Top 10 Best Death Metal Guitarists

Death metal guitarists aren't just fast. They're machines of menace, crafting riffs that sound like a battlefield in hell and solos that slice like surgical steel. These are the axe-wielders who make tremolo picking feel like a weapon and sweep picking seem like a blood sport.

You'll hear technical chaos layered over guttural growls and blast beats, but it's the guitar that often sets the mood: unrelenting, precise, brutal. From Florida's early pioneers to the modern architects of sonic annihilation, each guitarist on this list helped twist the genre into something more savage, more complex, and more addictive.

So now it's your turn to crank it, scream about your favorites, and vote for the riff-slingers who truly raised the dead with their fretwork.

The Top Ten

Chuck Schuldiner (Death)

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was the founder and leader of the band Death, widely considered one of the pioneers of the death metal genre. Schuldiner passed away from brain cancer on December 13, 2001, and is often referred to as... read more

I grew up listening to Rob Halford singing his balls off, thinking, "Jesus, this guy has the best voice I've heard in metal!" That changed when I heard Death cover "Painkiller." Chuck has the best scream in the history of music on that song.

Definitely agree, and this man is surely missed by millions because of the raw emotion you feel and the sense of purpose and meaning when he played. Very well-rounded guitarist and frontman. Still miss you, Chuck!

One of the greatest Death Metal composers ever, both as a guitarist and as a vocalist. Just listen to The Sound of Perseverance to check out some of his finest solos.
Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel)

Trey Azagthoth is ridiculously good. His technical skill is truly amazing, and his signature insane soloing and Pete's maddening drumming are what give Morbid Angel its sound. Moreover, by being one of the first to bring atonality into soloing, he influenced all of death metal. A true innovator.

Trey is the most talented guitarist and more talented than Chuck Schuldiner. I love his guitar solos. Yeah, Morbid Angel rocks my world!

In terms of technical skills, this guy is probably one of the greatest of all time. Awesome musician as well. You can listen to Morbid Angel.
Muhammed Suiçmez (Necrophagist)

Muhammed Suiçmez was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, to Turkish immigrant parents. He is the frontman and guitarist of the German technical death metal band Necrophagist. He is also known for writing and performing most of the instrumental parts on their albums.

When listening to Necrophagist, the best way I can describe it is neoclassical progressive technical death metal. That's how special Muhammed's songwriting is. There's no one else that sounds like Necrophagist completely. Keep in mind that Muhammed is Necrophagist, since he wrote every single instrument.

He's number one for me. Necrophagist is my favorite band, and in my opinion, even the "worst" Necrophagist solo (all of their solos are amazing) is better than the best Death solo.
The best Death solo, in my opinion, is by Andy LaRocque (from "Trapped in a Corner"). I was never a big fan of Chuck's solos (they're not bad, of course, but he's much better at writing riffs, in my opinion).
Bill Steer (Carcass, Napalm Death)

Bill Steer is a British guitar player and co-founder of the extreme metal band Carcass. He is considered a pioneer of grindcore and death metal due to his work with both Carcass and Napalm Death. His playing style and compositions have had a significant influence on the development of extreme metal music... read more

One of the most creative and influential players in the genre. Extremely good player deserving of a top 5 spot.

Very talented guitarist. He started the whole Melodic Death Metal guitar playing.

Fantastic guitar player. Never get bored of listening to his work with Carcass.
Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth)

Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the progressive death metal band Opeth. He was also the vocalist for the death metal supergroup Bloodbath, contributing to three albums before leaving the band in 2012.... read more

I think Mikael is my second favorite death metal guitar player, but he is still amazing along with Chuck, Nergal, Trey, Karl Sanders, Jack Owen, and Bill Steer.

Mikael is one of the greatest guitar players and songwriters in modern metal. Still Life is possibly the best composition I've ever heard.

Another guitar player who can be argued as the greatest of all time. Amazing composer as well.
Jack Owen (Cannibal Corpse)

Jack Owen makes the most catchy and complex riffs look easy. His soloing is creative and distinct. He is the reason why The Bleeding is Cannibal Corpse's best-selling album to date.
Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)

Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho (April 8, 1979 - December 29, 2020) was a Finnish guitarist, composer, and vocalist. He was best known as the lead guitarist, lead vocalist, and founding member of the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom. Laiho also performed with Sinergy, The Local Band, and Kylähullut... read more

Alexi blows heads off with some epic solos. He deserves to be on the top. Some of these kick-ass numbers:
Punch Me I Bleed
Angels Don't Kill
In Your Face

Not the fastest guitar player, but the most technical. Look how he uses the whammy bar and licks. Just amazing.

Definitely Alexi L. is the guitarist and composer. I agree with all your comments.
Terrance Hobbs (Suffocation)

Often overlooked and underappreciated, Terrance spawned technical death metal as we know it. Not just that, he's never sacrificed creativity for the sake of pure technique. His style of writing doesn't rely solely on mindless sweep picking and going as fast as possible. Hobbs utilizes complex and unorthodox structures, layered riffing, frequent tempo and signature changes, uncommon scales, and so on. There's a certain sophistication in it that most death metal players lack.

His chording is dense and complex. His leads are breathtaking. In a field loaded with talent, even Terrance stands out. Not only is he fast, but the scales and note patterns he uses are highly advanced. He constructs amazing solos, showing impeccable taste and precision. There seems to be a quasi-jazz sensibility and musicianship brewing beneath the maelstrom of death metal. He must be ranked at least in the top 5.
Karl Sanders (Nile)

Karl Sanders is an American musician best known as the founding member, vocalist, and guitarist of the band Nile. The group is recognized for its ancient Egyptian themes and technical death metal sound. Sanders has also released solo material that explores ambient and Middle Eastern influences.

A master of the evil arts of shred, Karl has the ability to take any melody and weave it into an astonishingly evil sound. He has a level of mastery almost unparalleled by any other. He himself has forged quite a path in the world of technical death metal.

His technical skill and harmonization with Dallas are just amazing. Highly underrated.

Karl and Pat O'Brien deserve the top 2 spots.
John Gallagher (Dying Fetus)

John Gallagher is an American singer and musician best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of the death metal band Dying Fetus. He co-founded the band in 1991 and has remained its only constant member. Gallagher is recognized for his technical guitar playing and guttural vocal style.

Gallagher's writing combines sheer brutality with technical playing that defines Dying Fetus.

The Newcomers

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Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy)

Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as the lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore. He later joined the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy in 2014. Loomis is recognized for his technical playing style and contributions to modern metal guitar work.

Incomparable. Jeff is the evil version of Yngwie. He's brutal, clean, fast, precise, creative, and seemingly has superhuman levels of endurance.
He is one of the most pristine guitarists in all of heavy metal history.
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Josh Middleton (Sylosis)

The Contenders

Andreas Kisser (Sepultura)

Andreas Rudolf Kisser is a Brazilian musician, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the metal band Sepultura. Since joining the band in the late 1980s, he has contributed to every album starting with their second release, Schizophrenia.

For the sake of Beneath and Arise.
Mitch Harris (Napalm Death, Meathook Seed, Righteous Pigs, Defecation)

Mitchell Mitch Harris (born October 31, 1969, in Queens, New York) is an American guitarist best known for his work with Napalm Death, which he joined in 1989. He began his career playing in the Las Vegas grindcore band Righteous Pigs. He has also participated in side projects such as Defecation, Meathook... read more

Heavy and interesting riffs and licks. He is a great guitarist with lots of energy.
Nergal (Behemoth)

Adam Nergal Darski, born Adam Michał Darski on June 10, 1977, in Gdynia, Poland, is a Polish musician and television personality. He is best known as the frontman of the blackened death metal band Behemoth.
Raised Catholic, Darski began playing guitar at the age of eight. He adopted the stage... read more

What the hell? He should be in a better position! People don't listen to music or what?

Should be in the top 5. One of the best guitar players in all of rock music.

The greatest guitarist of all time should at least be in the top 5 position. It's not fair.
James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Cancer, Disincarnate)

Top 5 forever! Only because there is no one else on the planet that could have come up with the awesome solos he did on Obituary's Cause of Death album. I find that album just a little more mysterious and creepier because of this man's solos! Kudos to James!

Absolutely amazing shredder. His record for death metal bands is perfect. Great tones and great chops. I consider him the Chris Poland of death metal.

An awesome guitarist. He played for two of the most iconic death metal bands (Death and Obituary).
What more can I say? He is a beast!
Baz Thomson (Bolt Thrower)
Kelly Shaefer (Atheist)
Antti Kokko (Kalmah)

He is one of the most skilled guitarists I've ever seen. His solos are so perfect, melodic, and emotional. He's way better than Alexi because his solos are more perfected and mature.

This man can make meaningful and long solos with no mistake. He's amazingly skilled. Just listen to the solos on Hades, Heroes to Us, They Will Return, Evil in You, Swampwar, Wings of Blackening, and many more.

Very underrated guitarist. Those who disagree can listen to all solos from their album They Will Return.
Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse)

Pat O'Brien is an American musician who is the former lead guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. He was also a former member of the heavy metal band Nevermore and a former touring musician with the thrash metal band Slayer. After joining Cannibal Corpse back in 1997, he spent over two decades... read more

This guy's rhythms are harder than most guitarists' solos. I have yet to see this guy play less than perfectly. Just listen to Frantic Disembowelment.

Simply the best death metal lead guitarist of his generation. He can play anything. Literally anything. Pat is one of a kind!

He is technically amazing. Just watch him play Frantic Disembowelment. He is also dedicated to his instrument and even toured with Slayer when Gary Holt left to tour with Exodus.
Trevor Peres (Obituary)

He even looks dead. He has the heaviest tone and his riffs just make your eyes bleed. Truly one of the masters of heavy groove.
Eric Hoffman (Deicide)

Ridiculously underrated. Heck, his brother is better than some high up on this list, and Eric has the full package.
Patrick Mameli (Pestilence)

Very creative and emotional playing.
Robert Vigna (Immolation)
Vogg (Decapitated)

Should be at least number 3! Don't get me wrong, many guitarists here have amazing skills and feeling, and all of them have their own styles, but Vogg has always been my guitar hero. He managed to contribute a lot to the scene at an early age when Decapitated released Winds of Creation in 2000, when Vogg was 17 years old. He then went on to make his music much more technical without taking away the feel and soul. He has gone through so much in his life but still manages to be on top, making great music. He is a real riff machine!

This man (or rather, brutal metal beast) is no contest for the top 5. If you watch his live performances or have the good fortune to witness Decapitated, you will know why.
It's not just that he writes and executes some of the most innovative, classic, and technical death metal riffs and solos in existence. It's that when he performs them live, he does so with utmost ease and stage presence, even opting to improvise on his own songs at times. Who else in technical death metal does that?!
Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel)

Should be much higher. Ridiculously talented guitar player worthy of a top 3 spot on this list.

Fantastic player. Technically masterful, has taste in his writing, never overplays, and always has air in his leads.
Michael Amott (Carnage, Carcass)

Michael Amott is a British-born Swedish guitarist and songwriter. He is the founding member of the bands Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars, and Carnage. Amott also played with the grindcore band Carcass during the early 1990s.

Fantastic, memorable leads! Michael is an incredible songwriter and driving force. He chooses to have the sweeter-sounding leads and lets his mastery shine through at all the right moments. He is one of the greatest players in death metal history.