Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948. He is also known as ''The Prince of Darkness''. Ozzy is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the band Black Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath... read more There are no solo artists as famous as Ozzy Osbourne in metal! His strange and peculiar stage persona is hugely loved by fans. Also, his unusual singing style is unique in its own way!
As much as I love the Holy Diver himself, Oz takes the cake. No More Tears and Crazy Train beat Holy Diver and Last in Line by miles.
Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona; July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal singer, songwriter and musician. He fronted and/or founded numerous groups including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell. He is credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture... read more Dio is by far the greatest solo artist ever. His albums were almost all amazing (not including Angry Machines).
Come on! His solo albums were amazing.
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen, better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish heavy metal musician. He is known for his extensive vocal range, usually sung in falsetto. King Diamond was originally known as the vocalist for Mercyful Fate, but has become notorious for his horror themed Concept albums... read more
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has an extensive career as a solo artist. Can't believe he wasn't on this list. He's way better than all these other folks combined. Check him out if you don't already know him. Start with Ocean Machine or Accelerated Evolution (he has the Devin Townsend Project and the Devin Townsend Band, but they're basically solo projects of his).
Absolutely incredible musician. Every song he crafts is incredible!
Slash
Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Ihsahn
Ihsahn is a Norwegian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. He is best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Emperor. I've heard his work with Emperor, but for me, it doesn't compare to his solo work. While taking a more progressive approach for his solo albums, Ihsahn keeps in touch with his black metal roots, which can be heard in songs like The Paranoid and Regen. His songwriting ability shines in each of his albums, and it's nothing short of incredible. Plus, his clean voice is amazing.
Nothing beats this guy's perfect composition of music. He's one of the most talented musicians alive in the industry.
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings) is an American heavy metal musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. His career launched in 1985 when he formed the heavy metal band White Zombie. Following their breakup, he began a successful solo career. Zombie began directing in the early... read more
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician, songwriter, actor, painter, multimedia artist, author, and former music journalist.
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson, known professionally as Bruce Dickinson, (born 7 August 1958) is an English musician, airline pilot, and broadcaster. He is most well known for being the lead singer in heavy metal band Iron Maiden and his solo career.Outside his career in music, Dickinson has pursued a number... read more There is no way this guy couldn't be in the top 10. He, Dio, and Rob Halford should be in the top three. I mean, come on! With albums like "The Chemical Wedding" and "Accident of Birth," he put real metal back on the map with songs like "Book of Thel," "The Tower," "Accident of Birth," "Road to Hell," and "Darkside of Aquarius." His song "Machine Men" even inspired an entire band. He is also one of the greatest voices in metal and one of its most intelligent writers.
Tears of a Dragon is a great song.
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has worked within many genres of music.
The Newcomers
? Aker
? Pascal Allaigre
The Contenders
Varg Vikernes
Louis Cachet, (born Kristian Vikernes) more popularly known as Varg Vikernes, is a Norwegian musician, writer, and a convicted murderer and arsonist. He is known as the frontman of the one-man band Burzum (named after a word in the Black Speech, which is a fictional language in J.R.R. Tolkien's The... read more To be honest, he is the only true "solo artist." He recorded every instrument on Burzum. Although that's not exactly what "solo artist" means, it's still very impressive how he played all the instruments.
Can't believe I had to add him. He's a great musician, but I don't like him as a person.
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian (Armenian: Սերժ Թանգյան. Born August 21, 1967) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known for being the lead singer of the Armenian-American rock band System of a Down... read more He's a very creative songwriter and overall musician.
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter and bandleader who was born on June 30th, 1963, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was known for his neoclassical metal playing style back in the 1980s.
Jef Whitehead
Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Philip Bierk, known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian heavy metal singer who achieved mainstream success as frontman of Skid Row from 1987-96. Since his departure from Skid Row, he has had many television roles, acted in Broadway plays, and leads a solo career.
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born August 17, 1977), generally known as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She is a soprano and has a vocal range of three octaves... read more
Shaun LaCanne
Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and lyricist. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and currently from 2010 following reunions in 2007 and 2009. Bayley was also the lead singer for Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999. Since then, he has embarked on a solo career.
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans over five decades. Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spans over five decades. With his distinctive raspy voice and a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, deadly snakes, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by music journalists and peers alike to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock." He has drawn from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock people. He released hits such as "School's Out," "Poison," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "I'm Eighteen," and "Feed My Frankenstein."
Jamey Jasta
He's released one solo album so far, and it was pretty good, featuring appearances by Zakk Wylde, Tim Lambesis, Phil Labonte, and a few others.
Marty Friedman
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... read more
Burzum
Burzum is an influential black metal solo project of Norwegian musician and writer Varg Vikernes. Burzum came to prominence at the beginning of the Norwegian Black Metal scene in the early 1990s. Vikernes was imprisoned for 21 years for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Euronymous, and charges of church... read more
Phil Anselmo
Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo is an American musician who is best known as the former lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Pantera. He currently is the vocalist of heavy metal bands Down and Superjoint Ritual. With the Illegals, he's released an album that showcases a completely different side of him that Pantera and Down fans may not be used to. I like that.
Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. Zakk Wylde is an incredible artist and a huge inspiration to me.
Jason Becker
Jason Eli Becker (born July 22, 1969) is an American neoclassical metal guitarist and composer. At the age of 16, he became part of the Shrapnel Records-produced duo Cacophony with his friend Marty Friedman. They released the albums Speed Metal Symphony in 1987 and Go Off! in 1988. Cacophony broke up... read more