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User
Reviews 123
Approval 96%
Soundoffs 103
News Articles 20
Band Edits + Tags 14
Album Edits 26
Album Ratings 1245
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Last Active 04-17-22 12:08 pm
Joined 01-02-11
Review Comments 3,143
| Underrated metal lead guitarists
Basically guitarists who aren't usually a major discussion point within the context of the bands' music despite the quality of their output, or who are just generally underappreciated in the scene. | | 1 |  | Kreator
Phantom Antichrist
Sami Yli-Sirniö - Despite the fact that modern Kreator has basically been treading water since Hordes of Chaos, Sami seems to be the one part that keeps things fresh. His simultaneously melodic and frantic style recalls the thrash lead guitarists of the 80s, but with additional finesse and technical precision that make his solos energetic and highly suited to the band's current material. | | 2 |  | Cryptopsy
None So Vile
Jon Levasseur - While I'm sure plenty of people on this site are familiar with Jon's work, it seems that compared to the vocals of Lord Worm or the lightspeed drumming of Flo, Jon's extremely unique soloing doesn't really get its dues. Despite mostly operating in the same harmonic minor ballpark as many (mostly inferior) guitarists, Levasseur's odd phrasing and sense of melody helps elevate a lot of Cryptopsy's music, and was a major highlight on the otherwise so-so self titled album. | | 3 |  | Arch Enemy
War Eternal
Nick Cordle - Okay, so this band has sucked for quite a while now. War Eternal's a mostly toothless album that treads the same ground as all the post-Wages of Sin albums, but the unusual standout was the new man in the lead guitar spot, the ex-Arsis Nick Cordle. Cordle's classic shred style hits of all of the usual tropes, but is so well put together that it works anyway. If anything, the lead work of the much more famous Jeff Loomis on the following albums has been a lot less exceptional and significantly less tasteful. | | 4 |  | King Diamond
''Them''
Pete Blakk - Andy Laroque is obviously quite well known and celebrated in metal circles, but the other guitarist during Them and Conspiracy, Pete Blakk, has his fair share of standout moments. Often more unrestrained and atonal than Laroque, Blakk still has plenty of excellent solos and interesting phrasing choices. | | 5 |  | Accept
Balls to the Wall
Wolf Hoffman - Probably the most criminally underrated guitarist in metal. Versatile, anthemic, and capable of great restraint, Hoffman has some of the most underappreciated solos out there, such as on Head Over Heels, Turn Me On, and plenty off the reunion albums (Pandemic, Rolling Thunder, ect ect). | | 6 |  | Cannibal Corpse
Violence Unimagined
Erik Rutan - Whilst I was aware Rutan was a capable guitarist, I wasn't expecting just how much of an upgrade he would be compared to Pat O'Brien. His melodic soloing manages to meld with the usual brutal Cannibal Corpse sound almost as though it's always been there, but is also so much more of standout than the typically atonal solos from past guitarists in the band. | | 7 |  | Laaz Rockit
Nothing's Sacred
Scott Sargeant - Who is this guy? Why did he join Skinlab? Why do the sweeps on Suicide City feel like they were transmitted from an alien planet? All that I know is that he can definitely shred. | | 8 |  | Toxik
Think This
Josh Christian - Simultaneously one of the shreddiest and also one of the most creative of the thrash lead guitarists, Josh's use of whole tone, mixolydian and lydian leads and uniquely precise whammy bar vibrato sets him apart from the other highly capable lead guitarists from the 80s scene. | | 9 |  | Death
Symbolic
Bobby Koelble - Andy Laroque would be a tough act for any guitarist to follow, but Koelble's jazzy style manages to more or less exceed Laroque's output. Compared to the somewhat samey leads from Schuldiner, Koelble manages to make all of his solos feel unique with his off-kilter style and unique tone that I can only really describe as "straining". | | 10 |  | Aborted
TerrorVision
Both guitarists - Idk which of these two is playing which solo, but to be honest, they are both on another level. Just about every solo on this album is unusually tasty, tasteful, and deliciously shreddy. | |
Heppasodge
08.09.22 | Cool list. Rutan is a genius and a great influence on cannibal imo. | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | Definitely agree with the first 2. Sami is something else | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | "Despite the fact that modern Kreator has basically been treading water since Hordes of Chaos"
Except every album since then has been a huge upgrade over Hordes Of Chaos... | SomeCallMeTim
08.09.22 | Bobby's shreds on Symbolic are largely what makes that album the guitar masterpiece it is | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | "Bobby's shreds on Symbolic are largely what makes that album the guitar masterpiece it is"
Um apart from the unrivalled riffing, the absolutely incredible song structures, the awesome drumming, Chuck's lyrics? | SomeCallMeTim
08.09.22 | "Um apart from the unrivalled riffing, the absolutely incredible song structures, the awesome drumming, Chuck's lyrics?"
- The riffs are incredible but they're incredible on every Death record, the shreds on Symbolic are far above other Death records
- Awesome drumming and lyrics don't affect whether or not an album is a guitar masterpiece | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | "the shreds on Symbolic are far above other Death records"
Sound Of Perseverance. | SomeCallMeTim
08.09.22 | Symbolic > still | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | Symbolic is the better album overall, TSoP has better solos.
Also, Human is better than Symbolic. | SomeCallMeTim
08.09.22 | Human is best Death for sure | Madbutcher3
08.09.22 | simmer down mate
kreator have stylistically treaded water since then and i don't think they have improved since phantom antichrist | FreakMachine
08.09.22 | "stylistically treaded water" and yet Gods Of Violence was generally seen as having a huge amount of variety to it? | Lichtbringer
08.09.22 | "absolutely incredible song structures" on death's symbolic... hmmm ok m8 | Vercetti
08.10.22 | Nice list. | Madbutcher3
08.10.22 | yeh even as a person with symbolic 5d idk if i would call "intro - verse - riff 1 - riff 2 - chorus - solo - repeat previous steps up to the chorus" incredible | Koris
08.10.22 | ^ lol, that brings me back to the 3.5 review I did of Symbolic way back when. My entire basis for that rating was the song structure you just commented... but eventually I eased up on it once I figured out how disjointed and unfocused all the "riff salad" bands are by comparison | FreakMachine
08.10.22 | "yeh even as a person with symbolic 5d idk if i would call "intro - verse - riff 1 - riff 2 - chorus - solo - repeat previous steps up to the chorus" incredible"
Without Judgement, Perennial Quest do not do this at all. | Madbutcher3
08.10.22 | those are coincidentally the two best songs on the album although for without judgement it's just because that "frivolous calculations will be abolished" line rules
even then it's charitable to say they don't do that, it's basically the same with a couple of extra steps thrown in. |
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