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H R H - R E V
I E W S
The Faulty
Top 100
By John Kindred
Managing Editor & Webmaster for Hardrock Haven
In the last couple years, the staff at Guitar World
Magazine have "blessed us" with their witty opinion on
who is the greatest guitarists of all time. In a 2003 issue they
gave us a list of the all time greatest guitarists through the realm
of music. Reading the article at that time, I had my doubts about
quite a few of their nominations. Their March 2004 issue of Guitar
World magazine narrowed the playing field to a list of the 100 greatest
heavy metal guitarists as selected by the magazine's staff. So let's
have a look:
Guitar World 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists Of All
Time:
01. Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH)
02. Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield (METALLICA)
03. Angus & Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
04. Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE)
05. Eddie Van Halen (VAN HALEN)
06. Jimmy Page (LED ZEPPELIN)
07. Dimebag Darrell (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN)
08. Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
09. Adam Jones (TOOL)
10. Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman (SLAYER)
11. Dave Murray & Adrian Smith (IRON MAIDEN)
12. Jimi Hendrix
13. Glen Tipton & K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST)
14. Ace Frehley & Paul Stanley (KISS)
15. Slash (GUNS N' ROSES)
16. Ritchie Blackmore (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW)
17. Yngwie Malmsteen
18. Joe Perry & Brad Whitford (AEROSMITH)
19. Dave Mustaine & Marty Friedman (MEGADETH)
20. Chuck Schuldiner (DEATH)
21. Brian May (QUEEN)
22. Michael Schenker (MSG, UFO)
23. Nigel Tufnel (SPINAL TAP)
24. Jeff Beck
25. Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)
26. Head & Munky (KORN)
27. John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER)
28. Kim Thayil (SOUNDGARDEN)
29. Vivian Campbell (DEF LEPPARD)
30. Daron Malakian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN)
31. Scott Ian (ANTHRAX)
32. Tom G. Warrior (CELTIC FROST)
33. Chris Degarmo & Michael Wilton (QUEENSRŸCHE)
34. C.C. Deville
35. Marten Hagström & Fredrik Thorndendal (MESHUGGAH)
36. Alex Lifeson (RUSH)
37. Paul Gilbert (MR. BIG, RACER X)
38. Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS)
39. Mantas (VENOM)
40. Jason Becker (DAVE LEE ROTH)
41. Phil Collen & Steve Clarke (DEF LEPPARD)
42. Mikael Åkerfeldt & Peter Lindgren (OPETH)
43. Fast Eddie Clarke (MOTÖRHEAD)
44. Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME)
45. Warren DeMartini (RATT)
46. Mick Mars (MÖTLEY CRÜE)
47. George Lynch (DOKKEN)
48. Ted Nugent
49. Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE, BADLANDS)
50. Rudolf Schenker & Uli John Roth (SCORPIONS)
51. Oystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (MAYHEM)
52. Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson (THIN
LIZZY)
53. Steve Vai (DAVE LEE ROTH)
54. Reb Beach (WINGER, DOKKEN)
55. Trey Azagthoth (MORBID ANGEL)
56. John Sykes (THIN LIZZY, BLUE MURDER)
57. Hank Shermann & Michael Denner (MERCYFUL FATE)
58. Richie Sambora (BON JOVI)
59. Jon Donais & Matt Backhand (SHADOWS FALL)
60. Stephen Carpenter (DEFTONES)
61. Alex Skolnick & Eric Peterson (TESTAMENT)
62. Brian Tatler (DIAMOND HEAD)
63. John Christ (DANZIG)
64. Scott "Wino" Weinrich (THE OBSESSED)
65. Pepper Keenan & Woody Weatherman (C.O.C.)
66. Tommy Victor (PRONG)
67. Leslie West (MOUNTAIN)
68. Vernon Reid (LIVING COLOUR)
69. Glen Buxton & Michael Bruce (ALICE
COOPER)
70. Bjorn Gelotte & Jesper Stromblad (IN FLAMES)
71. Jim Matheos (FATES WARNING)
72. Gary Holt & Rick Hunolt (EXODUS)
73. Donald Buck Dharma Roeser (BLUE ÖYSTER
CULT)
74. Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY)
75. Robert Fripp (KING CRIMSON)
76. Andre Olbrich (BLIND GUARDIAN)
77. Joe Satriani
78. Frank Hannon & Tommy Skeoch (TESLA)
79. Ty Tabor (KING'S X)
80. Mark Morton & Will Adler (LAMB OF GOD)
81. Dino Cazares (FEAR FACTORY)
82. Pete Townshend (THE WHO)
83. Jon Schaffer (ICED EARTH)
84. Timo Tolkki (STRATOVARIUS)
85. Neil Young
86. Abbath Doom Occulta (IMMORTAL)
87. Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY)
88. Uffe Cederlund & Alex Hellid (ENTOMBED)
89. Leigh Stephens (BLUE CHEER)
90. Jim Martin (FAITH NO MORE)
91. Michael Romeo (SYMPHONY X)
92. Bill Steer (CARCASS)
93. Piggy (VOIVOD)
94. Tony Bourge (BUDGIE)
95. Sammy Hagar (VAN HALEN)
96. Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM)
97. Akira Takasaki (LOUDNESS)
98. Michael Angelo
99. John Kay & Michael Monarh (STEPPENWOLF)
100. Nick Bowcott (GRIM REAPER)
The selections in yellow, to me, are questionable
to say the least. Instantly their validity for making a top 100
list went down a notch. C.C. Deville making the list is absurd.
To have him rank higher than monster guitarists such as No. 37 Paul
Gilbert (MR. BIG, RACER X), No. 47 George Lynch (DOKKEN), No. 49
Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE, BADLANDS), No. 53 Steve Vai (DAVE LEE
ROTH), No. 56 John Sykes (THIN LIZZY, BLUE MURDER), No. 77 Joe Satriani
and No. 78 Frank Hannon & Tommy Skeoch (TESLA). I could go on
... C.C. Deville brought nothing new or original to heavy metal;
his band Poison (where Bret Michaels is the heart and soul) made
the best decision ever when they removed C.C. from the band and
brought in Blues
Saraneno (check out Poison's "Crack
A Smile"). The comparison between the two is like night
and day.
The next and most obvious setback is the inclusion
of Spinal Tap's fictional guitarist Nigel Tufnel. A movie-created
icon with no validity as a real musician, and besides, the soundtrack
to Spinal Tap only played on one other CD, Spinal Tap's "Break
Like The Wind."
The final yellow is Nick Bowcott of Grim Reaper.
He might have been the best guitarist ever, if you could get through
listening and laughing at "See You In Hell," to even listen
to his playing. We'll never know because I'm still laughing!
Next, there is a fine line between heavy metal,
hard rock and progressive rock music. Falling into the hard rock
and progressive rock categories (highlighted in green in the Guitar
World Top 100) are such artists as No. 6 Jimmy Page (LED ZEPPELIN),
No. 12 Jimi Hendrix, No. 16 Ritchie Blackmore (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW),
No. 18 Joe Perry & Brad Whitford (AEROSMITH), No. 21 Brian May
(QUEEN), No. 24 Jeff Beck, No. 36 Alex Lifeson (RUSH), No. 48 Ted
Nugent, No. 52 Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson (THIN LIZZY),
No. 67 Leslie West (MOUNTAIN), No. 69 Glen Buxton & Michael
Bruce (ALICE COOPER), No. 73 Donald Buck Dharma Roeser (BLUE ÖYSTER
CULT), No. 82 Pete Townshend (THE WHO) and No. 85 Neil Young. Although
each guitarist listed here has influenced the "heavy metal"
community, it is not a fair assessment to pigeonhole them on a top
100 "heavy metal" list. When did Neil Young break into
"heavy metal?"
Finally, I believe you have to seperate the eras
when each guitarist made his impact on music. That will lead to
the top 100 "heavy metal" guitarist of all time.
Here's my top 10 all-time "heavy metal"
guitarist based upon their contribution to the genre ...
01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Eddie Van Halen
03. Rhandy Rhoads
04. Jimmy Page
05. Ritchie Blackmore
06. Joe Satriani
07. Brian May
08. Tony Iommi
09. Yngwie J. Malmsteen
10. Micheal Schenker
In my opinion, these guitarists sent there peers
back to the woodshed to rehone their abilities. One might wonder
why Uli Jon Roth, James Byrd and Ronni le Tekro, to name a brief
few, didn't even make the list.
Here's is a list of my personal top 10 guitarists
of all-time:
01. Micheal Schenker
02. Ronni le Tekro
03. George Lynch
04. Randy Rhoads
05. John Sykes
06. Jake E. Lee
07. Yngwie J. Malmsteen
08. Doug Aldrich
09. James Byrd
10. Joe Satriani
There are guitarists not on this list who should
be, and there are guitarist on this list that really never brought
anything new to the table as far as their playing goes. A new generation
sees things differently than the generations that preceeded them.
The inspiration for each new promising guitar player is rooted firmly
in the past. The way has been set before them, and it is up to them
to find their own voice among all the cliche and rehashed riffs
that have come before them ...
Agree? Disagree? Let me know email
the webmaster
Disclaimer:
These views are of the authors and may not reflect the views of
all Hardrock Haven staff members.
Readers Respond:
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"Very interesting list, however
leaving Frank Marino off the list is a crime, I have seen
21 of the players listed, most of the shows were incredible,
a few were poor (Blackmore, I also saw a bad night for Sabbath
in 73' ), I will see Schenker and Uli this weekend, but
I will tell you that that the two greatest shows I have
ever seen were by Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush around
78'. Satriani,a technical genious, has been good, and Schenker
mind boggling within his genre, but Marino created his own
universe. Thanks for Putting the web site up--BB PS Where
is Travers and Trower? Trower on the Bridge of Sighs tour
was essentially a blues/trip/metal guitarist.He was twice
as loud as Mountain and Leslie West- a bone crushing Srat
attack in those days, many forget that he filled football
stadiums by hiself." -- TWOBEK |
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"I'll would put michael angelo batio
like first or second, paul gilbert also." -- Tidus |
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"I like your list much better than
Guitar Magazines. I think however that you should have Eddie
Van Halen in your top ten. Your #1 is an excellent choice!
Any word on Mr. Shenker? I heard he was joining the Scorpions
again. What's the deal?" -- Arive |
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"Thanks, John.
That is true; we have bands like Magnitude 9 (feat. Rob
Johnson), Symphony X (feat. Michael Romeo), Reign Of Terror
(feat. Joe Stump & Michael Vescera), all of whom I've
spoken with by phone or in person (I'm a guitarist as well---Tekrø-influenced:)
), & all talk of no attention here, playing to crowds
of 500 or less, then going to Europe to play to 1000-5000,
then to Japan to play to 5000-10,000. But labels & the
record industry pay some attention to those markets. The
labels in the US are into controlling and pushing fads...or
looking for the next American Idol.
Again, I enjoyed your article. Great to see others who recognize
the problem; the "guitar" magazines are oblivious...or
just pandering to popularity."
Best regards,
Dennis |
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"I was just surfing the internet
& ran across your site. I LOVE your article on the Top
Ten Heavy Metal Guitarists. The VERY first thing that bothered
me when I opened the pages of the VERY "American"
magazine was the absence of friend & biggest influence.........Ronni
LeTekr. Especially since they DID crack the Top 200 Billboard
in the 80's & their video for "Everyone's A Star"
was an MTV darling for about 1 or 2 weeks in the summer
of '88 (played almost every couple hours day & night).
What's even MORE absurd is that Tekr & TNT didn't make
the Where Are They Now? list in another top US guitar magazine
in the last month, & that in lieu of their new &
possibly BIGGEST release ever at the end of this month (in
Japan) & early in March (Europe), with US soon to follow
via Tony Harnell's label, Crush. "My Religion"
is THE strongest TNT material since their heyday of "Tell
No Tales" & "Intuition", with the band
really rediscovering their identity & combining EVERYTHING
they've ever done into a very DEFINITIVE TNT sound.
How absurd to see C.C. Deville, Nigel Tufnel, & Neil
Young topping an HM/HR guitar heroes list?! Uli Jon Roth,
(early) Gary Moore, John Norum, Chris Impelliterri, Tony
MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, David Chastain, & the like
could easily have replaced many of the less worthy names
on that satirical list. They were the guitar heroes of the
age.
Even more sad is the fact that the age of guitar virtuosity
& high quality hr/hm is still going VERY STRONG in the
rest of the civilized world. Like the metric system, the
US doesn't embrace it, rather bowing to the marketing whims
of the corporate music system, which constantly bombards
us with pop, hip hop, techno, rap, boy bands, girl bands,
coffeehouse folk-pop, alterna-pop, nu metal, etc.
The REAL guitar mag is Young Guitar out of Japan; a magazine
where you can still open the pages & find scores &
lessons (& even interviews) with TNT/Tekr, Harem Scarem,
Sykes, Norum, & a plethora of selections from an entire
NEW generation of Euro rock/metal that exists independant
of America's fickle market."
Sk l (Cheers--Norwegian),
Dennis (Massachussetts) |
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"Hit the nail on the head about
Saraceno and Deville...Blues smokes anything that CC ever
put out." -- Yvonne Varneau |
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"Hi man , it's Cyril , I'm just
watching your list, I think some guitar players Such as
Michael Romeo must be in the top of place, as Malmsteen
, anyways I'm ok with you for 90 % about the list ."
-- take care bro cyril |
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