Who’s the best Metal Lead Guitarist (English Post)

Who is the best metal lead guitarist ? 

The answer must be subjective, and this is the opportunity to share with you the main guitarists who have influenced me in my playing style.


\m/ Happy reading \m/

For those who don't know him, just watch the end of this song where he plays a synchronized solo with the keyboard at 10:47:

This Dying Soul – Dream Theater

And another of his pretty pieces:

Weak points: He perhaps lacks inspiration when he writes his songs with his group. Until the 2010s, I lost track a little after that, I found that many of their songs are not really original and we can feel their influences too much.

Strong points: On the other hand, all the styles he took on, he made them more complex and improved them in the progressive metal way which resulted in some great things!

I especially think about the Train Of Thoughts album from 2003 where I heard for the first time magnificent solos and great broken bar riffs. Not to mention the sound of this record which I still find great today.

Little story: I had just started learning the electric guitar a few months ago, and one of my drummer friends showed me John Petrucci playing during Live at Budokan, excellent live.
And I'll let you imagine the monumental slap I had to take when I saw him play!!!

War March – Andy James

The Storm – Andy James

Strong points: magnificent phrasing, excellent technique!

Like John Petrucci, he also managed to write an entire instrumental electric guitar record that I can listen to from start to finish without getting bored, hats off! I’m thinking of the album “Andy James” – 2011.

Weak points: its backing rhythms are a bit “flat” with rhythms in 4 4 as it is too often the case in “guitar hero” albums.

Without a doubt my favorite guitarist! He is probably the one who influenced me the most as a musician.

Style, excellent music, excellent solos, nail polish, what more could we ask for?

My favorite Children Of Bodom album: Hate Crew Deathroll

Alexi and I in 2011

 
Strong points: very creative music and solos, lots of very interesting guitar tutorial videos.

Weak points: In the second half of his career in Children Of Bodom I found that he had a little difficulty in renewing himself in his compositions and his solos. He went too easily into blues licks already widely used in this style of soloing compared to what he did before. 

And above all, he died much too early 😭😭😭

The first Frenchman on the list! 

It was with his guitar method that I learned the back and forth technique. It is very effective if this playing technique interests you. 

I don't like all his records but I think he has some very beautiful compositions including Shattered Chains :

little story: I met him one day on a street in Nancy randomly, he’s a very nice and friendly person 🙂

Randy Rhoads, another guitarist who I listened to a lot on Ozzy Osbourne's album Blizzard Of Ozz.
I had just bought my second electric guitar, his beautiful Jackson RR5 signature guitar!

I remember seeing it in the window of a guitar store and it was love at first sight! I didn’t know it yet but I was going to record my first two albums and tour twice with this superb guitar in the years that followed!

You can appreciate Randy's virtuosity on Mister Crowley:

Strong points: a lot of energy in his solos, a unique look and guitar shapes!
Weak points: he died very young and didn't have time to make many recordings 😔

Steve Vai, a sound, a game, endless effects and an alien, or rather an alien on stage:

George Benson. We're changing styles here. Although I don't like jazz at all, I make an exception for George Benson's record Breezin.
I find that he has very beautiful phrasing and he has already inspired me in a few solos that I have written. Make up your mind:

Paul Gilbert, a guitarist whose songs I loved from his group Racer X like this one:
On the other hand, I didn't like his solo records at all.

Yngwie Malmsteen, incredible guitarist. I really liked his first album Rising Force, from which I covered “Far beyond the sun” a few years ago.
That said, I find that his music and his guitar licks don't change enough from one album to the next and I'm not a fan of the screamed singing style of his songs.

All these guitar influences made me the guitarist I am today.
To finish this article I let you enjoy one of my favorite solos from my first album:

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See you next time !

Sylvain

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