Top 10 Metal Guitarists Who Define Heavy Riffs

Celtic Frost

He may have been born Thomas Gabriel Fischer, but for many metalheads of a certain age, he’ll always be known as Tom G. Warrior. Switzerland’s Celtic Frost was absolutely ahead of their time when it came to dominating the landscape of ‘80s heavy metal with their idiosyncratically heavy sound. Warrior’s decision to slow down the pace while everyone else was thrashing it up allowed Frost classics like “Procreation (of the Wicked)” and “Circle of the Tyrants” to influence countless death and black metal bands in their wake. Meanwhile, Warrior’s buzzsaw guitar tone was sinister, and his approach to the instrument unlike any who had come before, or since: he is a true original.

Morbid Angel

Morbid Angel was one of the few death metal bands to make any real commercial impact back in the nineties, thanks to a brief major label flirtation. Much of the band’s respected pedigree and influence lie within the enviable talents of guitarist and songwriter Trey Azagthoth. The man’s frenetic, skittering style sounds like an angry hornet’s nest, striking when one least expects with devastating punch and power. Azagthoth combines compositional skill with aggression that leans heavy onto the gas pedal one minute, and then slows things down to a slime-drenched pace the next. It was a path to success that made Azagthoth a generational death metal talent.

Sleep & High On Fire

The world of heavy metal has long been persona non grata when it comes to the Grammy Awards, but that doesn’t mean that some of its most creative and talented visionaries haven’t been recognized. Matt Pike and his group High On Fire won a Grammy in 2018 for their album “Electric Messiah,” but Pike had been blowing minds long before that with his previous band, Sleep. Pike’s prowess on guitar allowed both Sleep and High On Fire to dominate the conversation when it came to doom and stoner metal. The Sleep song “Dragonaut” was even featured on the soundtrack to Harmony Korine’s controversial film, “Gummo.” For Pike, The Riff is sacred, and his Motorhead-meets-Sabbath assault remains a definitive example of the stoner genre.

Ozzy Osbourne

Classical music may not be the genre that immediately comes to mind when one thinks of formative heavy metal, but then again Randy Rhoads was an outside-the-box thinker. The man’s career and life may have been cut short far too soon, but his contributions to artists like Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne went on to inspire nearly every metal guitarist who picked up the instrument. Rhoads combined expertise and classically-influenced chops with an approach that also wasn’t afraid to get heavy. Yet, Rhoads’ heaviness wasn’t one that was going to wade in the muck, but instead served to elevate the genre, earning it respect and popularity in the process.

Judas Priest

There have been numerous, notable guitar teams throughout heavy metal’s illustrious history. One could argue, however, that none of them have been as influential as Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. The pairing helped pioneer twin harmony leads within heavy metal, taking the torch from bands like Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash, while adding their own dollops of heaviness. Iron Maiden would tread a similar path throughout the 1980s, but a strong rhythmic presence always allowed Judas Priest to remain leaders in this regard. Tipton and Downing never forgot how a hard riff attack could serve as a muscular counterpoint to Priest’s soaring melodies, and this allowed them to always remain relevant.

Pantera

There was simply no stopping Diamond Darrell from becoming the man known as “Dimebag.” Darrell’s career in Pantera started out with a Sunset Strip, glam metal approach, yet those early Pantera albums were still heavy. This was a defiantly unique sound that got even heavier once Phil Anselmo joined Pantera for their “Power Metal'' album, and from there Darrell and Co. pioneered a fresh and heavy new groove. Darrell’s gnarly tone and devil-may-care approach to his instrument helped cement albums like “Cowboys From Hell'' and “Far Beyond Driven” into the metal pantheon forever. Meanwhile, the man’s seemingly never-ending search for The Perfect Riff laid down the law for legions of admirers, an admiration that continues long after Dimebag’s tragic and untimely passing.

Slayer

Remember what we said earlier about heavy metal guitar teams? Well, there’s simply no team quite like that of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Hanneman may no longer be with us, but his time with thrash metal titans Slayer changed what it meant for speed metal heaviness. Sure, Slayer may have experimented with melody on their debut LP, “Show No Mercy,” but Hanneman’s commitment to extremity was also cemented early on in the band’s career. Those chaotic and noisy solos are only the icing on the cake to Hanneman’s prowess as a riff-writer, a truly inspired talent that was able to conjure evil on the fretboard, as if possessed by some diabolical, black magic.

Megadeth

He was a technical fretboard wizard with an attitude to match. Kicked out of Metallica, he defiantly blazed his own trail to critical and commercial success. His name is Dave Mustaine, he’s better than you, and he knows it. Mainstream commercial radio didn’t exactly come knocking to Megadeth’s clinically precise style of thrash. Dave and his crew barged in, knocked the door down and MADE everyone sit up and take notice. Mustaine tends to work best as part of a guitar pairing, a la Megadeth’s iconic lineup with former co-guitarist Marty Friedman. However, Mustaine’s own chops can never be denied. He’s a riff surgeon that can crush any pretenders to his throne with a flick of the wrist.

Metallica

It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for James Hetfield’s right hand to be cast in bronze and hung in a museum, does it? After all, Metallica’s songwriter and lead singer has often been cited as one of, if not THE most talented and influential rhythm guitarists in the game. Hetfield isn’t one to take lead duties too often, instead preferring to share that spotlight with bandmate Kirk Hammett. However, Hetfield’s commitment to pacing, structure and resiliency is almost superhuman. The Crunch present on such classic Metallica albums as “…And Justice For All” or “Master of Puppets” isn’t just definitive. It presents a blueprint for virtually every thrash metal group to emerge in the wake of Metallica’s total, global dominance.


Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions!

Fredrik Thordendal, Meshuggah
Jazzy, Progressive, Technical Brilliance

Robb Flynn, Vio-lence & Machine Head
From Thrash Mastery to Power Groove

Joe Duplantier, Gojira
Dizzying Chops

Max Cavalera, Sepultura & Soulfly
Brazil’s Finest Brings Black, Death & Thrash Back to the Primitive

Eric & Brian Hoffman, Deicide
Florida Death Metal’s Finest

Black Sabbath

It all had to start somewhere, right? Every metal band, past and present, rightfully bows to the Lord of the Riff, Tony Iommi. Black Sabbath’s utilization of the devil’s tri-tone was just the beginning of Iommi’s rise to icon status, however, because the man never stopped learning or progressing. Sure, Iommi’s dark and ominous early work is formative, but he also leaned into more progressive ideas on underrated Sabbath LPs like “Technical Ecstasy.” Meanwhile, Iommi’s performances in the post-Ozzy era embraced melody like never before, while always remaining at the forefront of heaviness. Additionally, Iommi’s skills as a lead guitarist remain forever underrated, helping to underline the man’s stature as a dominating influence, one that’s hard-coded into heavy metal’s DNA.