Top 10 Best Metal Guitarists

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6

#10. Michael Amott - Arch Enemy

The list wouldn't be complete without Michael Amott from Arch Enemy. The music this guy produces just gets better and better with time.

#9. Timo Tolkki - Stratovarius

Timo Tolkki has produced some of the quickest and best sounding stuff out there. He also has produced many classic metal ballads. He definitely belongs on the list of top metal guitarists.

#8. Alexi Laiho - Children of Bodom

Alexi Laiho writes awesome metal riffs and is a great performer to go with it. Alexi is a very talented guitarist.

#7. Adrian Smith / Dave Murray - Iron Maiden

If you want a good dose of metal guitar look no further than Adrian Smith and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden. Talk about killer riffs. These guys are probably covered more than any metal band there is because their freaking music is good.

#6. Randy Rhodes - Ozzy Osbourne

Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, Goodbye to Romance, need I say more? Randy Rhodes was a true legend to heavy metal. In such a short time he produced some of the best metal guitar ever heard. RIP buddy.

#5. Dimebag Darrel - Pantera

To this day I still think Dimebag has the heaviest sounding metal guitar out of anyone. This guy just got the right sound and it came out heavy. A truly talented guitar player. RIP.

#4. Kerry King / Jeff Hanneman - Slayer

These guys have perfected minor solos and 1/2 step down tuning. If you're looking for true heavy metal Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman deliver.

#3. Kirk Hammet / James Hetfield - Metallica

Kirk and James have produced some of the most memorable metal songs in history. The thing I really like about these guys is they play lots of thrash metal but still know how to break it up with ballads and melodic parts. These guys are outstanding song writers.

#2. Alex Skolnick / Eric Peterson - Testament

These guys are both highly under-rated metal guitarists. These guys are easily as good or better than any metal guitarist when it comes to writing, skill and performance. Skolnick alone is a genius when it comes to writing solos and music that has actual emotion. Hats off to the boys at Testament.

#1. Chuck Schuldiner - Death

Out of all the guitar players I've ever heard I think Chuck Schuldiner is the best song writer there is. The dude knows how to write music for guitar. He writes great riffs, solos, bridges and everything in between. I also really like Chuck because he evolved greatly with his style. He started out more hardcore and death metally and slowly evolved to more melodic, progressive metal. Schuldiner is a pro with less is more. He knows how to pick a few key notes to make something work right. At the same time he knows how to load a lot of notes into a solo and make that sound right too. He is my favorite metal guitarist of all time :) RIP Chuck.