# Your Top 5 "Metal" Guitarists of All Time! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897 "2013-06-13T14:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/41 "2013-06-15T16:35:34Z")
Top 5 lists are always hard mainly because there are so many good players. So, in no particular order. Randy Rhoads… Stellar techincally, awesome riffs and meoldic multilayered leads. John Petrucci. Monster riffs and insane technical skills. Tony. Sabbath. Enough said. Criss Olivia. Savatage. Great rifs and unique solos. Very melodic. Jim Matheos. Fates Warning. Great song writing and lots of interesting riffs and time signatures. Obviously there are a bunch of other awesome players out there but these guys hit the trifecta, great song writing, great solos and sweet tone. They all also expanded the genre in some way. And, yay! A new Fates Warning album is coming out this year! Slee ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/42 "2013-06-16T02:33:05Z")
Meh. They lost their melodic edge about 15 years ago. Redemption is much better if you like the singer. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/43 "2013-06-16T03:47:25Z")
1. Adrian Smith 2. Chris DeGarmo 3. Slash 4. Vivian Campbell\* 5. Eddie Clarke Honorable mention to Dave Mustaine, though I like him far more as a writer than a player. That’s probably true of DeGarmo as well. \*Everyone knows he’s in Def Leppard now and used to be in Whitesnake. Nobody remembers that he was in Dio. That’s him on Holy Diver. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/44 "2013-06-16T12:26:57Z")
You don’t have to explain Viv Campbell - if folks are in this thread they know he was Dio’s sideman. Great journeyman player - recently diagnosed with treatable cancer… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/45 "2013-06-16T20:21:04Z")
Yeah, but a lot of people think Jake E. Lee played on _Holy Diver_, since he was the band’s guitarist when the writing was being done. Ironic, really, since Jake is uncredited for _Bark at the Moon_ (which IMHO far outshined the Randy Rhoads Ozzy albums in terms of the guitar parts.) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/46 "2013-06-16T20:26:35Z")
I didn’t know Jake E Lee was in Dio, I thought it was Vivian all along for Holy Diver. I also think that Rhoads’ guitar parts were actually better, Bark at the Moon(the song) excepted, which has probably the most intensely awesome rhythm ever in an Ozzy song. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/47 "2013-06-16T20:31:57Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I didn’t know Jake E Lee was in Dio, I thought it was Vivian all along for Holy Diver. > > I also think that Rhoads’ guitar parts were actually better, Bark at the Moon(the song) excepted, which has probably the most intensely awesome rhythm ever in an Ozzy song. Basically +1 on all of this. Didn’t know Jake was in Dio. I hear Rainbow in the Dark, I think Viv… And yeah, Ozzy got lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/48 "2013-06-16T20:33:27Z")
He was only in Dio for a cup of coffee in 1982, while Dio and whichever Appice was the drummer (I always mix them up) were writing the first album. ETA: Seriously. For a guy with zero ability to play an instrument himself, Ozzy sure could pick bandmates. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/49 "2013-06-16T20:44:12Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Basically +1 on all of this. Didn’t know Jake was in Dio. I hear Rainbow in the Dark, I think Viv… > > **And yeah, Ozzy got lucky.** Quite a few times, too. Brad Gillis, Randy Rhoads, Jake E Lee, Zack Wylde, etc ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/50 "2013-06-16T20:47:13Z")
I’m not sure that’s luck. The Ozzy job was the most coveted job for a flashy guitar player in the 80s. I read that he tried to get Buckethead, but Buckethead was too weird for Ozzy. There’s only enough room for one odd fellow in that band. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/51 "2013-06-16T21:10:14Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I’m not sure that’s luck. The Ozzy job was the most coveted job for a flashy guitar player in the 80s. > > I read that he tried to get Buckethead, but Buckethead was too weird for Ozzy. There’s only enough room for one odd fellow in that band. Yeah, it’s in Buckethead’s wiki page, and it’s pretty funny. From there: _“I tried out that Buckethead guy. I met with him and asked him to work with me, but only if he got rid of the fucking bucket. So I came back a bit later, and he’s wearing this green fucking Martian’s-hat thing! I said, ‘Look, just be yourself.’ He told me his name was Brian, so I said that’s what I’d call him. He says, ‘No one calls me Brian except my mother.’ So I said, ‘Pretend I’m your mum, then!’ I haven’t even got out of the room and I’m already playing fucking mind games with the guy. What happens if one day he’s gone and there’s a note saying, ‘I’ve been beamed up’? Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great player. He plays like a motherfucker.”_ **Ozzy Osbourne, Revolver.** ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/52 "2013-06-16T21:51:16Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Quite a few times, too. Brad Gillis, Randy Rhoads, Jake E Lee, Zack Wylde, etc Yeah, I’m not being fair and Ozzy’s record stands up. It’s just that at his worst, he’s such bad shtick. And then there are songs like Mr Tinkertrain, a rocking song that is also a fake-horror bit from the POV of a pedophile… He’s like some metal Keanu Reeves - limited talent but amazing ability to pick the right projects and manage his overall career. Sorry, carry on… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/53 "2013-06-17T01:39:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I’m not sure that’s luck. The Ozzy job was the most coveted job for a flashy guitar player in the 80s. Not when Randy Rhoads took it. Remember, Ozzy was coming off a two-year hotel room drug and alcohol binge. If Quiet Riot had been signed before 1979, he probably wouldn’t have left. > [@WordMan](#): > > He’s like some metal Keanu Reeves - limited talent but amazing ability to pick the right projects and manage his overall career. That last bit is Sharon. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@Sam\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Z)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/54 "2013-12-16T19:30:04Z")
A little bit of old school… 5. Michael Schenker 4. Ynwie 3. EVH 2. Steve Vai 1. George Lynch Honorable mention: Nuno, Reb Beach (dokken, whitesnake & winger), Vinnie Vincent (Kiss), Frank Hannon (tesla), Zakk Wylde, John Norum (europe & Don Dokken), Vito Bratta (White Lion), Doug Aldrich (Lion, Hurricane, Whitesnake) I know people are gonna laugh when they see Bratta & Norum, but listen to some of the tunes that weren’t so commercial… Beach, Aldrich and Hannon are extremely under-rated!!! So was Vinnie! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/55 "2013-12-16T22:49:49Z")
_That Metal Show_ is always pumping Bratta. I’ve never heard a White Lion song that wasn’t awful. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/56 "2013-12-17T00:48:21Z")
Vivian Campbell was also in “Riverdogs”. Check out this [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KuSbr53vZ0) ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/57 "2013-12-17T17:34:49Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Dimebag is the king of thrash? I love his stuff (I did a thread years ago breaking down Walk as a great song, even though his tone is really awful) - but I don’t think of him as thrash - guys like Hetfield and Mustaine would have the primary claims… > > Walk breakdown thread: [Music: Pantera’s “Walk” – an analysis of this song’s utter rockingness - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464315) Intersting side thread! I actually came into this thread to make sure Dimebag was getting some love, because for me his tone is unmatched. Anytime i find a video on youtube of someone covering Pantera, the solos just feel… i dunno… lifeless, but when Dime played them they came alive. Now admittedly i don’t know good tone from a hole in the ground, and i prefer my metal extra crunchy and little sloppy, so YMMV. Also, if we’re counting GNR as metal (and i think we should) i would give Slash special mention just for My Michelle. That riff is so nasty, i love it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/58 "2013-12-17T17:38:17Z")
I consider GNR a metal band, but _My Michelle_ isn’t a metal song. It’s just heavy blues. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/59 "2013-12-17T19:08:09Z")
> [@Sam\_Z](#): > > A little bit of old school… > 5. Michael Schenker > 4. Ynwie > 3. EVH > 2. Steve Vai > > 1. George Lynch > Honorable mention: Nuno, Reb Beach (dokken, whitesnake & winger), Vinnie Vincent (Kiss), Frank Hannon (tesla), Zakk Wylde, John Norum (europe & Don Dokken), Vito Bratta (White Lion), Doug Aldrich (Lion, Hurricane, Whitesnake) > > I know people are gonna laugh when they see Bratta & Norum, but listen to some of the tunes that weren’t so commercial… > > Beach, Aldrich and Hannon are extremely under-rated!!! So was Vinnie! You’ll get no argument from me about Bratta. But I think Norum was eclipsed by Kee Marcello, his replacement in Europe. Although Norum’s work on the Don Dokken solo album is stunning. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897/60 "2013-12-17T19:41:50Z")
Up Front: I am not a musician, so I’m not at all qualified to judge how easy or hard it is to play a given guitar piece. I honestly don’t know what solos are so hard that only a few virtuosos could play them, nor do I really care. I judge musicians by the quality of their recorded output, and if I love somebody’s output, it will make absolutely no difference to me if some actual guitarist on the SDMB sees that I have Joe Schmeaux of the Schmendrix in my top 5, and roars, “Joe Schmeaux? Geez, I can play better than him!” Bottom line: in my book, a mediocre guitarist with a talent for catchy riffs will always top a guy who can do lightning fast solos in the middle of lame songs. Technically, Yngwie Malmsteen may be a MUCH better guitarist than Joe Perry, but Aerosmith has DOZENS of songs I love. Yngwie doesn’t. So, Joe Perry is much closer to my top 5 than Yngwie ever will be. Second point: I’m old, and therefore my list is a bit (MAYBE A lot) more retro than I’d like. Anyway, my top 5 (alphabetically): \*\*Ritchie Blackmore Buck Dharma Jimmy Page Eddie Van Halen (more for his riffs than his hammering- “Beautiful Girls” would be a great song without a solo) Angus Young\*\* [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-metal-guitarists-of-all-time/660897.md?page=4)