ANDY CRAVEN
James Byrd
A player who possesses it all: passion, soul, grace and that little bit of magic that
makes his music stand out from the rest.
Hot Picks: Solo - Son Of Man, Crimes Of Virtuosity, Flying Beyond The 9.
Ritchie Blackmore
A player who set the standard by which others must follow, his latest Blackmore's Night
venture may be different to the glory days of Rainbow but he has a tone instantly
recognisable regardless of whether its a Strat blasting a million watts or a lone
acoustic.
Hot Picks: Rainbow - Live In Germany 76, Finyl Vinyl. Deep Purple - Made In Japan, Perfect
Strangers.
Yngwie Malmsteen
The Maestro, with YJM you get what he gives you, no compromise and that says a lot.
Hot Picks: Rising Force, Fire + Ice, Facing The Animal.
Michael Romeo
Perhaps the only guitarist to have emerged recently that actually knows what to do with a
guitar.
Hot Picks: Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, V:The New Mythology Suite. Johansson
- The Last Viking.
Uli Jon Roth
One of the most inspirational guitarists you will ever hear.
Hot Picks: Transcendental Sky Guitar. Scorpions - Taken By Force, Tokyo Tapes. Electric
Sun - Earthquake/Firewind.
Eddie Van Halen
pioneered Metal guitar you hear today, VH1 to 1984 contain some of the most essential
guitar work ever recorded.
Hot Picks: Van Halen I to 1984, VH3 [yes really!!]
Alex Skolnick
His jazzy leads in Testament and later Savatage showed an original voice that has been off
the scene for too long.
Hot Picks: Testament - Practice What You Preach, Souls Of Black, The Ritual.
Savatage - Handful Of Rain.
Michael Schenker
UFO and MSG contain many superb moments from the Teutonic Madman.
Hot Picks: UFO - Strangers In The Night. MSG - Assault Attack, The Unforgiven World Tour
Live.
Joe Stump
A guitarist that is rapidly becoming the best in the neo-classical field thanks to his
wide vocabulary and strong songwriting - one to watch.
Hot Picks: Supersonic Shred Machine. Reign Of Terror - Second Coming. MVP - Animation.
Steve Vai
not so much for his recent material but the 2 albums with Dave Lee Roth are as good as
anything you will hear.
Hot Picks: Dave Lee Roth: Eat Em & Smile, Skyscraper. Solo - Passion &
Warfare.
ALANNA EVANS
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN
The maestro... nuff said! Oh wait, need more than that eh? Well here it goes: Yngwie is
simply a 'living legend', he single handedly spawned the "Bach N' Roll" craze of
the mid 80s. He's never backed down from what he believed in and his sound is distinctive.
In a sea of guitarists, his lone arpeggio shredding can be picked out with ease. Love or
hate him, there's no else like him.
Hot Picks: Yngwie Malmsteen: "Fire & Ice", "The Seventh Sign"
MICHAEL SCHENKER
I wrote a biography of him once in High School, that says alot right there. Another
axeslinger with a signature sound, Schenker has speed and agility but also a magnificent
sense of melody. He has been around since the dawn of metal, and his contributions to the
metallic cause should never go unnoted.
Hot Picks: MSG: "Assault Attack", "The Michael Schenker Group". UFO:
"Lights Out"
RITCHIE BLACKMORE
TMIB, The Man In Black, one of the creators of this thing called heavy metal, and
definitely the one to forge the sword that would later be hailed as power metal in the
decades to come, Blackmore was truly a trail blazer with an unmistakable bluesy touch to
his playing to match.
Hot Spots: Rainbow: "Straight Between the Eyes", "Rising". Deep
Purple: "Stormbringer".
ADRIAN VANDENBERG
The emotional manipulator, his solos can make you cry, make you laugh, make you just weep.
Although he hasn't really done much since his Vandenberg days in the early 80s, it was
those three albums he did under that banner that best represents his overall sound and
creative talents. A magnificent songwriter with a tonal quality to his playing of the
likes I have personally never heard duplicated. Quirky, flirty and at times heartbreaking,
he warped the heart and soul of the listener to his own devices.
Hot Spots: Vandenberg: "Alibi", "Vandenberg", "Heading For A
Storm"
EDWARD PURSINO
Overshadowed by the impressive presence of David DeFeis, Edward Pursino has been mucking
about in Virgin Steele since the band's first serious incarnation with "Noble
Savage". He's dazzled us for over fifteen years but rarely recieves the nod he
deserves. He rips, shreds and inspires.
Hot Spots: Virgin Steele: "Noble Savage", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
II", "The House of Atreus Act II"
TORE OSTBY
Crisp and sharp and oozing with vitality, this man knows how to wield his guitar like a
weapon and what sound to use and when. A chameleon of sorts, he pulls off a variety of
styles with ease, including the striking jazzy fusion type stuff and the sweet grooves in
Conception. While either cutting like a razor, chugging like a train, or soaring like a
bird, his licks are tasty and well thought out, and brimming with a labyrinthine-like
complexity.
Hot Spots: Conception: "Flow", "Parallel Minds". DC Cooper: "Dc
Cooper"
JOHN SYKES
He created the ever-so-popular 80s Whitesnake sound (just listen to what
Coverdale has done past/present and its easy to see that it was all Sykes...), and ported
it over to his own band Blue Murder where he just let it rip. A true axegod, Sykes playing
is definitely not all flash and no substance, and he often reaches for that bluesy cutting
edge. While his latest works have been far from enjoyable ("Nuclear Cowboy" was
but a joke), his past work with Thin Lizzy, the young, raw and hungry works in Tygers of
Pantang and even solo have earned him a spot at the top.
Hot Spots: Whitesnake: "Whitesnake". Blue Murder: "Blue Murder".
JOHN NORUM
Another guitarist who's dwindled to a shadow of his former self in the present day, Norum
used to be one of those shredders that dropped jaws not only for his technique but also
for his tender age. He was but a youngin' when he laid down the firey riffs for Europe's
"Wings of Tomorrow", and even on his solo debut he retained that undeniable
quality. "Aphasia" is one of the catchiest instrumentals ever.
Hot Spots: Europe: "Europe", "Wings of Tomorrow". John Norum:
"Total Control"
LUCA TURILLI
Turilli, Turilli, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.... Turilli brought the pomp
and medieval feel to power metal with his Yngwie inspired fleet fingered fretwork and icy
cold sound that seems blown straight from the frozen wastelands.
Hot Spots: Luca Turilli: "Kings of the Nordic Twilight". Rhapsody:
"Symphony of Enchanted Lands".
MICHAEL ROMEO
Another that hails from the house that Yngwie built, Romeo has a tough progressive side to
his splendidly intricate neoclassical flair. He's a guitarist's guitarist, but even with
his technical abilities aside, he works his magic with his fluid solos and awe inspiring
work in general. He is currently the unsurper of Malmsteen's throne, and I'm personally
not sure that Yngwie will ever be able to take it back.
Hot Spots: Johansson: "The Last Viking". Symphony X: "V", "The
Divine Wings of Tragedy".
Runners Up:
JAMES BYRD - superb guitarist no doubt... just excellent
GARY HUGHES - What a beautiful vocalist, superb guitarist and unparalleled songwriter. The
ultimate package.
JOSEPH WHITE
1. Eddie Van Halen
Arguably the most influential guitarist in rock/metal history. Pop-rock, hard rock and
metal owe a lot to this guy. He revolutionized the way the guitar is played just like Jimi
Hendrix did before him. But all that aside, I love him for his energetic and
"pyrotechnic" style of playing.And no one writes better bridges!
Essential Eddie Van Halen: The Van Halen albums Van Halen, 5150 and VanHalen III.
2. Criss Oliva (ex-Savatage)
Like Eddie Van Halen, Criss Oliva exhibited a very energetic style of guitar playing. His
solos were incredible. Many of the best opening riffs I've ever heard were written/played
by Criss.
Essential Criss Oliva: The Savatage albums Hall of the Mountain King,Streets: A RockOpera
and Edge of Thorns.
3. Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon)
David Gilmour never sounded so good--and soheavy! But Lucassen will be the first to tell
you that he is no David Gilmour.Okay, all kidding aside, this is true. But David Gilmour
ain't exactly Arjen Lucassen, either! Arjen does sound a lot like his Pink Floydian hero
on the six-string. But Arjen is also a metalhead, capable of pounding out brutal riff
after riff.
Essential Arjen Lucassen: The Ayreon albums The Final Experiment, Into the ElectricCastle
and The Dream Sequencer.
4. George Lynch (ex-Dokken, Lynch Mob)
Though Lynch's work over the years has been a bit uneven, when he's good, he's fantastic!
His blistering riffs arerazor sharp and cutlike a knife.
Essential George Lynch: Dokken - Tooth & Nail, Dokken - Under Lock & Key, Lynch
Mob -Wicked Sensation.
5. Chris DeGarmo (Queensryche)
Who he is as a songwriter is at least as important aswho he is as a guitarist. This is the
guy who wrote most of Operation:Mindcrime and Rage for Order. If it wasn't for his
brilliance as a writer, his brillianceas a guitarist would meannothing. His very melodic
style was easy to relate to, easy to followand conveyed tonsof emotion with every note.
Queensryche isn't Queensryche withouthim--DeGarmo was andis Queensryche.
Essential Chris DeGarmo: The Queensryche albums The Warning, Rage forOrder and Operation:
Mindcrime.
6. Steve Clark (ex-Def Leppard)
Another guy that was as much asongwriter as aguitarist as he was, along with singer Joe
Elliott, the creative force of Def Leppard until his untimely death in 1991. It is
difficult to single him out as great guitarist when it is his ability to craft great songs
that made him and Def Leppard who they are.
Essential Steve Clark: The Def Leppard albums High 'n' Dry, Pyromania and Hysteria.
7. Nuno Bettencourt (ex-Extreme, Mourning Widows)
Evoking images ofEddie Van Halen and Queen's Brian May, Bettencourt's explosive and
precise style of playing burst on thescene in 1989 with Extreme. Extreme combined a
fascinating combination of pop-metal,art-rock and funk with fantastic results. And
Bettencourt was the backbone of the Extreme machine. Perfect phrasing and technical
efficiency are his trademarks, great songs was his legacy.
Essential Bettencourt: Extreme's self-titled debut, II: Pornograffitti and the progressive
masterpiece III Sides to Every Story.
8. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
I like his style, his solos, his rhythms and his writing. Aggressive, nihilistic and
powerful, Dave Mustaine knows how to rock.
Essential Mustaine: Megadeth's Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia.
9. Alex Lifeson (Rush)
The members of Rush: Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and...that other guy.Overshadowed by his fellow
band mates, Lifeson is just as talented. His technique is flawless and, more importantly,
his songwriting skills are fantastic.
Essential Alex Lifeson: Rush's Hemispheres, Moving Pictures and PermanentWaves.
10. Kevin Riepl (ex-Eternity X)
One album. That's all this guy has: One album. But, damn,what an album it is! Zodiac (the
only album Riepl recorded with EternityX) is one helluva guitar album. His style is 50%
Eddie Van Halen and 50% DaveMurray/Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden). It is an explosive and
entertaining attack combining the Maiden gallop with Van Halen energy. Every time I listen
to Zodiac, I'm blown away. Great guitar album. Essential Riepl: Eternity X's Zodiac.
TORGIER KROKFJORD
1. Yngwie J. Malmsteen
2. Michael Romeo
3. Torgeir Krokfjord (of course)
4. Al Di Meola
5. Andre Olbrich
6. Alexi Laiho
7. Steve Vai
8. Ritchie Blackmore
9. John McLaughlin
10. John Petrucci
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