Top 10 Best Thrash Metal Guitarists
Thrash metal is just an awesome metal genre, and, along with neo-classical metal, it has the best solos in metal. There are lots of great guitarists in thrash, who is the best?
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 band Megadeth shortly after. Say what you want. Dave has written countless thrash metal masterpieces, he sings, plays rhythm and lays down ruthless leads making it look easy. Many of his rhythms get more complex while he is singing, most bands that have a guitars/singer simplify those parts. There may be better song writers, can't argue that but as for a guitarist that delivers the goods like a machine there is no one better than Dave.
He is one of the greatest guitarists ever, because: he is the god of riffs, he composes and plays breathtaking solos, and he composes awesome songs! And don't forget he composed the Metallica solos for their first albums... If Metallica wouldn't fired him from the band, Megadeth (the greatest thrash band ever) wouldn't exist!
Take out kill em all from Metallica and you're looking at only 3 top notch albums from Metallica. Considering the fact mustaine is mainly the song writer he has produced at least 8 incredible albums. Both he and hammett are brilliant but hammett abuses the wah-wah while dave simply shreds. Give the edge to dave
The god of Trash. No only his songs are damn hard to play (Take No Prisioners, Holy Wars etc) but he is very technical and creates some kick ass riffs.
Martin Adam "Marty" Friedman is an American guitarist, known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Megadeth which spanned nearly the full decade of the 1990s, as well as Cacophony alongside Jason Becker until 1989. Friedman has resided in Tokyo, Japan since 2003, where he has hosted Japanese television programs such as Rock Fujiyama and Jukebox English. He is one of the greatest guitarists ever, but he is at number four because he is not a complete thrash guitarist; he made awesome solos at Megadeth's Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings and Risk; but he has a solo career (not of thrash) and he collaborated in Cacophony (a neo-classical metal guitar duo).
A ton more speed than Hammett and thrash guitarists. He is definitely the most flexible of all thrash guitarists. Look at songs like "Tornado of Souls" or "Hangar 18". This is where you'll really see Marty shine.
Marty=magic, marty in megadeth=magic too he is the best guitarist of all time! I miss him in megadeth... Chris is good guitar player too but marty is much better <3 oh and I forget cacophony... The best duo in the world!
Dave Mustaine the best? HA! He isn't even the best in HIS OWN BAND! Dave admitted that he was intimidated by Marty's skills.
Alexander Nathan Skolnick is an American metal and jazz guitarist who is the lead guitarist of the Bay Area thrash metal band Testament, and heads the jazz band Alex Skolnick Trio. His style of playing is very jazzy and bluesy. This is something absent from a lot of players. Thus, making his sound unique up against a strict metal partner, Eric Peterson
I think he is an underrated guitarist, because he deserves more fame! He has made awesome solos like "Over the Wall", "Perilous Nation", "Sins of Omission" and many others
The Perilous Nation solos are just unreal. The sounds he makes are just so wild and there's just so much feeling there. Love love love it.
Such a close second to Marty Friedman in regards to his guitar solo prowess
Jeffrey John "Jeff" Hanneman was an American musician, best known as a founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer. He is best ant riffs
But when other people say : Solo! I'm gonna run mad!
His solos aren't solos... my little son can pay his solos!
He is the most underrated member of Slayer, and he plays crazy, twisted and awesome solos in their songs!
R.I. P (rock in peace) jeff hanneman if you we're a true slayer fan you'd want him to be number 1
Not only guitarist... He write lyric...
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, bass player, engineer and producer.
He has owned Watersound Studios Inc. since 1994.
At a young age he took some classical and jazz guitar lessons.
Notable songs include Alison Hell, Human Insecticide, The Trend, Ultra-Motion, Detonation. Legendary thrash metal guitarist. His riffs and solos are among the greatest in thrash. Very intense, technical, and varied guitar playing.
Along with Dave Mustaine one of the Thrash Gods. Great Musician and great Person, too.
He is incredible - fast, technical, melodic. Riff and solo master.
If you don't who Jeff Waters is, you should die!
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. His speed and precision is unbelievable. Not only his down-picking is impeccable but the amount of great riffs he is just hammering out. Lars and him together writing songs is one of the most pleasant things to watch.
Mustaine and Hahnemann are the ones who's worthy enough to be in front of the table.
Simply the creator of many patterns used by Thrash Metal.
Greatest rhythm guitarist of all time.
Gary Wayne Holt is an American guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a guitarist, the bandleader, and the main songwriter for the American thrash metal band Exodus and is also a guitarist for the American thrash metal band Slayer. He writes all the Music for the Best thrash Band out there, plays rhythm live a beast,has incredible solos and he is in Slayer
Enough said!
I'm not an Exodus fan, but Gary is a beast!
Gary Holt's a mad man.
Gary is the man!
Andreas Rudolf Kisser is a Brazilian musician, songwriter and producer. He is most known for being the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura. He has been featured on every Sepultura release since their second album, Schizophrenia. You should hear some solos like "Mass Hypnosis", "Sarcastic Existence", "Arise", "Territory"...
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. Kirk Hammett is a better guitarist than Dave. Enough' said. Listen to his solo's and style. He deserves 1st place.
I think hammet deserves 1st place I'm metallica fan and I am not against megadeth but kirk is better and faster than dave. the song dyers eve is proof that kirk hammet is one of top 5 fastest player of all time
Should be number 1 listen the best turn the page and many more...
The best numbers oriented from here
Kerry Ray King is an American musician, best known as a guitarist for the American thrash metal band Slayer. Kerry has some killer ass riffs! Even though Kerry has some sloppy solos they kick ass. I still vote Dave as #1 and Kirk sucks
An underrated guitarist, he plays his axe like nobody else!
He is absolutely amazing. So sad that not many people has heard of him.
Do yourself a favour and check out these instrumentals: Coroner - Arc Lite, Nosferatu
Why are Coroner songs the hardest to cover...Because of this insanely talented technical jazz thrash freak of nature T. Tommy Baron. Should be Number 1
Should be number 1. Great guitar player.
Tommy's tone & phrasing is killer!
Darrell Lance Abbott, also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of two bands, Pantera and Damageplan, alongside his brother, Vinnie Paul. Abbott died in 2004 after he was shot by a mentally unstable fan. Dimebag Darrell exceeds many of them. Look at his diversity.
Miland "Mille" Petrozza is a German metal guitarist and singer of Italian descent, who has been the lead vocalist and guitarist for the German thrash metal band Kreator since 1984. One of the best thrash rhythm guitarists... Great riffs and solos, every album is great in my opinion, that's why my favorite thrash band is kreator!
Christopher Alan Broderick is an American musician, best known as the former lead and rhythm guitarist of the American heavy metal band Megadeth. This guy is pretty godly. His rift hand technique is insane and his ability to take over Martha's old spot in megadeth is great. Although he may not be able to make music as well as Friedman, he can sure play the older albums well.
In guitar playing techniques he's the best.
He was on the first two albums of megadeth really sick! And even did some solos for Rust In Peace and The System Has Failed, really underrated guitarist
Scott Ian is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing and additional lead vocalist, and the only remaining original founding member of the thrash metal band Anthrax. He also writes the lyrics on all their albums.
Some of his solos on Think This were amazing.
Tourniquet is an underrated band only because they are Christian. If they weren't, I'm sure they would be more famous... I recommend you solos like "A Dog's Breakfast", "Ark of Suffering", "Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance"...
I can't agree with you more. The only exposure they've gotten is from when Ark of Suffering was aired on mtv then yanked for the animal abuse footage.
A thrash guitar genius! If you listen to Rocky's work with Suicidal (like "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow" or "Lights...Camera...Revolution! "), you can't say he doesn't belong in the top 3 or top 5.
Everything he did was a melodic solo. He never gets enough credit
The guitarist from Heathen who later joined Exodus for thrashier and more melodic guitar playing is Lee Altus. He is one of the most melodic guitar players that thrash metal has to offer, along with Marty Friedman, who combines speed, emotion, and melody in his playing with Megadeth. Every solo he plays never lets you down, and his creativity is very strong for both the bands Exodus and Heathen, where he thrashes in two old-school thrash metal bands. If you know Marty Friedman and Alex Skolnick, you should know Lee Altus. He is another melodic guitar player in a popular thrash metal band.
Pedro Henrique "Kiko" Loureiro is a Brazilian Heavy metal guitarist, best known as a member of the bands Angra and Megadeth.To not even mention this man is seriously a slap in the face to thrash in general. Granted you can say it had some speed metal elements, this guy was one of the all time greats on guitar.