AngelofDeath
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Last Active 05-11-22 11:58 am
Joined 09-17-08

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 Lists
04.04.23 This is still a thing?09.19.19 Mass Destruction Metal Fest 3
01.09.13 2012: What Everyone Slept On ♦12.07.12 Sputnik State Of The U/nion ♦
10.10.12 Cartoon Network Ranked09.24.12 Touched By An Angel
06.20.12 The Greatest Guitarists Of The Last Fif ♦06.08.12 Noiz
06.01.12 Hello, Friends04.25.12 Demo-lition ♦
04.05.12 Angel's Running Tab03.10.12 #blackmetalswag
03.01.12 Band Tees02.14.12 Hardest Games Ever
02.07.12 Turning The Lights Off01.19.12 Which Fictional Character(s) Are You Mo
01.18.12 Roses Are Red01.15.12 Dare 2 Compare
More »

The Greatest Guitarists Of The Last Fifty Years

One hundred of the greatest guitarists of the last half century based on technique, innovation, originality, influence, style, and musical legacy.
100Ramones
Ramones

Johnny Ramone - Influencing not only punk but hordes of metal acts, Johnny Ramone's
down-stroked "buzzsaw" combined speed, grit, and attitude into a wondrous new package.
Few people since have ever played such jovial riffs while seeming so pissed off at their
guitar.
99 The Rolling Stones
Exile on Main Street

Keith Richards - One of the few players on Earth that can successfully pull off nonchalance,
Keef offered a darker, moodier counterpoint to many of his peers, adding a taste for blues
and early rock to strong pop sensibilities with just enough room for Mick to do his thing.
98In Flames
Whoracle

Jesper Stromblad - In Flames' Jesper Stromblad founded the band as a side project, but it would
go on to take a life of its own with his playing defining melodic death metal's "Gothenburg sound"
with just the right balance of aggression and melodicism. Combining percussive metal riffing with
fluid melodies inspired by both classical and his native folk music, Stromblad set In Flames apart
early with memorable licks, smart phrasing, and an inventive spirit. From his beautiful acoustic
work to the mesmerizing solos, he remains a large benchmark for and influence on modern
melodic metal.
97Wishbone Ash
Argus

Ted Turner - Bringing together the best of the '60s and '70s, Ted Turner embellished Andy
Powell's adept songwriting with folk, blues, jazz, and rock mastery. Utilizing incredible
phrasing and passion on leads and solos, Turner livened up Wishbone Ash's classic era with
huge presence and style and a whole lot of soul.
96Cynic
Focus

Paul Masvidal - Combining a love of jazz and death metal, Paul Masvidal formed Cynic while
still in high school with drummer friend Sean Reinart. Between Cynic and his touring and
recording with Death, Masvidal has brought a highly unique and technical approach to the
genre with interesting rhythms, odd time signatures, and shredding modal solos.
95Thin Lizzy
Black Rose: A Rock Legend

Gary Moore - Bringing the heart and soul of the blues into the theatrical playing of hard
rock as few have been able, Gary Moore has been a huge influence on a multitude of
today's most respected and accomplished players. His roaring leads and thunderous,
heartfelt soloing is absolutely riveting, whether in his brief work with Thin Lizzy or his
extensive solo work.
94The Who
Who's Next

Pete Townsend - Pete Townsend did a lot to set the stage for the major classic rock bands of
the '70s with his physical rhythms and pioneering of strong power chords (and breaking
instruments onstage). Just as intelligent as passionate, Townsend could give a fill out the
empty space left for him by his capable counterparts in the rhythm section without crowding
them or overwhelming the music with too much flash.
93Deathspell Omega
Paracletus

Hasjarl - Deathspell Omega's mysterious Hasjarl delivers sonic chaos in it's most evil form with
swirling vortices of blackened tremolo riffing, crawling anti-melodies, and dissonant, mathy
grooves. His creativity and dynamism with his own impressive skill sets him far apart from his
contemporaries, even employing the occasional breakdown to unsettling effect.
92Mike Bloomfield
Super Session

Mike Bloomfield - Mike Bloomfield was initially inspired by early blues legends but would end up
sounding very far removed from any of them, incorporating some modal jazz and psychedelic
grit before it become almost ubiquitous. He wasn't afforded the opportunity to produce a huge
catalogue of work before dying of a drug overdose in 1981, but he certainly left his mark on
the scene and heaps of other players.
91Metallica
Ride the Lightning

James Hetfield - Metallica's James Hetfield is generally more known for being the voice of the
band rather than its guitar anchor, but Hetfield took percussive thrash playing and made it
much more artful than it had ever been or has been since. With everyone else in the scene
trying to be faster, heavier, he drew from his multitude of influences to create a wide range of
unique material. No other players were chiseling out the ominous "Call of Ktulu" or the
thoughtful "To Live Is to Die" while keeping a knack for massive thrashing riffs in their back
pockets (see "Creeping Death").
90Neil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young - Through a great tone and certain intangibles, Neil Young impresses on the guitar
with style far outweighing technique. Between crunchy distorted lines and humble acoustic
picking, Young adds a very human feel to his playing while always trying to push his own
boundaries.
89Whitesnake
Whitesnake

John Sykes - From Thin Lizzy to Tygers of Pan Tang to Whitesnake, few have left a bigger
imprint on rock guitar than John Sykes. Really embodying the '80s, he played big, loud, and
flashy with some crunching tone. The skillful way Sykes toys with sustain, vibrato, and
harmonics sets him far apart from many of his peers and the legions of copycats.
88Albert King
Born Under a Bad Sign

Albert King - Albert King is a blues elder statesman but perhaps one its best kept secrets,
except to many of the greats that his work has inspired. He could bend notes like nobody's
business and create some truly passionate melodies with fellow luminaries like Eric Clapton
and Duane Allman even "borrowing" from his illustrious canon.
87Joe Satriani
Surfing with the Alien

Joe Satriani - Growing up being taught jazz guitar before teaching some very well-known players
like Steve Vai, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and Primus and Possessed's Larry LaLonde, Joe Satriani
is a supreme technician on the instrument with a mastery of virtually every technique. His
wizardry with tapping, whammy bar effects, sweeping, alternate picking, and legato achieved
through hammer-ons and pull-offs has allowed him to write and compose some of the most
interesting and technical instrumental music of the last quarter century.
86Scorpions
Taken by Force

Uli Jon Roth - Uli Jon Roth started his career mostly making use of blues scales in his solos
but would later progress to incorporate more advanced compositional elements and scales
from European classical music. This eventually would dominate his playing style, as he
showcased brilliantly clean and intricate guitar runs with the Scorpions and in his solo efforts,
becoming perhaps the biggest influence on the neoclassical surge in hard rock and heavy
metal guitar playing in the '80s.
85St. Vincent
Strange Mercy

Annie Clark - Playing with acts like Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, the extreme
dynamism in Annie Clark's playing should come as little surprise, even given her often
whimsical solo work. Clark really has a strong grasp over how to effectively create a wide
range of sonic templates with the instrument and a superb feel for what to use and where.
84UFO
Phenomenon

Michael Schenker - The German Michael Schenker boasts a blues-rooted rock style offering
both strong rhythms and melodies. His playing is the jumping point for practically every heavy
metal and hard rock guitarist in the late '70s and throughout the '80s. And his ultra-slick
solos, packed with crisp bends and unique voicings, are some of the best from any era.
83Television
Marquee Moon

Tom Verlaine - Marquee Moon - With a style nestled somewhere in between Keith
Richards and Jerry Garcia, Tom Verlaine took slinky, bluesy playing and stretched it out
into something spacey and voluptuous. His band Television marked a turning point in punk
attitude and deft melodicism.
82Iron Maiden
Powerslave

Adrian Smith - Adrian Smith brought a melodic, highly intelligent approach to Iron Maiden's early,
more raw sound. He found a great niche being able to play off of and around Dave Murray as a
very adept counterpoint. His memorable leads and stylish deliveries helped to set Maiden apart
from the fold during the heyday of the British metal invasion. Smith wisely abandoned ship
before the group entered their weakest era in the '90s only to return and help the group get
back on track.
81Cocteau Twins
Treasure

Robin Guthrie - A forerunner in extremely lush and ethereal guitar work, Robin Guthrie's work
in This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins set the stage for numerous alternative and shoegaze
bands to follow. His knack for layering textures to hypnotic effect still goes virtually
unrivaled.
80Link Wray
Link Wray

Link Wray - Link Wray had his 1958 banger "Rumble" banned from the airwaves in fear that
it might incite gang brawls and riots. That speaks exactly to what Wray brought to rock
throughout his career: tension and intensity. Pioneering tremolo and distortion in ways few
could have fathomed at the time, he offered a somewhat heavier alternative to his
rockabilly and surf rock peers. Wray would later go on to turn country blues on its head,
too, with beautifully subtle and introspective playing.
79Budgie
Never Turn Your Back on a Friend

Tony Bourge - Budgie's Tony Bourge is a fairly unknown gem in rock but easily one of its
strongest guitar practitioners, lashing out with intense proto-punk/metal riffing and serving up
tender acoustic moments with equal effectiveness. Finding a raw energy and charisma few of
his peers can claim to share, Bourge tears through songs with scintillating riffs and smoldering
solos while gracefully wrapping his tight playing around his fellow ensemble.
78PJ Harvey
Rid of Me

PJ Harvey - Often deriving intensity through minimalism but also possessing the ability to
explode into frenzy at any given moment, PJ Harvey has a carnal approach to the guitar few
can match. She often makes the guitar roar with sheer ferocity and commands attention with
her heavily distorted slide parts.
77Ry Cooder
Paradise and Lunch

Ry Cooder - Ry Cooder has strong fundamentals in folk and blues that he went on to combine
with influences from all across the world, acting as a pivotal asset to Taj Mahal and Captain
Beefheart. He can be seen adding soulful slides and bends to flavorful rhythms with great
flare and grace.
76Judas Priest
Sad Wings of Destiny

K.K. Downing - K.K. Downing's lifelong tenure in Judas Priest has yielded countless examples
of stellar guitar heroics. Crafting superb melodies accentuated by the theatrical in the form of
pinch harmonics and dive bombs and countered by the aggressive and rhythmic, Downing's
style greatly shaped the duality in the course of metal from the onset, as did his fugue-like
dueling with companion Glenn Tipton.
75B.B. King
Live at the Regal

B.B. King - Growing up with the blues in rural Mississippi, B.B. King brought it to life and to
the masses with his electric guitar. His vibrant tone is unmistakable, much like his short
bursts of desperately bent notes that cry out so sharply against his own robust voice. King
plays in such a way that's easy to notate, easy to play out, but almost impossible to copy.
74Celtic Frost
Morbid Tales

Tom G. Warrior - A legend and a pioneer of extreme metal, Tom G. Warrior blended the dark,
the heavy, and the aggressive with filthy riffs, unholy feedback, and fiery solos with both
Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. His ability to make even simple parts ooze with grim and sinister
energy has been taken to heart by practically everyone involved in the early death and black
metal scenes. Boldly asking the world if it was morbid, no one has any doubts as to whether
or not Tom Warrior is.
73Queen
A Night at the Opera

Brian May - Brian May was just what Queen needed to accentuate Freddie Mercury's vocal
acrobatics, a diverse and inventive player with a style very much his own. May crafts tight,
intricate rhythms and melodic flurries with remarkably bright tone whether he's throwing
down some metallic funk-infused groove or an infectious neo-rockabilly/honky tonk jam like
"Tie Your Mother Down".
72Eagles
Hotel California

Joe Walsh - Beginning as a bluesy rock player with a few good guitar theatrics, Joe Walsh
really cemented his legacy in the Eagles, balancing Don Henley's relaxed pop style with a bit
of his own hard rock bite. Aside from the obvious guitar harmonies employed, he also brought
to the table great sets of memorable licks to really liven each track up. Walsh's playing
proved fluid and intelligent with serious style.
71Funkadelic
Maggot Brain

Eddie Hazel - Funky. Groovy. Heavy. Eddie Hazel was all those things and much more. Really,
his band's name pretty much says it all. Hazel was the ultimate mash-up of funk and
psychedelic playing, offering spaced-out jamming with impeccable flare and attitude.
70Big Black
Atomizer

Steve Albini - Before going on to produce a wide array of excellent albums, Steve Albini
was tearing it up in both Big Black and Rapeman, making a whole lot of raucous noise with
his instrument. Albini showcased a heavy metallic sheen over his punk defiance to bring
forth playing equally aggressive and abrasive.
69Sonic Youth
EVOL

Thurston Moore - Thurston Moore's unique approach to the guitar is what happens when you
take a devoted Deadhead and show him punk and post-punk. Always prone to experimentation,
Moore took the noisy and drone-y and made it dark and moody. His sonic tinkerings, ramblings,
and explosions set the stage for the rest of Sonic Youth's alt-punk ensemble playing.
68Morbid Angel
Covenant

Trey Azagthoth - Hard to say whether Trey Azagthoth's guitar chops descended more from
Satan or Mozart, but one thing's for sure; few have the devastating speed and precision of his
six-stringed assault. Definitively shaping the early death metal sound, particularly out of
America, Azagthoth's simultaneously dexterous and crushing riffing with super-charged solos
fueled by wah, whammy, and tapping place him among the best and most influential in the
genre.
67Joy Division
Unknown Pleasures

Bernard Sumner - Joy Division's Bernard Sumner built the framework for guitar playing in early
post-punk. Switching from moody jangle to pulsing bits of noise, Sumner's playing set Joy
Division deftly apart from its contemporaries, setting a high benchmark for technique and
creativity before relegating his services more to the background as the band evolved into
New Order.
66Radiohead
OK Computer

Johnny Greenwood - Starting out fueling Radiohead's grunge-tinged Pablo Honey before
journeying through twenty-first century art-rock experimentation and shoegazy guitar
backdrops, Jonny Greenwood has proven himself as one of the more forward-thinking
players of his generation. With plenty of effects pedals and a no-holds-barred approach,
Greenwood weaves his various textures and tones through his melodic and rhythmic
counterparts with great skill and vision.
65 Curtis Mayfield
Superfly

Curtis Mayfield - Curtis Mayfield was a self-taught funk prodigy, creating infectious rhythms
and sick grooves with his fluid, wah-induced lead work. His time in the Impressions
established him as guitar champion of R&B while his solo contributions to the film Superfly
pretty much set the bar on funk.
64David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...

Mick Ronson - Mick Ronson was the man behind the men, so to speak, playing with David
Bowie during his golden era before going on to write and play for artists including Lou Reed,
Morrissey, Elton John, John Mellencamp, and Bob Dylan. Possessing a great knack for melody
and arrangements, his simple but engaging playing style, firmly rooted in blues, has been an
invaluable cornerstone for countless artists employing him and the countless more he's inspired
and influenced.
63Sunn O)))
Black One

Stephen O'Malley - Responsible for making the guitar sound like a bellowing death rattle, Sunn
O)))'s Stephen O'Malley has taken his instrument to a dark and terrible place never before
tread. SOMA serves up ominous atmosphere and smothering intensity in heaps with his
unprecedented tone and ingenious use of effects. Constantly releasing material in various side-
projects and collaborations, he's already amassed a very impressive and largely groundbreaking
body of wO)))rk.
62Pat Metheny
Bright Size Life

Pat Metheny - Pat Metheny grew up loving jazz at a very young age and quickly became a
prodigy on the guitar, even landing a teaching assistantship at Berklee College by age
twenty. He continued to rapidly develop a unique style and offered a lot to the genre,
including original twelve-string tunings. Metheny's often dreamy and serene playing can
border on minimalist at times, but his vibrant tone and discerningly etched out runs make him
a champion of jazz in many of its forms.
61The Beatles
Revolver

George Harrison - Few guitarists have progressed or evolved as much over their careers as
George Harrison. He started out bringing his strong rockabilly foundation into the Beatles' own
pop sound before spotlighting his prowess with forays into psychedelic, acoustic, and slide
playing and was also primarily responsible for the surge in Indian raga-influenced music in the
'60s. Much like the rest of his band, George simply knew just what to play, when to play it,
and how to play it.
60Steve Vai
Passion and Warfare

Steve Vai - Steve Vai is the ultimate in axe devotees. He possesses advanced knowledge in
sight-reading and transcription as well as music theory in addition to being able to do pretty
much anything on guitar. Touring with Zappa's band and playing for the likes of Alcatraz,
David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake have all gained him varying degrees of notoriety but quite as
much as his own solo work in which he pushes the limits of his instrument with lyrical delivery
and technical wizardry. His intense speed and wide range of unique techniques involving
vibrato, harmonics, and everything in between set him on a high plane of virtuosity.
59Joni Mitchell
Blue

Joni Mitchell - One of folk's consummate players, Joni Mitchell offers sharp rhythms, delicate
melodies, and thoughtful arrangements on guitar. Always playing with tunings, she could do
whatever she set out to on the instrument and make it personal and unique.
58Al di Meola
Elegant Gypsy

Al di Meola - Al di Meola wields a great mastery over flamenco and jazz fusion and is a major
dual threat on acoustic and electric guitar. He's able to deliver tasteful scalar runs at lightning
speed on both incarnations of the instrument along with superb bent solos and gorgeous
Mediterranean acoustic arrangements. Often combining his talents with fellow luminaries like
Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Paco de Lucia, di Meola's extensive career
offers no shortage of brilliant performances and groundbreaking work.
57Genesis
Selling England by the Pound

Steve Hackett - Finding the wherewithal to switch at will from folk minstrel to hard rocker,
Steve Hackett drove Genesis in their prime, mixing the studious with the energetic and
theatrical for a prog rock synergy of epic proportions. His smartly composed leads and
dramatic solos practically leap from the speakers, including on his impressive solo outings.
Bringing revelations in harmonics and tapping, Hackett has shaped the approach taken to
guitar by many, including some of its own masters.
56Pixies
Surfer Rosa

Joey Santiago - Joey Santiago brings together a plethora of influences as broad as flamenco
and rockabilly and warps them into a visionary alt rock amalgamation of feedback and
distortion. His forceful, pensive guitar experimentations bring mountains of character into the
Pixies' recordings while leaving ample space for his bandmates to be equally erratic. Borrowing
from the great book of stage antics written by rock gods like Hendrix and Townsend, Santiago
has also been known to beat the shit out of his amps and break guitar strings with his teeth.
55Yes
Close to the Edge

Steve Howe - Forging an epic and dynamic sound from jazz, classical, psychedelic,
flamenco, and other influences, Steve Howe's playing in Yes is like a winding journey, full of
exciting twists and turns met with soulful execution. Offering everything from noodly
melodic runs to blissful acoustic serenades to majestic lap steel slides, Howe paints vivid
imagery into his playing that transports listeners across worlds unlike so many artists
attempting to recreate such magic.
54Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard of Ozz

Randy Rhoads - Randy Rhoads could shred and solo, but what set him apart from the pack
was dazzling style. The ability to change gears at the drop of a hat and adding nuance to
almost flashy playing made his short legacy with Ozzy really memorable. Always with a hunger
to improve, Rhoads found himself diving deeper into classical and jazz before his untimely
death in a plane crash.
53Fairport Convention
Liege & Lief

Richard Thompson - Giving Britain its own distinct folk-rock voice in Fairport Convention,
Richard Thompson melded together English, Scottish, and Celtic folk and pairs them with his
own electric and acoustic fervor. His solo work and that recorded with his former wife, Linda,
is especially heartfelt and endearing, with its subtle and stripped-down arrangements.
52Yngwie Malmsteen
Rising Force

Yngwie Malmsteen - The '80s metal version of Paganini, Yngwie electrifies classical music
with his undeniably pompous rock swagger. His speed and precision on the instrument is
virtually unrivaled, mutilating the fret board with crisp scales and arpeggios. Malmsteen's
slick melodic runs put through a keen metallic filter are still the jumping point for practically
all of power metal.
51The Pentangle
Sweet Child

Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch wholly embodied the balance between the technicality and earnest
of folk guitar. Dreamy, peaceful, and beautiful, his Scottish folk stylings on acoustic heavily
influenced Jimmy Page, Neil Young, and countless other guitarists across multiple genres.
50 Adrian Belew
Lone Rhinos

Adrian Belew - Thrust into a world of more formally trained musicians by managing to score
a touring role with Frank Zappa's band, Adrian Belew was treated to a crash course in music
theory after finding much success in teaching himself to play guitar. After brief stints with
Zappa and David Bowie, Belew joined prog rock titans King Crimson in the '80s while also
putting out heaps of solo material. Very much an experimental guitarist, Belew is widely
known for being able mimic a large range of sounds and noises through various electronic
effects and unorthodox techniques.
49Wipers
Youth of America

Greg Sage - Noisy, energetic, and still very melodic, Greg Sage's playing takes the dark
atmosphere of post-punk and the raw tension of traditional punk and mashes them together
into something truly memorable. Sage not only shows noticeably more skill in his playing than
the vast majority of his peers but also a true gift for conveying the most human of themes
through his heavily distorted jangle.
48Laura Marling
A Creature I Don't Know

Laura Marling - Starting out young playing with Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling developed
quickly as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter before going solo. Her own music readily shifts
from whimsy to ethereal to dark with her skillful playing leading the way. If Nick Drake and Joni
Mitchell had spawned a daughter, chances are she would sound like Laura Marling, who takes
intimacy and intricacy and fuses them brilliantly. Traces of bluegrass, blues, and jazz can be
made out in her on English folk style as she continues to give the new folk scene a schooling
in musicianship.
47Johnny Winter
Second Winter

Johnny Winter - The albino bluesman Johnny Winter turbocharged the blues with lots of speed
and finesse in the '70s. Sliding and shredding all over the place, he beefs up electric blues to
another level with his impressive chops chiseled out in a hard rock tone. Texas blues never
sounded so ferocious.
46Dick Dale
Surfer's Choice

Dick Dale - Reverb never sounded so cool as when Dick Dale took rockabilly and morphed
into something new and exciting. Working with a very percussive approach to playing and
intricate arrangements, Dale spawned surf rock with his lush tremolo and stylish staccato
strumming. His phrasing choices and nuanced touches to many of his riffs make his work
really interesting and enjoyable to listen to.
45Dream Theater
Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory

John Petrucci - Some call it virtuosity, some wankery, but John Petrucci's skill on the guitar is
undeniable. The Berklee grad plays with lightning speed and precision with plenty of ear for
dynamics. Though his playing is often criticized as "needlessly athletic", it's safe to say he can
turn on the emotion when moment calls, as the breathtakingly diverse soloing on "Best of
Times" will clearly attest to.
44My Bloody Valentine
Loveless

Kevin Shields - Sometimes the guitar is at its best when it sounds nothing like a guitar, and
when Kevin Shields plays, it sounds like a dream. Shields delicately extracts such rich flavor
from his guitar with the various pedals and techniques that he employs, making him and My
Bloody Valentine the subjects of constant imitation.
43Rory Gallagher
Irish Tour '74

Rory Gallagher - Nothing like an Irishman to heighten Chicago and Delta blues, but that's
exactly what Rory Gallagher did in his long and hard-fought career. He taught himself to play
a multitude of instruments including bass, mandolin, banjo, sitar, and alto sax but really left
his mark on the guitar, blazing brilliant slide playing and swinging blues rhythms.
42Wes Montgomery
Full House

Wes Montgomery - Playing jazz without any of the sterility that so often plagues the genre,
Wes Montgomery injected just the right amount of soul and groove and into his highly intelligent
bop style. Even his forays into poppier territory boast immensely stylish craftsmanship.
Montgomery's integration of vibrato and other techniques, along with his engaging runs,
established a high bar for how to effectively employ the electric guitar in modern jazz.
41Wintersun
Wintersun

Jaari Maenpaa - Taking thrash, power metal, melodeath, black metal, and Scandinavian folk and
tossing them on a blender with just a dash of rocket fuel and crank basically sums up the style of
the Finnish prodigy Jaari Maenpaa. His brief tenure in folk metal act Ensiferum found him delivering
some of the most intricate and gratifying melodies in the genre. Now, his solo project, Wintersun,
showcases an even further progressed Maenpaa with hyper-fast, hyper-melodic sweeps and runs
laced through his own tightly woven rhythms. His nickname should be "The Janitor," because Jaari
absolutely sets the bar on sweeping.
40Husker Du
New Day Rising

Bob Mould - Bob Mould brought an almost deconstructive approach to the punk energy and
nuanced pop of Husker Du. His noisy, psyched-out distortion brings copious amounts of
texture and atmosphere to his band's upbeat and sometimes moody numbers. Mould was even
capable of working in a little jazzy hardcore improv from time to time, like on Zen Arcade's
epic closer, "Reoccurring Dreams".
39Gorguts
From Wisdom to Hate

Luc Lemay - Playing technical death metal is almost always a circle jerk of speed and technique,
but that certainly isn't the entire case with Gorguts or its founding guitarist, Luc Lemay.
Employing wild time signatures and tightly knit riffing, the Canadian Lemay can expertly imbue
gripping energy into his highly skillful playing by intuitively changing up tempos and adding
flourishes of crushing dynamics ranging from palm-muting to harmonics.
38Michio Kurihara
Sunset Notes

Michio Kurihara - Something of a modern day Hendrix, there's few people still pressing the limits
of what the electric guitar can do and be in recorded music quite like Michio Kurihara. He
manages to brilliantly oscillate between brutally assaulting and making sweet love to his
instrument. The Japanese madman dishes out fuzzed-out psychedelic licks, extravagantly
noisy shredding
37The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead

Johnny Marr - The Queen Is Dead - The ultimate counterpart to Morrissey's depressive
baritone, Johnny Marr's bright and charming playing in the Smiths is always spot on,
traversing a wide array of techniques and deliveries. Never too flashy, Marr always delivers
understated rhythm playing with plenty style and feel, whether it be lush arpeggios or the
unmistakable flange of "How Soon Is Now?".
36Immolation
Close to a World Below

Robert Vigna - Robert Vigna is largely responsible for taking death metal to a new level of
brutality and complexity with his relentlessly fast, chaotically evil riffs in Immolation.
Incorporating intricate and dissonant elements with more classic genre dynamics, much like his
New York brethren in Incantation, Vigna wields the ability to intelligently craft music that is
bludgeoning and atmospheric while often retaining an immediately gratifying groove.
35Earth
Earth 2

Dylan Carlson - Psychedelic minimalist Dylan Carlson evolved a dingy grunge sound and
crushing sludge aesthetic into something much more organic and all his own with band Earth,
simultaneously pioneering and perfecting drone metal as it's known today. His striking
balance of tone and effects to achieve a truly otherworldly musical experience is essentially
the benchmark for the hordes of emulators and imitators in the scene today.
34Minutemen
Double Nickels on the Dime

d boon - Injecting a huge array of influences into his own noisy, groovy punk canon, Boon
takes minute or two-long tracks and runs all over them with his trebly fervor. His distinctive
approach has been paramount in shaping pretty much every alternative and punk-influenced
act to come after the mighty Minutemen.
33Bathory
Under the Sign of the Black Mark

Quorthon - Heavy, gritty, and atmospheric, Quorthon's playing was everything extreme metal
guitar should be before there was anything to compare it to. Taking fast thrash riffing with just
a dash of punk and upping the evil-factor, he elevated Bathory to a class of its own. A healthy
dose of dynamic riff-structuring and brilliantly frenetic solos showed that he was far from a one-
trick-pony, even in the early days before switching gears and pioneering Viking metal with an
even stronger sense of epicism and driving, Scandinavian folk-inspired melodies.
32Dinosaur Jr
You're Living All Over Me

J Mascis - Wielding a drugged-out style piecing together remnants of punk and distorted
alternative, Dino Jr.'s J Mascis knows just how to run the gamut from thunderous to
introspective and make it look easy. Always keeping it loud, Mascis never fails to deliver
superb, driving licks with a very sincere and often hypnotic soloing style.
31Melvins
Bullhead

King Buzzo - Anyone dabbling in grunge, sludge, doom, stoner, and drone is permanently
indebted to Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne. He started out covering classic rock and heavy
metal before discovering hardcore punk. Taking that intensity and energy and slowing it
way down, Buzzo helped the band pioneer uncharted territory with his signature feedback-
drenched churn that's still often imitated but rarely duplicated.
30Megadeth
Rust in Peace

Marty Friedman - In the case of Megadeth, Dave Mustaine sets up the musical "alley-
oop," but Marty Friedman really drives in the rock with his ferociously stylish leads and
solos. He takes a few notes from classical and prog to weave together searing melodic
runs punctuated with precise technical flourishes. Also creating stellar harmonization with
Jason Becker in Cacophony even before Megadeath, Friedman always serves to highlight
other talented players with his own very capable chops.
29Nick Drake
Pink Moon

Nick Drake - Few have made the guitar sound as serene and contemplative as Nick Drake.
Fusing buzzing rhythms with ethereal melodies to birth some otherworldly aura, Drake's minor-
heavy folk musings stand as some of the most unique and evocative in the genre. Never
short on style or personality, he could add just the right amount of flare to a piece without
weighing it down or making it impersonal in the slightest.
28Drudkh
Autumn Aurora

Roman Saenko - Very few people have approached black metal guitar with quite the vision or skill
of Drudkh's Roman Saenko. He delivers incredibly gratifying and mesmerizing tremolo riffing
worked around traditional blues chords and those of his own Ukraine's early folk music, and then
strings them together with a magnificent sense of dynamics. The icing on the cake is Saenko
breathing life into highly emotive solos while still noodling loosely like a Kerry King, only with none
of the seeming randomness.
27The Allman Brothers Band
Eat a Peach

Duane Allman - Duane Allman's entire career is basically giving a master lesson on slide
guitar. The injection of soul and feeling he delivers with each slide, each bend is entirely
palpable, giving the instrument a powerful vocal presence few can come close to matching.
Duane was fortunate enough to always be surrounded with exceptional players, and he was
able to supplement and complement them brilliantly.
26Stevie Ray Vaughan
Texas Flood

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Equal parts Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan knew just
how to take the good time fun of '50s rock and rockabilly and mesh it so tightly with blues
feeling and impeccable tone. His boogie and shuffle could get an audience dancing on the
edge of its seats while playing immense leads to have them on the very edge of those seats.
Hats off to David Bowie for sharing Texas' best kept secret with the world.
25Fushitsusha
Live I

Keiji Haino - Perhaps the king of post-psychedelic improv and the distortion-laden wall of noise
that has become so heavily associated with Japan over the last few decades, Keiji Haino
remains one of the most strikingly inventive musicians to pick up a guitar. His aural whirlwind
manages to capture the thoughts and imaginations of listeners the way few players can. Haino's
solo and collaborative efforts continue to push his playing new and interesting heights, exploring
vast arrays of untapped textures and motifs in the sonic universe.
24Children of Bodom
Something Wild

Alexi Laiho - Alexi Laiho is the culmination of many of the greatest rock and metal players to
come before him (Malmsteen, Rhoads, Sykes, etc.). His early work with Children of Bodom sees
the brilliant melodicism of neoclassical and Scandinavian folk music combined with the roaring
flair of '80s rock and metal. Even though Laiho has taken a bit of a coasting approach to his
playing, he's already proven his aptitude at putting together riffs and solos that manage to be
engaging, fun, and technical all at once.
23U.K.
U.K.

Allan Holdsworth - Allan Holdsworth holds a claim as one of jazz fusion's greatest technicians
and one of the most underappreciated figures in the guitar world. Influenced largely more by
saxophonists than other guitarists, Holdsworth plays with very clean and precise legato
fluidity. His typically blazing fast runs are highly scalar but often very unique as a result of
being self-taught.
22Buckethead
Electric Tears

Buckethead - Both a virtuoso and an innovator, the secretive Buckethead really only
needs to speak through his music. Constantly pouring out material and trying new things
with all manners of effects, gadgets, and techniques, he always manages to maintain a
surprisingly human element to his playing, grafting his own parts together in a sort of
deranged compositional manner. From delay to distortion, the range of sounds and
emotions Buckethead can bring to life on guitar is truly impressive.
21Santana
Abraxas

Carlos Santana - Carlos Santana is largely the best of Latin jazz, electric blues, and African
rhythms. His playing is a thing of beauty, reaching within himself and projecting though clear
tone and bright sustain. The technicality and groove of his influences was only heightened
with a small dose of psychedelic, thanks to experimentation with drugs and a strong mentor
in Jerry Garcia.
20Mayhem
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

Euronymous - Essentially the father of Scandinavian black metal guitar playing, the late
Euronymous of Mayhem took metal to a place more evil and more filthy than it had ever been while
somehow managing to make it artful and intelligent in the vein of some of Europe's darker classical
composers. He took supremely grim melodies and chords and transformed them into massive walls
of atmosphere with intense tremolo riffing and necrotic solos, all while retaining some semblance of
headbang-able groove.
19Cream
Disraeli Gears

Eric Clapton - Starting out with the Yardbirds playing the kind of mellow psychedelic pop/rock
now synonymous with the '60s, Eric Clapton was able to really expand upon his deep love of
the blues with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers where he quickly gained recognition as one of
the best in the style, carving out huge runs with his signature Les Paul and Marshall combo.
With Cream, he found two very skilled and diverse players to push his chops even further,
building upon jazz, African, and R&B frameworks with his own psyche-blues hybrid. Paired up
with Duane Allman's slide in Derek and the Dominos, Clapton stepped up to evolve his playing
once again with a certain amount of both restraint and passion.
18Boris
Boris at Last - Feedbacker

Wata - Constantly expressionless on stage, Wata's guitar playing is anything but. The
undisputed queen of noise guitar has proven she can play just about any style to brilliant
effect, weaving through and bending genres without breaking a sweat. She may lull you
delicately with some shoegaze or dream pop meandering before smashing your face with sludge
heaviness, melting it with mind-bending shredding, and leaving what's left of your jaw on the
floor with noisy yet passionate solos.
17Jeff Beck
Blow by Blow

Jeff Beck - A surgeon with a Strat whammy, Jeff Beck gives off a real sense of craftsmanship
when he picks up a guitar. His playing exudes undeniable personality and can be in-your-face
while also be extremely delicate and nuanced. Perhaps most of all, Beck carries the ability to
skillfully intertwine himself with a vocalist to create a dynamic interplay and discourse.
16John Fahey
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death

John Fahey - John Fahey fuses a highly technical acoustic folk style with so much blues
passion that it's hard to really miss vocal accompaniment with his music. The way he
weaves serene melodies through such tight rhythms is really unparalleled, creating great
wonderment and extraordinary beauty with just his ten fingers. Ten very, very capable
fingers.
15Deep Purple
Machine Head

Ritchie Blackmore - Ritchie Blackmore's greatest asset was being able to skillfully navigate
from slow, unyielding riffs to blistering arpeggios to perfectly bent solos and everywhere in
between. From the bluesy, psychedelic jams of Deep Purple to his hard rock shred-fest with
Dio and co. in Rainbow, Blackmore set the bar high for the innumerable rock and heavy metal
guitarists following in his footsteps.
14King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King

Robert Fripp - Leave it to Robert Fripp to always question how the guitar is supposed to be
played, utilizing all kinds of odd tunings and time signatures. Brilliantly rhythmic in his playing with
King Crimson and boldly experimental with his ambient efforts alongside Brian Eno, Fripp combines
the best of technical skill with groundbreaking innovation to remain one of the best at his craft.
13Opeth
Ghost Reveries

Mikael Akerfeldt - A rather wondrous culmination of many diverse influences, few can quite
match the depth of emotion and atmosphere of Mikael Akerfeldt's distinctive lead-playing.
These leads further accentuate already unique riffing strung together with unique and often
unorthodox chord and melody progressions. From rhythmic death metal assaults to dark and
ethereal acoustic reveries, Mikael has established himself as not only a premier metal guitarist
but one of the greatest in any genre.
12Buddy Guy
A Man & the Blues

Buddy Guy - Buddy Guy is single-handedly responsible for ushering in a wave of blues infected
with pure rock defiance. Monster bends, heavy distortion, and frenzied runs along with supreme
showmanship make Guy a pure treat to watch and listen to. His playing is so full of tension and
release, it's hard not to be locked in to his every inclination.
11Death
Human

Chuck Schuldiner - Helping to nail down and expand the death metal sound in the '80s previously
fleshed out by Possessed, Chuck Schuldiner in Death paved the way for the countless acts to
follow with an aggressive, down-tuned fury. However, Schuldiner really left his mark melding the
extreme riffing he'd helped to establish with increasingly progressive and jazz-oriented playing.
He left behind a wealth of music and a legacy as one of metal's greatest visionaries and
musicians before dying of brain cancer in 2001.
10Mahavishnu Orchestra
Birds of Fire

John McLaughlin - John McLaughlin would have achieved legend status just by helping Miles
Davis to father jazz fusion with Bitches Brew and other Davis records but would go on to further
break molds and smash barriers in his own project, Mahavishnu Orchestra, combining jazz
mastery with traditional Indian music, flamenco, R&B, and psychedelic rock. McLaughlin's vast
body of work displays great diversity and fluid speed with incomparable feel and style.
9Frank Zappa
Hot Rats

Frank Zappa - Though known for being a satirist, Zappa's chops on guitar are no laughing
matter. His vast knowledge of theory combined with effortless style make him one of the best
to pick up the instrument. Complex compositions and arrangements didn't stop him from being
full of soul and feeling, sometimes just getting downright filthy with his solos. Soaking up
influences from all across time and space, Zappa could emulate and often surpass just about
anyone at their own game.
8Black Sabbath
Master of Reality

Tony Iommi - When it comes to the guitar, Tony Iommi invented heavy. And, even today,
very few artists match him in that regard. His playing on the early Sabbath records just
seeps from the speakers in such dark and sinister fashion, thanks to brilliant phrasing and a
soul-sundering tone. He balances this toward the end of the Ozzy era with striking ballad
work and ground-breaking experimental and psychedelic performances before really finding
himself again in the '80s with supreme finesse and heavy metal dazzle. Few musicians in the
world can claim to have such unique presence in their playing the way that Tony Iommi
can, and his legacy continues to inspire and metal musicians and fans today.
7Prince
Purple Rain

Prince - You name it; Prince can play it. He's an undisputed master of funk that can still shred
with the fiercest metal axe-men and leave jaws on the floor with his passionate and precise
soloing. One of the best things about him is his vision, knowing when, where, and how to play
certain parts. A lot of his best and most complex lines, after all, are used most effectively
layered in the background.
6Camel
Mirage

Andy Latimer
5Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here

David Gilmour - Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has proven time and time again just what a depth of
atmosphere and emotion is in his playing. As much an architect and painter as a musician,
Gilmour sculpts and paints with his instrument these dreamy sonic impressions that engage and
stick with the listener like nothing else. He achieved this by pioneering certain effects with such
precision and command while delivering a unique sincerity with his bright solo tone and masterful
phrasing. Gilmour's days in Floyd have shown slinky funk licks, sprawling stretches of
psychedelia, life-affirming blues crescendos, and everything in between, establishing him as a
true master of his craft with intangible feel and style.
4Rush
A Farewell to Kings

Alex Lifeson - Alex Lifeson is a man always evolving, always expanding his massive stylistic
repertoire. He started his illustrious career in Rush with hard rock-minded heaviness and groove
before expanding to psychedelic, jazz, classical, and folk-fueled progressive rock virtuosity.
Lifeson would open the '80s moving into the then blossoming sound of new-wave and post-punk
mixed with pure pop melodicism and, in many ways, spearheading a popular movement to
incorporate reggae, Caribbean, Latin, and African music into increasingly intricate pop and rock
arrangements. Lately, he's come full circle, rocking out as hard as ever but still keeping the
flawless technique and innovation that's made him a joy to listen to for almost four decades
now.
3Jimi Hendrix
Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix - The electric gypsy known as Jimi Hendrix changed rock forever with an approach
to the guitar far more cathartic than calculated. Seemingly in total communion with his
instrument, he could morph a simple song into a full on Marshall stack religious experience. He
took funk and blues and made them so gratifyingly heavy, coupling chords with single-note
strings in phrasings and voicings completely unheard of at the time. It becomes increasingly
easy for passing generations to write Hendrix off as "overrated," but the recorded evidence still
shines in his favor. Beyond the truly excellent studio albums are the live cuts, video footage,
collaborations, and more that nail down and sustain his legacy for those curious enough to
catch a glimpse for themselves of just how good James Marshall Hendrix really was.
2Van Halen
Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen - A true innovator in every sense of the word, no guitarist has redefined how
to play the instrument quite like Eddie Van Halen. While he may not have invented the tapping
he widely popularized, he used it to such effect and with such skill, he may as well have.
Holding his pick between his thumb and middle finger has allowed him to seamlessly transition
back and forth from picking to tapping. Added to a mastery of harmonics, volume swells,
vibrato, and tremolo picking, all wrapped in a monster tone, EVH sports the biggest bag of
tricks in the game. Eddie nothing but dazzles with the intricacy and diversity he can put into a
single riff. Raised playing classical, taught jazz from his father, and growing up obsessed with
Clapton's bluesy style, it's easy to see why he has such huge range and depth in his playing.
1Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin II

Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin II - Simultaneously one of the greatest folk and blues guitarists,
Jimmy Page has taken both styles to new heights, interweaving them with true rock grit and
seemingly effortless style and finesse. Early Led Zeppelin is many things, but best of all, it's
Jimmy Page deftly navigating through and masterfully commanding the mystique of folk, the
emotion of blues, the technicality of jazz, and the unmitigated fun of rock and roll. Even
influencing what would become punk riffing with the raucous down-stroking of Zeppelin's
"Communication Breakdown", Page has inspired such a wide range of musicians and music,
both directly and indirectly.
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