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Br00tal-lists

THE TOP 10 GUITARISTS OF THE SHRED ERA

 Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 1:30pm by

vinnie vincentAnother day, another silly but undeniably fun Top 10 list by our friend Carlos Ramirez over at Noisecreep (see also: The Top 10 Bush-era Anthrax songs, Top 10 New School Thrash Bands and The Top Ten High-Pitch Metal Singers of All Time). This week’s topic du jour, The Top 10 Guitarists of the “Shred Era,” which Ramirez clarifies thusly:

The style first rose to fame in the mid-1980s when guitarists started rocking classical influenced scales played at frenzied speeds… Legendary guitarists Uli Jon Roth, Al DiMeola and Eddie Van Halen helped inform the movement while a guy in California named Mike Varney served as scene’s biggest cheerleader and supporter. Through his Shrapnel Records, Varney not only discovered and produced many of the scene’s headliners, his very own Shrapnel Records would go on to become to shred what Motown was to soul music.

As usual, Ramirez is mostly spot on. Michael Angelo Batio — check. Yngwie — check. George Lynch — check. The only obvious omission I can find (I’m sure you guys will have plenty of gripes, though) is that of Vinnie Vincent, one-time KISS guitarist and all-time uber/psycho/insane/batshit shredder extraordinaire. We actually have a shrine dedicated to Vinnie Vincent in the corner opposite the shitter in the MS Mansion bathroom. Nothing quite inspires efficient crapping like the photo of Vinnie Vincent’s face you see on the right. No joke.

Go on over to Noisecreep to read the list, then come back here and tell us “OMG i can’t believe ____ was left off the list, wtf?!?!”

-VN

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  • Gossamer Axe

    Good list, even got Greg Howe in the honorable mentions. There were others, but not as good as those on this list. As I was reading, I was almost horrified that Vinnie Moore was to be left off, good he wasn’t. Even though he’s bluesier now, he’s still a shredder.

  • Johnny

    No Eric Johnson, No Vai, No Satch, no credit. Gay list.

  • Matty

    agreed, Johnny about the Vai omission, Satch and Johnson aren’t necessarily “pure shredders” like the other guys on the list. Overall depsite the one GLARING omission, pretty damn good list!

  • Ryan

    snooze. wake me up when any of those guys actually write a melody worth listening to other than just playing stupid nonsensical fiddly diddly bullshit.

    • http://www.myspace.com/uglydirge aaron m.

      i dunno if you were paying attention, but it’s a freaking article about shred guitarists.

  • http://www.myspace.com/uglydirge aaron m.

    pft. this list is useless without the great kat.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_T3eaxt97E

  • Discipleofthewatch

    The kids and I were listening to Paul Gilbert on a Racer X live album this morning while eating breakfast. Good stuff!

  • Mike2

    Many of you will call me a poser, but I think Buckethead is a hell of a shredder.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Gavin/1396340262 Mark Gavin

      Agreed. He’s diverse in his styles, too. Population Override and Monsters and Robots are two totally different types of albums but they’re both great.

    • http://www.last.fm/user/groverXIII groverXIII

      I was going to mention Buckethead… I don’t think he really got started during the shred era of the 80′s, which must be the reason he’s not on the list.

  • SP420

    This list begins and ends with Malmsteen. I wouldn’t care if he was there 10 different times on the list. Asshole or not, he is the greatest. Shredder that is.

  • JRTME

    I would have left MAB off that list.

    But the rest is actually pretty good.

    • T

      How the fuck can you leave HIM off the list? Seriously?

  • Failure

    buckethead is bomb fuck anyone who doesn’t agree.

    • Mike2

      I do agree :D

  • T

    Good list…as far as VV goes, his solos are so fucking crowded that they have about as much appeal as Manhattan traffic…

  • Malacoda

    Buckethead and RON JARZOMBEK are needed, and no MAB.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Hulsey/653830783 David Hulsey

    Agree with all posters griping about Buckethead and Steve Vai off the list. But where the fuck is Joe Stump? I would have put him pretty high up there. I consider him the working man’s shredder and probably one of the most underrated known virtuosos in the world. For shame!

  • DidgeryDoo

    If the Great Kat sees this she will start killing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Carlos-Ramirez/631635101 Carlos Ramirez

    Thanks for posting this list guys! By the way, I left Vinnie Vincent off the list because I was thinking more the guys who were more known for their shredding than anything else. Vinnie was also a great pop minded songwriter and wasn’t as popular in the guitar magazines those days.

  • brandon

    STEVE VAI NOT HERE????????? WHY NOT?????

  • stef

    Vinnie Vincent maybe was completely insane and probably a mind disaster at the time but he was absolutely talented … and If he didn’t go in the cartoon territory with the image and music of VVInvasion we probably would remind him among the greatest guitar players of that time. But this would be another story I agree …