What makes a "great" metal guitarist?

[News]

News

[Stats]

Stats

[MetalMike]

Also love the guitar work from Kai Hansen. Man does no wrong in my book. Sure, he has better albums than others, but his guitar work still put a smile on my face.

I would agree.  I would put him in the "perfect for the music" group as opposed to the more technically proficient guitarists.  No disrespect to his ability.

[Chris Foley]

I noticed Hibria were mentioned and that's very true even though they have a lot of "Look at me" moments all of their riffs are fantastic some of the ways they put them together are absolutely astonishing. I've tried to figure them out for my guitar but most of the time to no avail
The riffs on their new album are just as badass too

Also about the brazil comments the new guitar players in Almah are off the hook, there really is something in the water there.

I'd like to add Transcendental Protagonist (Wojtek Lisicki) from Lost Horizon, he's totally a riff master

 Iron Savior - The Battle

[Bad_Bud]

Please, guys.  No mention of John Petrucci?  I know there are a lot of DT haters out there, but nobody has cared about the sound of the guitar as much as John Petrucci, and that's as important to me as anything.

Listen to the guitar solo around 6:30 on Paradigm Shift from the first Liquid Tension Experiment album.  That's what a guitar should sound like -- that thing's practically crying.

[MetalMike]

Please, guys.  No mention of John Petrucci?  I know there are a lot of DT haters out there, but nobody has cared about the sound of the guitar as much as John Petrucci, and that's as important to me as anything.

Listen to the guitar solo around 6:30 on Paradigm Shift from the first Liquid Tension Experiment album.  That's what a guitar should sound like -- that thing's practically crying.

I just don't think of "guitar" when I think of Dream Theater

[Valkyrie from the Void]

I would say that the prerequisites for a great metal guitarist are differently defined for the separate genres of Metal. My personal definition would be this: The ability to play fast and technical, and to know classical musical theory to make all that noise sound good. I would get into tone, but that's equipment, not guitar playing.

[Dragonchaser]

Also about the brazil comments the new guitar players in Almah are off the hook, there really is something in the water there.

We were just talking about this the other day; some of those middle sections are so fucking killer it makes your ears bleed.

 Revolution Renaissance - Age Of Aquarius

[Agis]

I would get into tone, but that's equipment, not guitar playing.

Well, the ability to get the best tone from your instrument is important. It is part of the character of what you play. No equipment will do it for you. I'm still trying to find 'the' tone for my bass.     

[PaganShadow]

I don't care about how fast and technical a guitarist can be, it just makes him a good technician.

For me, a  guitar player is basically an artist, and the ones who can express feelings with their instruments, treating notes and chords as emotional tonalities rather that numerical figures, are the true great guitarists 

[Master Cthulhu]

Being able to create a song so that it can be listened to.

The guy from Pagan Altar and The Shark from Manilla Road are great examples.

Criss Olivia, also.

[Conservationist]

I just don't think of "guitar" when I think of Dream Theater

I think of ponies.

[MetalCrypt]

Enough with the necromancing...

[MetalMike]

I think of ponies.

I think the bus is out front, don't forget your lunchbox...