Top Heavy Metal Musicians Select Favorite Guitarists Of All

No Criss Oliva again:

Top Heavy Metal Musicians Select Favorite Guitarists Of All Time - May 19, 2008


Thiago Sarkis of Roadie Crew magazine (web site) organized a poll in which 330 guitarists were asked about their favorite guitarists of all time. Among the participants in the poll were current and former members of such bands as GUNS N' ROSES, KISS, MACHINE HEAD, NIGHTWISH, MEGADETH, SCORPIONS, TESTAMENT, ARCH ENEMY, KING DIAMOND, SEPULTURA, DIO, TWISTED SISTER, KAMELOT and DOWN (see full list below).

The results of the poll — published in the new issue of Roadie Crew (#112) — are as follows:

01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Eddie Van Halen
03. Yngwie J. Malmsteen
04. Randy Rhoads
05. Ritchie Blackmore
06. Jimmy Page
07. Tony Iommi
08. Steve Vai
09. Jeff Beck
10. Michael Schenker
11. David Gilmour
12. Dimebag Darrell
13. Allan Holdsworth
14. Uli Jon Roth
15. Angus Young
16. James Hetfield
17. Brian May
18. Marty Friedman
19. Joe Satriani
20. Jason Becker
21. Gary Moore
22. Paul Gilbert
23. Eric Clapton
24. Al Di Meola
25. Zakk Wylde
26. John McLaughlin
27. John Petrucci
28. Adrian Smith
29. Steve Morse
30. Stevie Ray Vaughan
31. Slash
32. Kirk Hammett
33. Robert Fripp
34. Alex Lifeson
35. Chuck Schuldiner
36. Ace Frehley
37. George Lynch
38. Dave Murray
39. Glenn Tipton
40. Neal Schon
41. Eric Johnson
42. Trey Azagthoth
43. K.K. Downing
44. Andy LaRocque
45. Malcolm Young
46. Django Reinhardt
47. Jeff Loomis
48. Steve Lukather
49. John Sykes
50. Denis "Piggy" D'Amour

Current and former members of the following bands participated in the poll:

ANGRA
ANTHRAX
ARCH ENEMY
AT THE GATES
AYREON
BEHEMOTH
BLUE CHEER
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
CACOPHONY
CARCASS
CELTIC FROST
CHILDREN OF BODOM
DARK TRANQUILLITY
DIO
DOWN
DR. SIN
EXODUS
FAITH NO MORE
FATES WARNING
FOCUS
GAMMA RAY
GENESIS
GIRLSCHOOL
GUNS N' ROSES
HALFORD
HEART
HELLOWEEN
KAMELOT
KING DIAMOND
KING'S X
KISS
KREATOR
LIVING COLOUR
MACHINE HEAD
MANOWAR
MARILLION
MEGADETH
MERCYFUL FATE
MICK JAGGER
MINISTRY
NAZARETH
NIGHTWISH
NILE
OPETH
PARADISE LOST
SAVATAGE
SCORPIONS
SEBASTIAN BACH
SEPULTURA
SIR LORD BALTIMORE
SOULFLY
STRATOVARIUS
SYMPHONY X
TEN YEARS AFTER
TESTAMENT
TOTO
TRIUMPH
TWISTED SISTER
URIAH HEEP
YES "

i can't believe james hetfield is higher then satriani

i don't see Hank Shermann or Michael Denner, but a decent list all the same.

I'd rather not see Jimi Hendrix atop that list... But what do I know?

MetalH wrote:

I'd rather not see Jimi Hendrix atop that list... But what do I know?

I agree, man. It's always so predictable that he's going to be #1. He was really good, but they're are better.

Hendrix deserves to be at #1. He created the language that all guitarists have been speaking ever since. A million people have tried to re-create his sound...nobody has come close.

Nice to see David Gilmour so high on the list...the most lyrical lead guitarist of all-time.

I see some discrepencies in that list, some of which don't belong and totally outr of order. But its a good list over-all.

They are missing James Murphy, Michael Angelo Batio, Tony McAlpine, and most importantly Nigel Tufnel!

Lurideath wrote:

I see some discrepencies in that list, some of which don't belong and totally outr of order. But its a good list over-all.

They are missing James Murphy, Michael Angelo Batio, Tony McAlpine, and most importantly Nigel Tufnel!

I agree with ya on Tony Mac and Michael Angelo. I think alot of it was predicated on sales and popularity. I love Joe Satch but there is no way he is better than Paul Gilbert or half a dozen others.

stepcousin wrote:

Lurideath wrote:

I see some discrepencies in that list, some of which don't belong and totally outr of order. But its a good list over-all.

They are missing James Murphy, Michael Angelo Batio, Tony McAlpine, and most importantly Nigel Tufnel!

I agree with ya on Tony Mac and Michael Angelo. I think alot of it was predicated on sales and popularity. I love Joe Satch but there is no way he is better than Paul Gilbert or half a dozen others.

It's not suppose to be a "greatest guitarists" list. This list is just asks guitarists who their FAVORITE peer is, not the greatest.

I can't believe how high Malmsteen is on this list.

For asking a bunch of musicians it seems a little cliche'.

I like the list. No Kurt Cobain.

This list pretty much proves how underrated Criss Oliva really is.

Ok, Hendrix was innovative. But IMO, there are so many guitarist that just slay him in style and technique. I haven't ever heard a Hendrix song/album that I've even liked. Maybe that's just me. I'd take EVH any day.

I'm with Metalh on this one.

MetalH wrote:

Ok, Hendrix was innovative. But IMO, there are so many guitarist that just slay him in style and technique. I haven't ever heard a Hendrix song/album that I've even liked. Maybe that's just me. I'd take EVH any day.

I love his music, but I really wouldn't call him 'the best'. He's certainly no Tony Iommi. But I can understand why he tops all the lists.

It took me YEARS to finally "get" Hendrix and what he was doing. When I was a teenager I had a couple albums on vinyl and just didn't understand what all the fuss was about...I knew he could play but at that time I preferred Robin Trower who was basically playing the same style with slight variations.

Years later I started a serious study of jazz and blues (over 5000 albums) that lasted for almost a decade.

Then a friend of mine sent me some unreleased Hendrix studio recordings and WHAM...it hit me upside the head with the mastery of the whole thing. I then went back and re-listened to all the studio and live albums and was completely blown away...but I was also listening with new "ears" developed during my exploration of other musical forms. I could hear where he was coming from, I could hear the REAL blues, R&B, jazz and other influences that drove his sound.

In the end it's his sound that's the important thing, the tone. There are thousands of guitarists with "chops"...but it takes more than chops to create the whole picture, it takes soul and the ability to channel it through the instrument. There are only a handful of cats that have that type of ability. John Coltrane had it on the saxophone, Thelonious Monk had it on the piano...and Hendrix mastered it on the guitar. All the practicing in the world won't get you to that level....all the scales in the world won't help to achieve it...you have to be born with it.

Granted, that's my opinion...but I'm sticking to it.

And Les Claypool has it on bass.

SoldierUnderCommand wrote:

This list pretty much proves how underrated Criss Oliva really is.

So true. Criss was one of my favorites. I was fortunate enough to see Savatage on the Gutter Ballet & Streets tours. The first show I hung out with Jon & Criss after the show and they were VERY down to earth, very nice guys. Criss was an amazing talent and I'm still saddened by his loss.

When guitar world magazine did the 100 best guitarists in metal list a few years back, they left Criss off too. i wrote it off as some idiot journalist just making some dumb list.

I have no idea what to chalk this one up to.

Not a bad list.It seems odd how they polled members of Savatage and Criss still isnt on the list.

Some people are just dumb I guess...

And no Amott or Jake E. Lee. Nice Loomis got a nod but i'd put him higher.


01. Jimi Hendrix
02. Eddie Van Halen
03. Yngwie J. Malmsteen
04. Randy Rhoads
05. Ritchie Blackmore
06. Jimmy Page
07. Tony Iommi
08. Steve Vai
09. Jeff Beck
10. Michael Schenker
11. Criss Oliva

Feel better D and L. I would even put him ahead of guys like Beck and Vai.

Criss was a very good guitar player but he was not in a huge band like KISS and that is why he is not on this list. This is basically just a popularity contest and means very little.

Where's Dave Mustaine?