Top 10 Greatest Metal Bassists

I understand people going for Cliff burton, he was the master of the craft but I think Steve Harris has a little edge over him. Cliff burton hands down has better technique but music is not about just technique, its just one of the aspects. Steve has written majority of Maiden's music which speaks for itself as how successful Maiden is, also longevity is a factor, Steve Harris has disappointed over his long span of career, Not saying Cliff would but we will not know that answer. So, all in all, Steve Harris for me. Up the Irons. /m/

Looking at the name of Geezer Butler just below, I wondered if I should vote for him. And further down the list Lemmy's name caught my attention as well. But when it comes to metal bassist, I can't help but to vote for Steve Harris in the end. I think his basslines sticks out from the band's sound than those of Geezer do in Sabbath. And no matter Lemmy's the sonic center of Motorhead, and his band is highly influential, still I don't think not they but Iron Maiden epitomizes metal much better.

Steve is hands down the best bassist in metal. Steve not only has a unique gallop style, but he's probably top 5 songwriters in all of metal as well. He is probably the biggest influence on half of the other guys on this list, and for good reason. The guy is still killing it 40+ years later which really says something about his craft. I'll give honorable mention to Cliff, Les, Digiorgio, and Dave Ellefson, but Steve takes the cake.

Metal is a genre where unfortunately many bassists go unappreciated because the rip roaring guitars take center stage. Not so with Steve Harris. You will feel his presence in every Iron Maiden song and rest assured, he makes them better. Responsible for the iconic "Maiden Gallop" often used throughout metal and also about half the writing of the band's songs, Steve is unquestionably the best.

Though he may not be the most technical bassist, he is definitely the most original. In the end, it is not the most technical that ends up being the best but the bassist who contributed the most to the music. Cliff burton's Bass lines, though not the most technical, enhanced the song and harmonized perfectly with all the other instruments. His song writing was impeccable. He revolutionized metal bass. He treated it like a lead instrument, focusing less on holding down the rhythm and instead enhancing the song harmonies and melodies. This approach would be taken by countless bassist after him from grunge to death metal. He added while new layers to the music. Though Harris was a more dominant songwriter and Myung more technical, neither of them added as much to one song with their instrument like cliff did. He is the ultimate and one of the most influential metal bassists of all time. RIP cliff burton

R.I.P. Cliff
By FAR my favorite bassist of all time. To bad he died. He died on a bus trip on the Master of Puppets tour. Him and James Hetfield were fighting that night for a seat on the bus. Cliff won the seat but later the bus flipped over and crashed causing him to die. The band doesn't know what really happened but they think that the driver driving the bus was drunk and crashed the bus. The driver said that he wasn't drunk. He said there was a patch of ice on the road, slipped on it, and crashed the bus. I like to think if Cliff wouldn't have won the seat but James Hetfield won the seat. Would he have died instead of Cliff? Or if Cliff never died. What would...And Justice for All be like? Or Lars Ulrich died instead of Cliff? The world will never know...

Wow tough call between Steve and Cliff. But I will give my props to Cliff.. Steve is amazing! Galloping through some of the best Metal songs ever made, revolutionary/original style with decades of tweaking perfection. Cliff on the other hand gets a minimum exposure, yet we all agree he was one of the best bassist of all time. There was Hendrix, short life yet had a impact on all of us who appreciate perfection, Cliff is one of them!

Cliff was really a great bassist. Not that others on this list are bad. But Cliff was really an epic bassist. (also an epic musician).
I think Cliff is the reason Metallica is so successful today. Cliff made Metallica what it is today. If Cliff hadn't died so early, Metallica would have been an even greater Band. (not saying that jason and rob are bad).
As Flea(bassist of red hot chilli peppers) rightly said-"This* was a great moment in the history of electric bass guitar. "
*this refers to the moment when Cliff composed 'Anesthesia-Pulling Teeth'

I get that he's not considered the greatest bassist of all time (but I still believe he's the best), he's at least without a doubt the greatest metal bassist! Most creative by far. Listen to Black Sabbath's solos in their earlier songs (Sweet Leaf and War Pigs are great examples). Geezer just goes insane and it sounds absolutely amazing. His tone is also my favourite by far. If it weren't for Geezer, I'm not even sure if Black Sabbath would be my favourite band (Iommi is still a riff god so probably). Cliff Burton is massively overrated but I admit Steve Harris comes close on this one.

His N.I.B. solo aside, Geezer Butler's fills and variations of his riffs are superb. The stuff he plays under Iommi's solos is amazing, in songs like N.I.B. , Iron Man, War Pigs, Lord of this World, Megalomania, and in God is Dead? From 13 it almost sounds like he is soloing under the solo. He took Jack Bruce's technique and improved upon it significantly.

This bassist is part of the best band in history. He plays like there is no tomorrow, and he can come up with awesome riffs. I do not need to say much to get the point across do I?

I wish the great Metal bands I love that were inspired by Sabbath. Emphasized Bass a little bit more like Old Man Geezer did.

To me, David Ellefson is the best Metal bassist; the first time I heard the Peace Sells album, I was blown away, I didn't even know what he was doing, and he influenced my style with his sound and technique on albums: Peace Sells, So Far... RIP and Countdown. I met him once, he is a helluva nice dude, I even got a few emails from him; his favorite Beatles song is "Day Tripper" because it's riff driven. David Ellefson #1 for influence, Cliff Burton is tops for inspiration. John Myung may be a brilliant musician, but I don't like his bass style, it just seems to finesse and not really heavy, in attitude I mean, he always looks in a happy zone when he's playing, real Metal bassists want to kick your A$$!

Megadeth is the big 4 band that a lot of guitarist and real musicians like, because of their technical supeiriority over many other band in the era. The guitar work of Dave Mustaine and Marty Freidman or Chris Poland or whichever line the particular song has, over shadows the band bass player, David Ellefson. A very underrated bassist. It seems to me that most top 10 list leave him out or put him at the bottom, for what reason I don't know. Listen to the peace sells album, or countdown, or rust in peace. Enough Said.

Listening to David Ellefson explain his playing philosophy is a master class in bass performance. Like Geddy Lee (for example) he knows exactly how to fill in the band's sound with his instrument--from driving the drum kit's rhythm into your skull to putting a nice thick bottom end on the guitar work. Plus his tone is monstrous. Anyone that can cut through a Mike Clink "wall of sound" mix has some serious balls in his sound.

Countdown to Extinction, Dawn Patrol, Holy Wars, Peace Sells... Only a few awesome bass lines from David Ellefson. He may not be as good as Cliff Burton or Steve Harris but he is a metal legend, a huge influence for a lot of young bassists and he definitely deserves his place on this list

Myung is much better bassist than Cliff Burton or Stene Harris. Those guys are voted because there is more Metallica and Iron Maiden fans, so they "ride" with their bands success. (Dream Theater is much better band than Metallica or Iron Maiden. )

John Myung should be number one. Just see how technical his playing style is. Just listen to the bass lines of octavarium and you would understand myung's capabilities. He should be considered as a lead bassist.

John Myung I way better than Cliff Burton and Steve Harris combined. He should be in the top 3 alongside David Ellefson and Geezer Butler. Also I'm not saying cliff and Steve are bad. I'm just saying John Is better.

Metrolopolis pt. 1, Panic Attack, and many more! No need to list songs to tell that he's probably the best bassist ever! Followed with Markus Grosskopf (Helloween - listen to Eagle Fly Free, Halloween and Keeper of The Seven Keys, then understand what I'm saying) and Cliff Burton

"The eternal hippy of all that is fretless" as Chuck Schuldiner would say. Great bass player who brought another dimension to many albumns. Not really a mainstay in any band, but you could always pick him out on any album he was on. Just solid.

One of the greatest (if not the best) bass players of all time. Just take a look at the bands he's been in. A very talented guy. He has technique, speed, and diversity. Should at least be in the top 5

Steve deserves to be at number 1. His bass lines are always out of this world. Take a look at his work with bands like Death. You'll be amazed.

Why the hell is Steve at 24 and Pantera's bassist and Bullet For My Valentine's bassist are above him? An amazing bassist.

He has one of the most unique styles of bass in the entire genre. His baselines are powerhouses, and he normalized the bass solo. While he's probably not above Steve Harris, he should def be in top five.

Actually, I vote for cliff..'cause he inspired me..but lemmy? Don't forget, cliff also inspired by him..Geddy, Geezer, Lemmy, and Phil Lynott..those man were cliff's influences..and I like lemmy's technique, he's a unique bass player..

The face of the whole band and the speed Metal genre!

Okay, so he's a lead guitarist who plays rhythm on bass. But the Motorhead sound is unmistakeable because of it.

Justin plays his bass with the prowess of a lead guitarist. His bass lines are more technical than a lot of guitar riffs from other bands. He contributes so much style and musicality to the band without overshadowing the other members. You would not have the TOOL sounds without him

Just amazing. His work on schism, 46 & 2, and others is just Phenomenal. And not only is he a good bassist, but also a good writer and musician. How have I not reached minimum quality yet? Stupid computer doesn't know what quality is.

I find it hard to believe that Johnny Christ is ahead of this beast, Justin belongs in the first 10 just for his work in Lateralus alone, not even referencing the other amazing albums he was in...

Voted for this guy because Johnny Christ doesn't deserve to be in the top ten or high up on the list. Chancellor is an amazing bass player nonetheless.

Unfortunately Jason is overshadowed by Cliff Burton and therefore he is underrated as a bassist. In fact I think his bass lines are far better than cliff's (That being said Cliff's solo's were amazing) and rhythm playing over solo "Lead bass playing," if you will that Cliff used to do. And how can you argue with the guy who screams "DIE, DIE, DIE" like he's satan or something?

I think he was better that cliff and Rob because cliff played the bass like a guitar. Also Jason was able to play with a pick, fingers, slap, and tapping. He is a great frontman and played and sang. Jason wrote guitar riffs, and had a bigger impact on Metallica than Rob has. I think he should be second place to cliff Burton. Jason is really overshadowed.

Not as good as Cliff Burton, but you have to respect him for the awesome bass lines on The Black Album, and his work on Load really is the only saving grace of a pretty lackluster album. A great live player, and his new project, Newsted, released a simply phenomenal debut album.

I do feel sorry for Newsted, for one Metallica constantly hazed him and two he had to walk into Cliff's place an impossible job for anyone no matter how technically gifted they are.

Take the Steve Harris style of finger playing, and apply it to thrash metal. The result is something similar to what Frankie Bello gives you: solid, pumping, bright and fluid, adding a layer beyond and behind, yet distinct from Scott Ian's massive rhythm guitar parts.

Hey guys! 21?! Seriously? Have you listened to Frank's job on Got the Time or Caught in a Mosh?

How is he not in the top 10? Frank is an extremely good bassist.

The best thrash bassist by far.

Brilliant bassist that is totally undermined by the metal community. Please, he is much, much better than Newsted and although he might not be better than Cliff Burton, he can definitely play faster than Burton. He has added an additional heaviness to metallica and should definitely be in the top 8. Listen to his cover of Anasthesia (Pulling teeth), what a fitting tribute to Burton!

Rob's galloping style has contributed a lot to Metallica's songs. Metallica's recent live performances sound a lot heavier and more brutal because of Rob. He may not be the best bassist of all time, but he's certainly one guy you can never ever write off. His name is definitely there, along with the likes of Burton, Butler, Steve Harris and Ellefson.

Rob Trujillo is a very technical bass player and a guitar player as well. Rob is so good that he makes Metallica want to play better. Rob also played with Ozzy which says a lot.

Rob is a monster on that 5-Stringer of his! He is a veteran bass player with groundbreaking skills, but then again, you would need them to be in Metallica right?

23 - Really? Not only is Geddy an intricate bass player, from an instrument standpoint. But, he also sings & plays keys, all the while still holding firm in the structure of each song. Should be in the Top 10 at the very least.

How is Geddy Lee not already on here? He plays Bass for rush which would already be hard enough, he is the lead singer of Rush, and he also plays piano for Rush! How much better can one man get?

Great but this list is about metal bassists and Geddy is NOT metal.

Simply one of the very bests. I don't know how the guy of Korn is above him.

Yes, he's one of the greatest slap bassists. But he's not a metal bassists. When we are talking about slap bass, its usually funk rather than metal. And his slap bass style is "funk".

But he's my favorite bassist from this page.

OK kids, Primus are an alternative metal band, so I can see why Les isn't gonna be getting number 1 but jesus, he's by far the most talented bassist on this list, he should at least be top 10. Go listen to Tommy the Cat just to see how talented this guy is, and then vote Primus!

Unquestionably the best bassist to roam the earth, even though Justin Chancellor is my favourite bassist, Claypool is inarguably the most talented and innovative player on the list.

He is a metal bassist, Primus isn't a metal band but he used to be in the Prog Thrash band Blind Illusion he even played on their first studio album.

Tom is amazing on the bass. Listen to War Ensemble or another fast track and the bass will blow you away.

When you sing, it is all too easy for your bass playing to go unremarked upon. Well worthy of a top ten place.

In Raining Blood he plays the same way as the guitars. You have no idea how hard that is for a bassist until you try

Pete Wentz is a better bassist than Tom Araya.

Overrated garbage. KISS is not even close to metal music but even if they were Gene wouldn't even be in the top 60. The only people who vote for him are stupid 49 year old dads who are going through a midlife crisis who have daughters that weigh more than them. Complete disgrace to rock music.

Gene has been my inspiration ever since Alive! Came out. He has said that his job is to make what he has in his head come out with his playing, and he does that and then some.

Gene rocks, his axe-bass solo's are one of the things that made KISS bigger and made him a bass legend. His bass playing live is incredible and loud just like in his famouse hit I Love It Loud.

Simmons' only claim to fame is the crazy stuff he does at concerts. His bass playing is not one of those.

Way underrated. He should be in the top 10. The song writing. The live presence and damn that bass tone. No one has that tone and cuts across anyone that ever listen to it. It's his sound. No one has the DD sound. He maybe not be all over with being flashy but the man can hold his own

Should be much, much higher on the list.

DD at #22? Got to be kidding! He belongs in the top five, no question. Possibly top three.

Amazing sound, technique...other than steve harris none more ingenious

He has so much flair when he plays, it's just amazing, not to mention he is very good at playing his instrument. The song "Deer Dance", or "Prison song": Prime examples of his skill.

The style of this guy is unbeatable! I was on their gig and he literally made love with the bass on the stage.!

I love all the bass line he played very innovative and so refreshed.

His goatee alone bumps him up at least 10 places.

Not a very incredible or outstanding bassist, but he never overplays and always sounds amazing with the rest of the band. Not to mention his signature bass is sick and he has a great bass tone.

He brings a lot of different aspects to what could be a very boring bass line. I'm glad that he spends time trying to improve the bass lines. A7X is very lucky!

Technically, not the best bassist, but goes perfectly with other members of Avenged Sevenfold.

Improves every album and is the fearless leader of Avenged Sevenfold.

Alex Webster's technical ability is astounding. It's not just about speed, the notes he plays are shockingly melodic and clean underneath the pounding drums and shredding guitars. The break fills in Cannibal Corpse and the solos with Blotted Science is god-like wizardry. Check out the genius of Synaptic Plasticity for further proof.
Add on his song and lyric writing ability and you've got a bass GOD.

Great technic, great feeling, amazing composer of master pieces of metal. Co-writer of several (maybe all) Cannibal Corpse songs. Co-writer of Blooted Science music. This guy must be on the first 10, I think he is not because death metal is not main stream gender.

This might a little over the top, but Alex Webster to me is Death Metals Cliff Burton. He's fast as hell, one of the only original members left, never used pick in his career, and one of the top 5 headbangers in metal today.

No bassist can play so well with their fingers so fast. He's also a technical master. Inspired me. Fantastic bassist

At #44?! He practically started Priest and the whole heavy metal genre! He's practically the only one, apart from Steve Harris of Iron Maiden who can truly compose great bass lines that can actually equal guitar lines (let alone two guitars, lead guitars at that) in sound and greatness.

Can't believe he's on number 45! I know he plays mainly simple bass line, but check out the early stuff of Priest classic, like SIN AFTER SIN, STAINED CLASS or metal masterpiece UNLEASHED IN THE EAST, he plays basic stuff but adding some incredible melodic bass note to each songs. I think he deserve on top 10 in metal.

Top metal bass player in the world of Metal. A true legend.

I've never heard of any bassist this amazing, ever. His playing is absolutely amazing and sheerly breath taking!

Should be number 1

Best ever
Talas wasn't very good metal band, but bassist billy Sheehan is probably most prolific bassist ever