Last night I was thinking about how awesome it would be if Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, and Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian were to get together and do an album. Then I though about a bassist. And thought, and thought. Although there are many good metal bassists (Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and James MacDonough of Iced Earth come to mind) I can’t think of anyone worthy of being called great.
So what say you, metal Dopers? Who is the greatest metal bassist?
How often does a bassist do anything other than copy the guitars anyway? Steve Digiorgio (Death, Testament, etc.) was one of the few who didn’t, and his playing is noteworthy. If you’re not limiting yourself to living bassists, Roger Patterson (on Atheist’s first album) was one of the best I’ve ever heard–their songs were actually built around his (five-fingered) riffs. And if we’re getting into the deceased, Cliff Burton rates a mention…
Other than that, Tchort (Emperor, Green Carnation) is the only one I can stick a name to. The bassists who played for Ephel Duath, the Dillinger Escape Plan, or Arcturus (circa Sham Mirrors) were all very technically proficient.
Of course, if you’re going for pure technical proficiency, you’re never going to beat Jaco Pastorius or Les Claypool, but they’re probably not what you’re looking for.
Ah, I forgot an easy one–Jason Newstead. His work with Metallica was never all that impressive (except for the parts you need good speakers to hear on Justice), but pick up a copy of Flotsam and Jetsam’s first album and you’ll understand exactly why they hired him.
There’s Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. Rudy Sarzo has some great licks. He’s played for Ozzy Ozzbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitsnake, Yngwie Malmsteen, and now DIO.
Mudvaynes Bassist Ryan Martinie is phenomenal. Their latest album really has very little bass work in it but LD 50 and End of All Things to Come has some amazing free form bass thwacking in it.
Don’t discredit them because they get thrown in with the nu-metal crowd. I’ve been a metal head since about 87 and have quite a broad range of metal that I enjoy and Ryan is far and away the best current metal bassist out there.
Cliff Burton is over rated. He died while his band was on the uprise. That’s why he is remembered and so close to people’s hearts. Otherwise he was utterly average in my opinion.