The lord of the riff, father of metal, hand of doom, Iommic leader, Anthony Iommi, presided over the creation of this list and as such looks upon it with a smile, his power cannot be contained by mere boxes
Glenn Tipton is so underrated. When I think of the most iconic guitar solos, I think of Beyond the Realms of Death, Dreamer Deceiver, Freewheel Burning, Electric Eye, Painkiller, One Shot at Glory, Ram It Down, A Touch of Evil... There are few that can compete with him.
Glenn's ear for a good chord progression was a cut above any of the other NWOBHM guys, and it elevated Priest's songs for sure. Good examples are the solos in One Shot at Glory, Between the Hammer and the Anvil and Prisoner of your Eyes.
@@fz6soldier182 He's talented, anyone who says he isn't is either clueless or a troll... but he just ain't better than Tipton. Peak Tipton > peak Gates.
@@TheOpethOfMastodon”songwriting non-existent” Right, he wrote about half of Slayers repertoire…. Okay Jeff may have written the most Classic Slayer songs. But saying his songwriting is non-existent is like saying half of Reign in Blood is non existent…. And to me, on the solo bit, there’s not a huge difference between Jeff and Kerry. If Kerry died and Jeff was still alive, everyone would be pissing on Jeff??
@@Henry0870 Naw man... Kerry seems like one of those dudes who you meet at a Libertarian meeting, then find out his tribal tattoos represent Flat Earth affiliation.
the coolest part about zakk is that he knows everything from chicken picking to anything else but still decides to only play the same pentatonic licks.
Adrian’s solo on Caught somewhere in time is just outrageous, conjures images of superman bursting through the clouds in a race against time or something
@@OcelotDAD On Seventh Son he ain't no slouch either....thinking he was sending himself off with his two best albums so he could leave the band on a high note
i completely agree! Maiden has always been my favourite band and i love all their albums but Somewhere in Time as a whole is a masterpiece! it’s always been my favourite Maiden album, the legendary guitar tone, the songwriting, the solo’s, literally perfect, i was so happy that i got to see them play most of that album live late last year😄 it was a phenomenal show
Him and KK were THE perfect and the best guitar duo ever, KK with his random ass, but turbo tasteful wankery and Glenn with his technicalities. The moment KK left the band, it could be noticed in their songwriting. They were perfect together, just sad how it ended.
Yup. I had problems taking this guy seriously with all the stupid shit he said from the beginning. Noting Lynch based on the “in my dreams” solo is pure ignorance. I stopped the video before I see him rating Paul Gilbert based on the “to be with you” solo.
@@JoelER78 yup… one of the best teacher also. He did intense Rock 1 and 2 and many more. Probably the best video to progress as a guitar player. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PJyj0tGQ4q8.htmlsi=udzmS-jV-mnUdQpz
Andy Laroque at the bottom of C tier is criminal. He has technicality coming out of his wazoo. His style is very unique and he was doing things back in the 80s that no one ever heard before.
Preach, brother! This was my only criticism, Andy is so slept on and is always under the radar. Legend he is! So tasteful, Black Horseman, Mansion In Darkness to name just a couple!
andy is very good and his songwriting style is naturally beneficial to good solos since it has interesting modulations and harmonic choices which tend to lend themselves to more interesting lead playing
Adrain Smith writes the solos that I find myself singing along to. They are memorable, tasty, and always in perfect context with the songs. Adrian Smith is without a doubt one of my favorite players.
He committed career suicide jumping in with Motley Crue, he's an amazing guitarist, I've seen footage of him going to random open mic nights all over the country and just tearing it up, but now he's just that guy in the Crue camp
I think he doesn't care. He played with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie before the Crue. They're hardly known for their lead guitarists. But I bet he got to go around and have fun.
Didn't Zakk Wylde say at one point that he picked that style so he wouldn't be compared to Randy, Jake E. Lee, or EVH? Not sure the truth to it, but he has shown he can play outside of that box.
@@johndutton5881 Quite the cynical take I feel. I'd actually be rather interested on your metrics for success? Seriously, not sarcasm. I don't feel I could ever qualify Pride and Glory, and Black Label Society as epic failures. Maybe you meant, when he is writing for other vocalists his music sounds better? No More Tears by example had help from Lemmy and Mike Inez, but Wylde's contribution to the writing was (understandably) very prominent.
@Taborius1 I had to set through a black labia society concert once,zakk the amazing songwriter he is ,played a twenty five minute rendition of eruption .It was the most awful concert I ever experienced.As for black labia society it's all the exact same song and it's all terrible. He should just stick to ripping off real musicians, you know like zakk sabbath or dime which all you brainwashed fans refer to as" honoring "his memory by capitalizing for over twenty years off of his death.Oh dime was my best friend so now I'm gonna make a living off of his music. How come zakk didn't put Pantera back together with Vinnie?Maybe because Vinnie didn't want that p.o.s capitalizing off of his brother. Oh and I call it black labia because zakk is a fake tough guy and it's a society of pussies.
@driller7714 yes I have listened to black labia society and had the misfortune to see them live.Its all just one horrible song,I couldn't tell where one song ended and the next began.If bls is so awesome and popular then why is zakk touring with Pantera instead and why did he wait for Vinnie to die to do so?
Saying that Alex Skolnick isn’t technical despite him literally going back to school to learn jazz and start his own jazz combos, then come back to metal and STILL have some of the most memorable solos is crazy to me lol
@@sangramos haha yeah, that too. I remember him when he first got hooked up with Ibanez for the Xiphos guitars. Really good guitar player though, and props for being able to do vocals at the same time. He's an engineer for BMW these days...
Alexi was more than just a high skilled player. Brandon ellise is insane in terms of technicality and maybe even better, but laiho had that innovative side to him that Influenced an entire generation...
@@mybluguitar6051 In my opinion Romeo should be at the top. Great riffs, solo, and a composition that allows the singer to spread his wings. Additionally, he is an incredibly humble and down-to-earth person. But like I said, this is my opinion, I'm just a fan.
The "engineer guy" with George Lynch is the legendary Max Norman, known for producing Ozzy, Loudness, Grim Reaper, and a little Megadeth album called "Rust In Peace" (and "Countdown" and "Youthanasia").
Especially in the early days it was about 50/50 in songwriting between Jeff and Kerry. They have both written good (and yes, Jeff wrote the classics) and both lesser songs (Diabolus in Musica is 92 % Jeff, but is always ranked as their least favourite album… They influenced each other when they started out in their late teens, Jeff being more of a hardcore/punk rock guy, Kerry more traditional metal. None of their (earlier) albums would have sounded the same without either of them. And yes, Kerry is a damn fine rhythm player. Even Jeff said it in an interview that Kerry does all the rhythm tracking, because he does it faster.
@@nemesis8626, Matt actually plays more solos in Trivium than Corey. It may seem odd, but when you break it down, Matt has demoes solos, Ember to Inferno solos, most Ascendancy solos, equal The Crusade solos, a few more Shogun solos, more In Waves solos, equal Vengeance Falls and Silence in the Snow solos, Corey has more The Sin and The Sentence and What the Dead Men Say solos, and they have equal In the Court of the Dragon solos. Matt pulls as much weight as Corey without being as technical, and his solos are generally very emotional and unique. Kerry's solos are nowhere near as good as Jeff's.
@@Henry0870 thank you for pointing out the fact about diabolus in musica in a far nicer way than i ever could. i get heated about people online always talking out both sides of their mouths when it comes to this specific topic.
No way Georges Lynch is low C tier, he is at least a high B. Him, Eddie and Randy were the 3 musketeers of the 80's, besides most of his solos are iconic and singable with good chops.
George Lynch actually wrote some amazing solo's (and songs). Really tasteful, memorable and unique. He doesn't just shred and sweep all over the fretboard at 300 BPM for the whole solo, but actually plays something that sounds melodic and has some feel and emotion in it. Unlike almost half of the other guitarists on this list...... But apparently all that everyone cares about nowadays is being able to play notes really fast. And people really overhype some guitar players that are not even in the same league as George Lynch He might not be "the fastest guitar player around" (he is still f*cking fast), he is a VERY skilled guitar player, technically and songwriting wise, one of the best guitarists back in the day. Very underrated guitarist in my opinion
Facts; To be a truly gifted musician is to have a tone that Nobody else sounds like but also sounds baddass and Lynch achieves this and so much more. Definitely one of the 3 musketeers Of the Rise of the guitar player/shredder at the tail of the late 70's into the 80's to now. His tone cannot be duplicated. I cant say that for everyone on this list
Any man that can level on play with G govan is S teir Kiko is S teir even with dropping his guitar John petrucci is great but not s teir ,a lot of his work is repeated scales just over 20min songs
I think you need to reevaluate George Lynch. His technical ability isn’t quite as high as some of these guys, but his note choices and phrasing in solos are so unique and tasty. He doesn’t really go by theory. He plays by feel, and it makes his solos very memorable. You can see this in the outro solo on So Many Tears, the main solo on Till the Livin End, and the live performance of Mr. Scary where he improvises this really cool whammy bar bit.
damn I thought I was the only one who absolutely loves the outro solo for so many tears. However my favourite solo of his is the main heaven sent solo.
George lynch C tier lol….if this was riff only i would agree but lead playing Micheal Romeo and Lynch should be A tier easy…seems like you haven’t heard enough of them
Exactly what i was thinking. Like dismissing Romeo as "just technical" is absolutely insane. Hes legit one of the most melodic players here if you actually explore SymphonyX. Then Lynch, such an iconic sound, easily the best vibrato and feel until Marty came around. Idk how you rate Adrian Smith high for his phrasing but rate Lynch C. His phrasing is equally amazing.
Loomis to me is definitely S-tier. I mean, his image is pretty stock and his stage presence is static, but his lead playing, finger-licking tastiness and songwriting skills easily overshadow those shortcomings. Also, Heafy at the bottom is weird considering you mercifully split Hammett up into past and present. Heafy's guitar work up to and including Shogun was inspired.
Averaging how outstanding he is and how much of a showman he is should net Jeff a very clean high A-tier. He's one of the best modern guitarists going, and he shouldn't be underestimated. Shogun-era Heafy is an easy S-tier in all regards. His playing and stage presence had been maybe the peak of 2000s metal. Present Heafy is still S-tier in terms of what he can play, because he's much more consistent with all of his old songs and the new ones, creatively, he's now B-tier, and in terms of showmanship, D-tier, because onstage he often looks like he's panicked and smiling to keep himself from crying because his voice isn't as brutal as it had been and he knows it, averaging to B-tier.
I think Loomis is S tier in regards to rhythm playing and Songwriting, but his leads, although he pretty much can play anything, they come across very scaley and his phrasing is not S tier.
Lol that was an objective bad take by someone. Dave Mustaine vs Kirk is a closer comparison to Marty vs Kirk. Marty’s skills as a lead player are miles ahead of Kirk and I love Kirk’s early work especially on RTL
Most people who prefer Kirk over Marty couldn't name his solos which are amazing outside of his Fade to Black, The Call of Ktulu, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), One, The Unforgiven, and Hero of the Day solos. People who prefer Marty could mention any solo of Rust in Peace through Cryptic Writings, or his Cacophony solos and solo solos, if they're diehard. Marty hasn't ever slacked and thrown effects like wah on randomized solos rather than composed coherent motifs, and most of his solos are improvised. Marty's apparently better and more memorable, whether he's preferred or not.
@chaseadams5037 totally agreed marty is top notch legends ever and kirk is a total deception literally the worst of them all in this list just aside Kerry king
Without Glenn Tipton, this list doesn't happen, so extra points for the "influentials". His solo in "Freewheel Burnin'" is enough for him to go into S tier for me... a song from 1984! Also, disappointing you could fit in Adrian Smith but no Dave Murray, who is on a similar level, and has some of the smoothest legato you'll ever hear.
Some of these might be more technical or whatever but George Lynch solos are just perfection, always fit in a song. Vito Brava should have been here too, one of the most unique and one of my fav players.
As he understands more how he doesn't have to limit himself, he's doing things which other guitarists don't, and many never will be able to. In Hail to the King's and The Stage's guitar simplicities, his solos are immensely complex, unique, and engaging.
@@aryanmoody, Syn has said many times, and I'm certain that he'd tell us if asked now, that many of his solos of Avenged Sevenfold don't fit their songs. He's referred to his Afterlife solo as "random flash", and his Almost Easy intro solo as one which "shouldn't work". Brompton Cocktail's solo isn't very structured. Scream's solo is half pentatonic minor runs. I personally feel that his best solos are on City of Evil, Nightmare, The Stage, and non-album songs. They're very melodically dynamic, effective, technical, and memorable not just because they're a part of a certain song. I'd take his Strength of the World, M.I.A., Buried Alive, Save Me, Not Ready to Die, The Stage, Fermi Paradox, and Mad Hatter solos over most of his Self-Titled solos, even Gunslinger's and Critical Acclaim's, which I love.
@@chrismeadows4216 kinda weird, i asked him what's his thought about the white album, he told me he's proud of the experimentation and execution, nothing bad with it
was about to riot and set myself on fire in front of the lead metal guitar players embassy but then he switched alexi into S at the last moment, crisis averted
George Lynch was legendary. Whether it was in Dokken, Lynch Mob and other projects hes put out legendary solos on so many songs. Plus the look was god tier for the time.
I make a case that his playing isn't as memorable or iconic as others'. It's undoubtedly beautiful and technically surpassed by very few, but to be one of the best, standing out in the most significant way is to stand out in a way of being what someone will hear in their heart, soul, and mind even when no music plays.
@@chrismeadows4216 not memorable? How many others on this list are playing brazilian jazz fusion in metal? One of the most easily recognizable in a blind test of this entire list.
@@RicardoDiazHimself, you're coming to that conclusion under the assumption that most people who listen to Kiko would recognize jazz guitar, guitar which could be as derivative or as distant of its other influences as being a different style entirely, influenced by Brazilian music. They'd maybe recognize that it's Brazilian-influenced, not that it's Kiko Loureiro-played, except by process of elimination, because he's the only one who they know of of many. Many guitarists play certain styles of music which aren't common, at very high proficiencies, and objectively they're as unique as possible in context of popularity, but when it comes to note choices, which defy conventions often with jazz interpretations, if there isn't melodic recognition, memorability of its uniqueness which is thought of reflexively after being heard, all of that uniqueness, all of that skill, and all of those efforts aren't matched by songwriting which will endure, only connect as it plays. You're completely out of pocket implying that Kiko's playing is more recognizable than Randy Rhoads' classical approaches, Dimebag's harmonizations, pinch harmonics, and divebombs, Zakk Wylde's hybridized chugs, chickenpicking, and abused pinch harmonics, Glenn Tipton's tones, dissonance, muting, and ghost harmonics, Synyster Gates' combinations of all of the above, sweep picking, legato, Django Reinhardt GJ-influence, current electronic influences, and adaptability, and especially Marty Friedman's playing, a convergence of blues, jazz, folk, neoclassical, avant-garde, Mediterranean, Latin, and Japanese styles of music, which Kiko absolutely knows is sacred to the metal world, hailed immensely often as the absolute best of the best.
Dear Mr Hall, While I enjoyed your tier list of "The 25 Most Iconic METAL Lead Guitarists Ever", I must confess I was saddened to see your hasty judgement of Jeff Waters and ask you to reconsider. Annihilator's back catalogue may not be the most consistent in the genre, the guitarwork on the first 4 albums Alice In Hell, Never Neverland, Set The World On Fire and King Of The Kill are undeniably fantastic. Some of the best riffs and lead work in the whole genre! Always fun and cheeky, he seems to fly under the radar which is a crying shame! Thankyou for your time, Concerned citizen and friend, Laurence Armitage age 33 1/3
Dave Murry? some of the tastiest guitar solos in metal, both his powerslave solo's are awesome, his futureal solo is awesome probably one of his best in my book, he doesnt write a huge amount but when he does its always great, Deja Vu and Lightning Strikes twice are some of my favourite Dave tracks..
Based on the lack of Jeff Hanneman and K.K. Downing, I assume the unspoken rule was that there would be a single guitarist per band I'm just glad that Adrian got the spotlight he deserves, he's usually overshadowed by Dave Murray imo
Dude thanks for the info!!! Never heard of Impaled Nazarene. Alexi Laiho (RIP) and COB, the greatest metal guitarist and metal band from the last 25 years!!! Period.
Matt's solos are the really emotional, memorable ones. There are cases for both of them, but they have as many solos as each other, and many people connect with Matt's much more. He'd played beautifully on Rain, A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, Departure, Detonation, Becoming the Dragon, Entrance of the Conflagration, And Sadness Will Sear, The Crusade, Kirisute Gomen, Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis, Insurrection, Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven, He Who Spawned the Furies, Shogun, Forsake Not the Dream, The Phalanx, A Crisis of Revelation, and The Shadow of the Abattoir. They're both unbelievable lead guitarists.
@@Feercholain, he really hadn't, and it's happened a few times. Matt plays so cleanly at such high speeds in the Phrygian scale and the Hirajoshi scale, which many guitarists don't make much use of, among most common scales, that he should be a no-brainer as a top-tier guitarist. He doesn't play like anyone else, no matter how influenced by them he is. Synyster Gates and he should be in S-tier with Alexi Laiho.
@@chrismeadows4216 He has a really great style, maybe Bradley was relying too much on the fact that Matt leaves the shreddy solos to Corey and he lays back a little bit nowdays, but still can sweep pick and play his old solos all the way through. Corey on the other hand has some amazing solos too, maybe an A tier if he was on the list
@@Feercholain, his string-skip sweeps are really exciting, and he has an awesome grasp of harmonics. Corey's more proficient with them, so I totally agree. I want Corey higher than Matt objectively based on playing, though really, I don't feel as much from his solos, I only remember a few as I don't listen to them, and he definitely doesn't have stage presence which Matt has. He shouldn't be higher than Matt, based on criteria. It makes sense for Matt to be on this list, of anyone of Trivium.
I know hes called Mr Scary for a reason he is awesome he's my favourite feather duster but my favourite Dokken member is Mick Brown (Wild Mick Brown) underrated drummer it's sad he's retired he was awesome just like Don and Jeff are too at least there still going
OMG! Jeff Waters. Was just thinking the other day I haven't seen you cover him ever, I think his band and himself are incredible and deserve more exposure.
Matt Heafy has some really great solos, some are kinda melodic, some are shreddy and with some sweep picking here and there. He's not on the same level as many guitarist on the list but you didn't make him justice, guy's a low B at least, IMO
Agreed especially since he mainly plays rhythm, Ik this is a video based on lead guitarists but if we’re talking all around technical and rhythmic skill he is definitely one of the best modern guitarists out there
Brandon Ellis in C tier at the end is insane to me because technicality, tastiness, and song writing are all super high, but I guess the recognition/influence isn't there yet so fair enough. Gary Holt should have been on here as well though, chat dropped the ball on not even suggesting him.
Glad to see you put petrucci as S tier. He's been easily my favorite guitarists for 30 years. Just everything about his playing is basically perfect. I'd put Kirk Hammet at D tier. He's not any better than I am. And I consider myself an intermediate player.
You should definitely make more of these ranking videos! Theres just something so satisfying about you (an amazing guitar player/musician) ranking amazing guitar players/musicians... Love it brotha
Would have been cool to see Hank Shermann on here somewhere. His solos in Mercyful Fate were always insane, especially when he'd be duelling with Michael Denner. That was one powerful lead duo.
Alexi was the man, and his stage presence was fantastic. Kissing the shadow solo imo is tasty for something going that fast and being fairly technical.
I'm surprised you didn't include Tony Iommi, and I'd consider Kai Hansen as a major influencer as well. (I'd probably through Timo Tolkki as well, but I know he's a pretty big Malmsteen clone, so he wouldn't be very highly rated.)
Andy Laroque at bottom C .Wow! His solo on " Trapped in the corner" is hands down one of the best solos in metal and his vibrato and feel is top notch.
Pretty solid tier list. I'd have put Marty above Dimebag and Randy at the very top of S-tier, and I've have flipped Synister Gates and Adrian Smith's placements, but otherwise, bang on with my opinions.
My criteria for great metal guitarist - how many thousands of notes per picosecond - how many stacks of amps all in full volume can be used in a gig - how long is the hair - how uncopiable are the licks - how many guitars in the collection There.
