the only totally adequate answer to McIver is to make YOUR OWN Top 100, and tell the world WHY Dime is only number 87 on your list, and Chuck Schuldiner was number One...or whatever.
Cool blog!
@Michael:Agreed about the blatant dismissal of his list.Ironically,he contacted me on Facebook and thanked me for the publicity and said he was sorry it did not meet my expectations.He then went on to add me as a friend.I felt a bit bad for ripping him apart like this but yeah,I don't agree with this list at all.If I do get the time,I will definitely release my own list (though I am more inclined to release a metal bass players list).Thanks for your post man.Welcome to the processor.
james hetfield 8th!!!!! wtf is dat all abt. da guy doesnt even play ne solos fr metallica. put adrian smith, glenn tipton on dat position. n put dave murray, janick gers or kk at 20th,21st or 22nd. n wen da hell did tom morello strtd playin metal ????
Conspicuous by their absences...Adam Jones from Tool, Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Randy Rhoads from Ozzy Osbourne, and Michael Wilton from Queensryche (good to see at least DeGarmo on there).
But it's all just this one guy's opinion...whatever. Different strokes for different folks.
I haven't read the book so I don't know the reasoning behind not considering Randy Rhodes a metal guitarist but I cannot fathom how one can make that argument. This has as much validity as arguing that a ribeye steak is not, in fact, meat and completely discredits the author of the book.
All "Top X Whatever" lists are subject to taste, preference, and opinion but the author(s) of such lists must have a baseline in general consensus to expect to be taken seriously. I don't recognize about a third of the names on the list but to exclude someone like Rhodes, who probably influenced every single guitarist on the list in some way is such a major omission that the list should be considered invalid as anything other than one person's uneducated personal point of view.
Where the hell is Yngwie?
Dimebag definatly deserves to be where he is. He is the inventor of the harmonic squealing technique, and improved pinched harmonics that most heavy metal bands use today.I do agree, however, the fact that the iron maiden trio isn't really near the top of the list. They are the inspirations of bands like avenged sevenfold, or
Papa roach. Long story short, I agree with some on the list, but disagree as well, like most of the people here.
Mikael Akerfeldt is awesome!
@Ryan..dude if you believe that Dimebag invented the harmonic squealing technique, I'm sorry but you are smoking crack. Eddie Van Halen was doing It after Jimi Hendrix invented it. So sorry, but u are wrong u are way off. Yngwie got shafted by not making the list either..
That list is actually a joke right???
Hetfield on top of chuck ??? And i even see some morons stating that dimebag shouldn't be even on the list hahaha
Its a shame they cant differentiate between listening and playing and actual guitar...
Chuck,dimebag and trey should most undoubtedly share the top 3 spots...
Well actually I am now reconsidering Dimebag's contribution to metal after re-listening to Pantera after a long gap. The guy may not have been able to write very memorable solos but he was a great rhythm guitarist and his pnches definitely added flavour to the riff.
On a side note, I am quite pleasantly surprised by the number of comments on this post! Its a sight for sore eyes! And while I hated this list, I loved Joel McIver's biography on Cliff Burton. I've even put up a review of that book on this blog so check it out if you'd like to!
Just exclude Big fart James Hetfield from the list and replace with Janick Gers, and the list is all fine!!!
to everyone who said Dave shouldn t be n 1 did u heard rust in peace n the solo of return to hangar , sudden death n dread and the fugitive mind.
i heard a lot of pantera n dream theater song s ,n i love them , but Dave is way better
Guys, its some guys opinion, if you disagree with it, write your own one. Peace :p
These lists always generate controversy. I mean, lets face it - music is subjective. Besides, what's the criteria for rank? It should consider innovation, influence, technique, songwriting, & of course, timbre.
In my opinion, As far as Mustaine at the top, I don't think it's a bad choice because he has a truly well-rounded body of work. Many guitarists (included those he's beefed with) have praised his playing.
Petrucci as 2nd: has incredible skill & diversity, but I don't find his playing to have the same catchiness as Mustaine's. Petrucci can play like a lot of other guys, but I wouldn't say he's an innovator.
Other than that, I'm glad to see Thordendal leading the pack outside of the top 10; other than the Holdsworth-like elements, there wasn't anything that sounded like them for more than 10 yrs.
Glen Tipton should be in top 15, at the least. Dave Murray, Adrian Smith should be in top 20.
Hetfield at 8? I mean he's definitely influential and wrote some very memorable riffs, but technically not that amazing.
Mikael Akerfeldt, Romeo and Petrucci should be higher IMO, but at least they're mentioned. I actually figured Mustaine would be at the top or very near. Dbag or not, he is an incredibly well rounded player. Shame on Metallica for firing him and picking up Hammett (Even though Mustaine was a drunken Dbag). Not a terrible list, but at least this guy had the sack to put it out there, knowing that other players would likely rip on it. And personally I'd like to see Joe from Gojira a little higher (Just a personal bias, Art of Dying is one of my favorite riffs of all time).
How the hell are Tony Iommi and Tom Morello on the list, if there are no Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Jimi Hendrix, Jason Becker on the list as well? We know that Tony Iommi was hella influential. But that doesn't make none of these other guys less influential. And just because he is the guitarist of Black Sabbath shouldn't secure his place of being one of the best metal guitarists as well. Jackass.
On the other hand, Tom Morello, WTF?! Why don't we take John Frusciante into the list or something as well, then?! Or at least Mark Tremonti, as anyone who is a legit guitar player knows, he is hella technical and heavy enough to be called metal anyways. More legit than Tom Morello, for sure.
I disagree with list too however Dimebag is definitely worthy of a spot at the top of the list. In my opinion there isn't anyone in front of him who I believe is a better all around metal guitarist, his style is heavy as hell and incredibly original.
This is obviously a ridiculously biased list in skill level isn't taken into account. Dimebag should be very close to #1 in not #1.
how did Kirk Hammett beat Alexi Laiho and Jeff Hanneman! kirk is so awful its not even funny. i do agree with the number 1 spot though and I'm glad they put Chuck Schuldiner on the list. i don't even think many people know how good he was and what he did for metal
Mustaine deserved the no 1 spot. Not for technicality alone but as a superb riffmaker, thight playing, hard work, influence and consistency to advanced guitarwork over all these years. Well deserved.
?has dave mustaine ever none pentatoniced??? + shit bends
my 10.
1.Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P)
2.John from Dream Theatre
3.Herman Li
4.Rusty Cooly (solo shit not outworld)
5.Chris Broderick
6. Muhammad from necrophaghist
7.Richie Allen
8.Shannon Hamm
9.Yngewie Melmstein
10.Jack Penman
Yes, Suicmez must in this list
I WISH PEOPLE WOULD READ THE BOOK BEFORE COMMENTING...geez. I don't agree with many things, like all three guys from Iron Maiden should be in the top 20, so should Marty Friedman and Chris Poland. There are a couple of sections that people commenting don't know about unless they read the book. For example, there is an "honorable mention" section of 50 guitarists, among whom are Chris Oliva and others. Also, there is a "shredder" section, where Michael Batio, R.R., Slash, Yngwie, Paul Gilbert, King Edward, and others are mentioned. I'm not sure what criteria McIver used to decide who the "shredders" are, but they are all mentioned in another category called "shredders," because they belong in a category all their own.
Why is Bjorn Gelotte ranked 34th and Jesper Stromblad not even on the list? Bjorn is a great guitarist, but I don't agree with that at all.
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