Guitar Worlds top 100 metal guitarists

[spawn]

Yeah I know what you mean about Kiss, but they could qualify as glam id say (I havent heard any White Lion so I dont know what they are like musically, but they made a top 25 glam albums list for Pride in Guitar World so I assumed they were)

I know you hate Slayer, im still trying to work out how two of the most influential guitar players who have written some of the most recognisable metal riffs and songs ever dont deserve to be at number 10!

 

[Goreripper]

One way of looking at the argument is that some guitar players are good all around players: they're competent lead players, tight rhythm players and very a good sense of melody and song arrangement. Look at who's on the top of the list, for example. Some guys there are great lead players, but have no sense of melody or songwriting; others can write great riffs but probably suck as lead guitarists, and some are good all round. Some are technical players, some are shredders... it depends on what you look for in a player.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Ahhh ok. Well White Lion have tons of acoustic parts, raspy Rod Stewart style vocals and big harmonies, its very melodic sounding 80s rock but definitely not in the sleaze/glam vein. I'm actually not a fan, I don't like them very much. I think they're way overrated but Vito kicks ass. Alot of bands get called glam that I don't really think are though in those kinda lists... alot of metal fans seem to think any band with big hair who weren't "true metal" were glam, but I mean big hair was just the look of 80s rock. Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake, even Harem Scarem etc all had big hair but there was nothing glam about them! That was just the look to have in the 80s if you played arena rock/hard rock stuff!

I think the reason I don't think they should be top 10 is because their guitar playing is one of the two reasons I don't like Slayer (the other is Tom's voice). I find it annoying. Total lack of melody in their lead guitars, and I personally don't think their riffs are memorable. Ok some are (South Of Heaven, a couple of riffs in Angel Of Death, alot of stuff on Seasons is memorable..) but every band is gonna have some memorable riffs. To me, most of their riffs sound like typical '80s thrashing on the E string and don't stand out at all. I think Slayer are definitely not one of the best when it comes to managing to make thrashy riffs melodic and catchy while still being heavy (bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Testament kick their asses at it).

 

[Goreripper]

But Slayer is fast.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

I guess its just a matter of taste. I can't stand non-stop fast riffs that have no melody or catchiness to them. That's why I think they suck I spose, especially when you mix it with out of key solos also lacking melody. Even Michael Angelo's solos have more melody than Slayer's and all he does is play scales ultra-fast, but probably because he has some musical knowledge the notes he plays at least fit with the music underneath them outlining chords, etc. When Kerry solos it sounds like he can't even hear the song underneath him.

Yeah I think I can safely say its the overall lack of melody that makes me hate Slayer. Bands like Morbid Angel and Death (who I also don't like) have more melodic music than Slayer I think (with the exception of Seasons).

The reason why I don't think Kerry & Jeff should be on the list is because I think Slayer's influencialness and stuff comes from their overall brutality and energy as a band (especially as a live band from what everybody says), and I don't think its Kerry & Jeff's guitar skills that make Slayer so recognised and respected. Even though the riffs are the driving force of the band, I don't think they are the element that is elevating them above other thrash bands, I think its Slayer's overall energy and power.

 

[Goreripper]

You miss the point Trent, as many do with extreme bands. Bands like Slayer aren't interested in melody. They're about aggression and violence. You don't call your band "Slayer" and then write some poofy-sounding melody-laced song people can hum along to. You write songs that people listen to when they're punching someone.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yeah I know that hahaha, I was just stating why I don't like Slayer with the melody thing. I don't like any extreme bands really but I think others do it better...

As far as the guitar topic goes, my point is that it isn't Kerry & Jeff that make Slayer any better than the next thrash band, its the overall spark that happens as a band that makes them stand out I think, because Kerry & Jeff are really not all that creative or talented.

 

[JonBonJovi]

Why are there two guitarists from the same band put together are they individual players or are there a lot of simiese twins about...that list should really be said as top 120 or so !

 

[Goreripper]

Yeah but this is a circular argument because it all comes back to the question of influence rather than skill. King and Hanneman are influential because Slayer is one of the best known metal bands of all. If they weren't they wouldn't even be on the list no matter how good they were. And again, if we're talking about influential, there's guys not on this list who should be, like Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.

 

[spawn]

You miss the point Trent, as many do with extreme bands. Bands like Slayer aren't interested in melody. They're about aggression and violence. You don't call your band "Slayer" and then write some poofy-sounding melody-laced song people can hum along to. You write songs that people listen to when they're punching someone.

Troops it IS Kerry and Jeff that make Slayer better than other bands because they write all the SONGS AND RIFFS. ON A GUITAR. Id say Reign In Blood qualifies you as creative and talented.

 

[Goreripper]

Why are there two guitarists from the same band put together are they individual players or are there a lot of simiese twins about...that list should really be said as top 120 or so !

Hahaha. I was thinking the same thing really, but most of the pairings they have there are too hard to split. Like Tipton and Downing and Smith and Murray. They're inseparable as players when you think about it. That said, I don't think Hetfield and Hammett should be listed together.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

But its a top 100 metal guitarists list, Sex Pistols are punk

See this is where the influence/talent thing gets me.... just because two guitarists are lucky enough to be in an influencial band doesn't make them good guitarists. In my opinion, its not Kerry & Jeff who made Slayer influencial so unless they are talented (which they aren't) then they shouldn't be that high. Paul Stanley plays guitar in Kiss, Kiss are influencial. Does that mean he should be in a top 100 guitarists list? Fuck no! (I don't know why he is!)

Actually I think its kinda weird that they put Ace/Paul together but they didn't put Warren/Robbin together from Ratt. Robbin is a far better guitarist than Paul and those 2 were a killer twin lead duo on the first 2 records before Warren took over pretty much all the guitar duties on the records.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yeah I think Dave/Adrian, Michael/Chris and Glenn/KK should be put together coz they really are twin guitar teams who work off each other (and in the case of Priest its hard to know who plays what!). But James/Kirk shouldn't be together, and Ace and Paul should definitely NOT be put together!

 

[Goreripper]

Haha. You know I just realised that it says Top 100 "metal" guitarists. I must be having a dyslexic day because I kept not seeing the word Metal in there. How metal is that? But I still think Steve Jones should be there, because the Pistols were really a metal band with really bad vocals. Like I said about Motley Crue in another post, if they'd made their first record in 1984, and come from LA instead of London, they would have been called a metal band.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Troops it IS Kerry and Jeff that make Slayer better than other bands because they write all the SONGS AND RIFFS. ON A GUITAR. Id say Reign In Blood qualifies you as creative and talented.

Fair enough, good argument actually I spose yeah come to think of it they are what Slayer's sound is all about. And I do think they should be in the top 100. I just think top 10 is a little too generous, when Megadeth are just as respected as Slayer and their guitarists are more talented. You can't really dispute that!

OH, and I hate Reign In Blood. Haha! Sooo overrated. 28 minutes of shit that all sounds the same! Seasons and Show No Mercy are the only Slayer albums worth a dime imo!

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

You know who kicks ass? The guitarist from Shotgun Messiah!

The instrumental "The Explorer" rules! He sounds like Steve Vai mixed with Eddie Van Halen's flash & excitement!

 

[phlogiston]

But I still think Steve Jones should be there, because the Pistols were really a metal band with really bad vocals. Like I said about Motley Crue in another post, if they'd made their first record in 1984, and come from LA instead of London, they would have been called a metal band.

 

[spawn]

Fair enough, good argument actually I spose yeah come to think of it they are what Slayer's sound is all about. And I do think they should be in the top 100. I just think top 10 is a little too generous, when Megadeth are just as respected as Slayer and their guitarists are more talented. You can't really dispute that!

OH, and I hate Reign In Blood. Haha! Sooo overrated. 28 minutes of shit that all sounds the same! Seasons and Show No Mercy are the only Slayer albums worth a dime imo!

Megadeth are awesome, but Risk and TWNAH were both awful albums made just before the band broke up, plus the fact that they never had a stable lineup for more than a few albums in the guitar department probably didnt help. Megadeth arent more respected than Slayer though, Mustaine has said a few too many stupid things, and only wanted to write metal again because everyone hated Risk. Not that anyone would have minded had TWNAH been any good but it wasnt

I think Paul Stanley is a great guitarist, he never stays still on stage, and manages to play everything pretty much note perfect and sings great as well!

 

[phlogiston]

Actually, that needs some backing up, I think.

I think that punk and metal have always been different things, although there have been some close-crossovers over the years. The Pistols, though, are not one of them. Punk has always been raw, stripped and simple. Metal's always been "bigger" on all fronts. There's also the question of attitude, and the Pistols never had a metal attitude.

I offer Rancid as an example. Their first album was in '93 (which I admit is not quite '84) but they are very firmly a punk band, and they're "heavier" than the Pistols ever were.

 

[Goreripper]

I agree about Rancid, but not necessarily about the Pistols. If you lifted Rotten's vocals off their songs and replaced them with Axl Rose or Vince Neil, you'd have an LA metal band. There isn't much of a stretch between the Sex Pistols and Guns N' Roses.