Top Ten Most Important Members of a Band

When I say important, I mean the bands driving force, main songwriter, occasional producer, etc. So don't go around adding Kurt Cobain, Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. Or anyone like them.
The Top Ten
1 Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

Indeed. He wrote most of Maiden and he formed the band. Now I see why he is more important than Bruce.

2 Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) Steven John Wilson is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He is best known for his band Porcupine Tree.

This guy is just a legend. Him and Porcupine Tree are one of my favourite bands. And his solo career is pretty amazing as well. Hand Cannot Erase is easily the best album of the year so far.

3 Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician, prominently known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth, as well as being the former vocalist of death metal supergroup Bloodbath for three albums up until 2012. ...read more.

The leader of Opeth. The guy who does everything. He writes most of Opeth's material, and is a fantastic songwriter.

He puts effort. Deserves to be at the top

4 Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor and author. Mustaine is best known as a pioneer in Thrash Metal, being the former lead guitarist of Metallica before his dismissal in 1983, leading to finding and becoming the front man of his own ...read more.
5 Chuck Schuldiner (Death) Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the founder and vocalist, guitarist and bassist of the American heavy metal band Death. He is considered the most influential figure in Death Metal, with some publications referring to Chuck as the "Godfather of Death Metal". Schuldiner died in December 13, 2001 of brain cancer, his death subsequently leading to the disbandment of Death, but has remained influential among many aspiring metal artists. He was also known for his polite and life loving attitude and openly condemned stereotypes of metal musicians being harmful and evil.

Sorry if I spelt it wrong. Chuck and Death produced almost 20 years of pure awesome music. And when he died, we had the saddest musician death. And the end to the greatest death metal band.

6 Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains.

This guy is unbeatable! Even when Layne Staley died. He reformed the band with Willem Duvall and they still kick ass today.

7 Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth) Jon Ryan Schaffer is an American heavy metal musician. He is best known as the guitarist and last remaining original member of the Florida-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name "Purgatory".

Yes, he's the driving force there. His songwriting is the most important part.

8 Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia) Tobias Sammet is a German metal musician, best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, as well as the founder, main singer and bassist of the metal opera Avantasia.

Tobias Sammet and Jeff Waters are #1 and #2 for me - nobody does what they do.

Tobias Sammet runs 2 successful bands in parallel! He sings for 2 bands, writes music and lyrics for 2 bands, tours with 2 bands, etc. He's been doing that for 15 years!
Sometimes he plays bass.

Tobi founded Edguy when he was 14.
Then he founded Avantasia - a superband that includes many famous singers from all over the world and it's difficult to coordinate. This type of projects also need lots of talent and versatility to write songs that fit the styles of so many different singers. Besides, Avantasia is a metal opera and the stuff is not easy.

Tobi is a top 10 metal singer and overall a super-talented musician. He is also one of the smartest and coolest guys out there.

9 Jeff Waters (Annihilator) Jeff Waters (born February 13, 1966) is a Canadian metal musician and founder of the metal band Annihilator. He's best known as the guitarist for Annihilator, appreciated for his fast riffs and solos. Waters is also the primary songwriter in the band. Very often he has taken on the role of lead singer, ...read more.

Annihilator = Jeff Waters. He's one of the most multi-talented metal musicians. Definitely a guitar virtuoso.
He's basically a lead guitar player but his roles in the band are more than that:
Founder, leader, songwriter, lyricist, and when needed - rhythm guitar player and even bassist and lead vocalist. He founded his own studio and became a producer.

Annihilator didn't have a bassist for their debut album (which is a masterpiece) and Jeff Waters created and played all the original bass lines (besides creating everything else).
He also did lead vocals on several albums - he's not a songbird but he's not bad (ex. - King Of The Kill, 21).

10 James Hetfield (Metallica) James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the American heavy metal band Metallica.

He has good voice, good musics everything that a band needs.

The Contenders
11 Kirk Hammett (Metallica) Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus.

No. James Hetfield is more important.

12 Robert Fripp (King Crimson) Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. As a guitarist for the progressive rock band King Crimson, Fripp has been the only member to have played in all of King Crimson's line-ups from their inception in the late 1960s to the present. He has also worked ...read more.
13 Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) Ian Scott Anderson is a Scottish-born musician, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whom is best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull.
14 Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, Helloween) Kai Michael Hansen is a heavy metal guitarist and vocalist. Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween.

This guy is fabulous.
Founded 2 legendary bands, wrote remarkable songs for both bands, played guitars, did lead vox, backing vox.

15 Freddie Mercury (Queen) Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Before he became a singer he has been in 3 other bands (Ibex, Sour Milk Sea, and The Hectics). He died on November 24, 1991 from bronchopneumonia as a result from HIV/AIDS

Queen died when Freddie died.

The beest singer and frontman of all time. A legend. RIP Freddie, we all miss you.

He should be on the top.

16 Mat Sinner (Primal Fear) Mat Sinner is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer from Stuttgart, Germany. He is best known as the bassist and primary songwriter for the metal band Primal Fear.

The guys from Primal Fear are very good and skillful musicians but they wouldn't sound that good without the great songs Mat Sinner writes. Primal Fear just have good songs.
Mat Sinner is also their bassist and co-founder of the band. I always compare Mat Sinner with Steve Harris - both are Grey Cardinals: they exert power behind the scenes, without drawing attention to themselves. Also both are bassists and know how to write good songs.

Songs: Strike, All for One, Diabolus, King for a Day, The Man (That I Don't Know).

17 Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) Ian Fraser Kilmister, known as Lemmy, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who founded and fronted the rock band Motörhead. He was a bassist and a singer known for his raspy voice. He died in 2015 from cancer and other health problems.
18 Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1987, he started the grunge band Nirvana, which became one of the most successful bands ever. He was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. Kurt Cobain became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band. He committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994.

Best for ever

19 Quorthon (Bathory) Tomas Börje Forsberg, known by the stage name Quorthon (1966-2004), was a Swedish musician. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the band Bathory, which pioneered the black metal genre and is credited with creating the Viking metal style. A multi-instrumentalist, Quorthon wrote ...read more.
20 Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) Jimi Hendrix (born November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music". Hendrix is consistently ranked on lists of musicians who died too soon.
21 Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)

Reznor is the band, really

22 Rudolf Schenker (Scorpions) Rudolf Schenker is a German guitarist and founding member of the hard rock band Scorpions, being the rhythm guitarist and one of the main songwriters of the band.

He's the founder, guitar player and main songwriter of the biggest German rock band of all time, the Scorpions.

23 Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys)
24 Brian May (Queen) Brian Harold May is an English musician, singer, songwriter and astrophysicist, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen.
25 Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer. Best known as lead guitarist and founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, he has been the band's sole continual member and primary composer. At age 17, he accidentally lost the fingertips of his middle and ring fingers on his right hand, and considered giving up music. His boss encouraged him to continue playing by playing a record of the jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt who became famous even though his fretting hand was limited due to an injury. He carried on and down tuned his guitar for easier playing, which helped give birth to heavy metal music.

Tony was the only member of Black Sabbath to be on every single album they put out. He is the father of metal

8Load More
PSearch List