RIP- Ace Frehley

 

I’ve listened to Kiss since I was a kid; they were the first band that I got into. I was more of a Paul Stanley fan. But the four original members of Kiss work magic together, and much like the Beatles, each member brings a vital personality to their songs. Ace is, without a doubt, an underrated guitarist. If you don’t believe me, ask other iconic metal guitarists who inspired them to play, be it Tom Morello or Dimebag. The Space Man’s light-up guitar and hug boots that kept him grounded might have overshadowed what his fingers were doing, but anyone who listened to the Kiss solo album series knows that, no matter who you are a fan of that Ace’s was the best, as he was the most capable on his own. 

Having seen him with both Kiss and his solo band, Frehley’s Comet, I can attest to the fact that he held up well on his own. Sure, after those first two Frehley’s Comet albums, my interest was largely limited to his work with Kiss. You can check out the Abysmal Hymns podcast episode on classic rock, where the debate about the greatness of Kiss that I was defending went into another 30-minute episode, as I brought up the point of Ace’s influence on the next generation of players, who he ignited an excitement in. He made being a guitarist look like being a superhero without getting caught up in shredding. Ace’s solos are always melodic, always serve the song, and are always memorable enough for you to hum.

I met Ace once at a horror convention. It was 13 years ago, and he looked like he might die at any moment then, or it was cold gin time again. If you have not seen any of the interviews where Ace speaks up then you are missing rock n roll gold and need to jump on YouTube right now.   I am not surprised that he was the first of the original four to go play with Eric Carr. However, I would never go see a version of Kiss with someone dressed up as Ace. At least Vinne Vincent came up with another character, though I always felt like he should have been wrapped up more like a mummy. Ace was an icon; he took his final rocket ride back into the cosmos

Thanks for reading,   please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst516

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 10 to 1

Here we are at the end of our Top 50 Metal Guitarists list, The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.

 10-Adrian Smith

His Band is primarily propelled by the galloping bass, but they are also known for their twin guitar harmonies. His partner in crime Dave Murray could be on this list too, but Adrian Smith's playing always struck me as being a little more nuanced.


 9-Dimebag Darrell 

His vulgar display of riffing hits you like a cowboy from hell. His solos embrace chaos and melody. He has influenced modern metal tremendously,  his original styling and chops that managed to place him above his hero Ace, when it comes to metal Dimebag is just more fucking hostile.


8-Jerry Cantrell

Some of the more melodic and mournful grunge thanks to the drugged trappings of his band that killed their lead singer. Equally blues base as he is a technical shredder his metal chops can slip out of any run
.


7-KK Downing

Until their peers Iron Maiden, Downing's band was not driven by the bass. They were less technical and sometimes more aggressive. It was their album "PainKiller" that really put un-believers to rest.




6-Piggy/ Denis D’Amour

 His sound evolved from dissonant thrash into a space age prog metal sound that defined his band's weird and wonderful brand of metal. While they took influence from bands like Killing Joke and Discharge, Piggy blended that with a angular metallic aggression to create one of the most unique sounds ever.


.

5- Alex Lifeson

Lifeson beat out Piggy, due to the fact if his band did not exist then metal and progressive rock might not find themselves so often hand in hand. You might question how metal is Rush, so I suggest getting back to me after hearing "2112" and "Caress of Steel" this is not to say they were metal for the duration of their career as they became radio rock , but those two albums alone solidify his place here.

.



 4-Selim Lemouchi 

 He died on my birthday four years ago. Seeing this guy live made me a believer as he was one of the best guitarists I have ever seen live. His band the Devil's Blood, played a jammy style of retro doom boogie. He has two other guitarists in his band that he had to play around and still found the space to do some amazing things.


 

 3-Randy Rhodes

 Some times his tone is too bright for me and I'll blame that on his days with Quiet Riot. He inspired a decade of shred, more tasteful than all the Yngwies , he blended the neo-classical touches in a hard rock context.



2-Andy Larocque

Andy beat out Randy because Rhodes' weakness is his strength, he plays darker. Andy also has a more aggressive playing style making him a much more metal player than Rhodes. Andy's style of playing fit perfectly with the horror motif of King Diamond's writing making them the perfect match.

.

 1-Toni Iommi 

There was a second I had him at number two, but them I thought about the "Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell" albums where he plays with the same firey precision that Andy does and summons a similar darkness years before , not to mention his use of the devil's note created heavy metal so there is that.


 

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 20 to 11

The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.



20- Kerry King

Sure his solos are formulaic,and has a punk sloppiness to it at times but his playing has a fire to it that helps define the sound of his band. Marrying metal and punk at the cross roads that became thrash. He uses an evil chaos in his playing that made his band darker than the other thrash bands at the time.




19-Ihsahn

His playing goes beyond black metal. Romantic touches of neo-classical gives a more gothic touch to the architecture of his songs.He has branched out to 8 strings for his solo work. More of a shredder than you might expect he will go down as underrated except on this list where he is earning his rightful place.



18-Adam Jones

He doesn't solo in the traditional sense. He does add sonic dynamics where solos would go and is almost jazz like in the way he gives the drums and bass room to breathe. He knows how to keep the tension and get a big arena rock sound when needed. He influenced an entire generation of progressive metal players who live for the groove no matter how complex or simple.


 17-Kirk Hammett

He has some memorable solos. His band is known for their big riffs, but he works around the chugs and gallops owing more of a rock sensibility to his playing that heavy metal thunder. I don't think his band could work without him even though he stepped in to replace Dave Mustaine many moons ago.



 16-Kim Thayll

How could he beat out Hammet you ask? His playing is more creative and darker. He uses up more sonic space to create a sense of unease on his band's earlier work, but is able to solo with the best of them when it is called for. He weaves in noise and chaos while still managing to create grunge anthems that dominated the air waves.




15-Zakk Wylde

He had some big shoes to fill. Rather than living in the shadow of the great players who stood beside he boss before he, Wylde carved out his own sound and brought something new to the table. He could pulls off the Randy Rhodes stuff with his own flair which was impressive live.





14 Arve Isdal

Until you see this guy rock it live you have no idea. He is the prime reason his band almost blew Dimmu Borgir off the stage. They might play viking prog, but his playing keeps the band rooted in the rock side of classic metal.




13- Don Anderson

He can pulls a sweep arpeggio out of thin air, despite the fact he is mainly adding melody to the more post-rock side of his former band Agalloch. I haven't sought out his current project as Agalloch is a moment in time I do not want to put down.



12- Ace Frehely

You wanted the best you got the best. He plays guitar for the hottest band in the land.  Technically he is outclassed by many players ranked lower than him, but chances are they would not have picked up a guitar in the first place if it was not for him.His solo work is also pretty decent for all you rock soldiers who want the Ace back like he told you so.




11- Trey Azagthoth

He took what Kerry King did and sacrificed it to the Ancient Ones. It returned back to this plan as death metal and crushed many souls. The unique twisted on his personification of chaos, sets him aside as his own island in a genre guilty of rehashing the same old grind. He is the Eddie Van Halen of death metal.

 

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 30 to 21

The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.


30-Galder

Known for theatrical performances , his tight playing style and clean picking always finds the melody to compensate for the rough vocals. His band has so much going on that over playing would be a detriment.


 


29-Gunter Schulz 

 The best industrial player, as he can pull out thrash riffs as solid as anyone's and color them with the kinds of melodic embellishments needed to give the vocals the back drop they need. Playing with as many electronic elements as he does , you can set you clock to this guys playing. He is a machine.

 

28-Shinichi Ishikawa

 Playing in what became like a black metal version of Mr. Bungle, Shinichi's playing ranged from a more classic rock n roll to lots of wild Hungarian minor scales. He added a human component in his playing to what would otherwise turned into a chaotic circus of wild gymnastics.

 


27-Christian Hector 

Funeral doom can sometimes focus more on the atmosphere than the chops, though a great guitarist can always breathe life into a song despite the trappings of a genre and work within those to still shine. Hector is a prime example of this. He can fire out a solo with enough tasteful shred in it to satisfy any moody metal head. It's his almost jazz like approach that is the most appealing part of his playing.


  
26-Bill Hayden 

 This guy came out of the trash scene inn the late 80s early 90s but his playing was way ahead of it's time, much like his band. His solos retained the dark mood of the songs and were full of melodies , I can sing them all in my head. Then the singer died and never heard from him again.

 


25-Sami Duet

His dark and dynamic playing was more impressive to me in his first band than this current band. He does however prove himself to be just a capable playing blackened death metal as he was swamp sludge that was haunted by the ghost of the Doors. The few solos on those his early work had a rock n roll slant and a touch of wah.


 


24-Marty Friedman


His playing pretty much made the "Rust In Peace" album. He blended all the neo classical non-sense that Yngwie did into something more fluid that worked better in a metal context, than just using boring 80's gallops. Granted he had Dave Mustaine to work off of.


 


23- Juuso Heikkilä


 The thing I like about depressive black metal is the range of emotion. His playing embodies this. He remains tasteful at all times even when his solos go from delicate melodies to ripping your face off, in a band who dynamics is their stock and trade he honors this and is always a part of the song writing process rather than just seeing the song as something that bookends a guitar solo.

    

22-Brent Hinds

Next time I run into Brent he will probably say "Hey man what's up? How's your daughter, we need to jam again sometime, listen man if you weren't so big I would slap you up side your head for putting me on a god damn metal list. Yeah... I know we listened to a bunch of Dio that night I did cocaine off your ferret's cage, but I am a blues guitarist from Alabama. I'm not like those dudes in Meshuggah." But his band put out metal albums and he plays well so here he is. He made it this high because he has a unique finger picking style.

 

21- Paul Masvidal 

 He used to play in a death metal band, but they gradually got more progressive until their music can now summon elves from the future. Listen to the song below and then if you think he doesn't belong where he is then you do not know anything about anything so who cares what you think about this list or any other subject.


 

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 40 to 31

The death of a guitarist I played with turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists. If you don't find your favorite guitar player here then know they were just wankers.


40-Joey Z

How memorable is your work? Joey would answer very, which is why he is hanging tough along side guitarists who might be more technically sound. He is like the hard core little brother of Kirk Hammett the way he works cool melody lines into their riffs.


39-Eyal Levi

The problem with most death metal that makes it not worth a second listen is the guitarists all go for maximum speed and density, think being influenced by Slayer instead of Incantation is expanding their horizons, and play variations of the solos found on "Altars of Madness" . Eyal did not follow the status quo in that regard. He brought a hooky sense of groove to his band and layered it with neo-classical musicality that did not demand a pirate shirt to be worn.



38-Vivian Campbell 

He plays on the first 3 Dio albums...end of story


36-Chris De Garmo

There was once a awesome band who lost their guitarist who crafted their best work, then became a variation of Spinal Tap.



35-Bill Steer 

Helped create grind core. Napalm Death brought the more spastic elements, while his band brought the more gore ridden death metal elements to it. The riffs are so mean they would eat you if he was not a vegetarian.He proves brutality and melody can co-exist.





34 William Wright Barrow

This British gent brings a dignified and progressive quality to his band's brand of black metal that almost makes it steam punk in the nuanced Victorian quirk it possesses , so to make sounds that are visual is a feat. 




 33-Devin Townsend 

Got his start playing with Steve Vai. He then thought he could keep up with the drummer from Dark Angel. His various projects have covered a broad expanse some more metal than others. He has a distinct tone.


32-Peter Lindgren

He originally joined the band as a bass player and switched to guitar. As his band's vocals shifted their focus and added melody he augmented his playing to do the same incorporating a David Gilmore like sense for less is more.

< 

31-Greg Chandler 

He brought a degree of musicality to funeral doom that has been rarely rivaled in the genre. This tone grasps the kind of despair needed. He paints sonic picture rather than just overpowering you with a wall of feed back and distortion.


 

The Top 50 Metal Guitarists - 50 to 41

It's not a good year to have played guitar with me. The loss of my bud Shaun Dunn, marks the second guitarist I have lost in the past year. This turned my thoughts to what makes a good guitarist great. Metal finds the stakes for guitarists high. Shredding can come before playing a fucking song. While all of these guitarists can play a solo, I was also looking for tone, impact on the genre as a whole and how their personalities came through in their playing. So this list of the top 50 Metal Guitarists, is dedicated to Chris and Shaun, you two both talked about a few of these guys with each other and your favorites both made the list.


 50- Richard Z Kruspe

 He adds inspired texture and melody to the machine like grind of his employers.




49-Jason Weirbach

 One of the darkest heaviest and most interesting tones in the game. Much more muscle behind it than your typical tremolo picked black metal playing yet it still possess the hypnotic throb.





48-Steven Russell


 His two projects greatly differ one is atmospheric sludge the other is blackened thrash so this speaks to how he is versatile enough to shift his playing.





 47-Jon Schaffer

 His band has gone through various "lead Players" so he might be the only so called rhythm player on this list, but his tone and command of this instrument serve the song and power his band's sound no matter who is behind the mic or playing the solos. Though I prefer Matt Barlow handling the mic

.



 46-Oystein Garnes Brun

His band juggles so many vocal part and shifts in dynamics, he proves himself in one song being able master both epic almost power metal riffing and then dig into fast tremolo picked black metal. One of the most under rated prog metal guitarists out there.





45-Michael Keene


He has the worst tone of anyone on this list, but is fleet enough of finger to compensate for it , though live the sound was rather thin.



44- Justin Hartwig

On his band's last album he really stepped up to the plate and delivered stellar playing that should elevate this reputation beyond just playing in a funeral doom band.





43-Eddie Clarke

He is more of a rock n roll player who did just enough rough living to give his music a burly enough edge to be embraced as metal, He doesn't compete with the snarl of Lemmy's bass and occupies the right jagged mid range to cut through the blitzkrieg of bass and drums.




  42-Nergal

He has a dark dense tone, but I find his more melodic touches and more tender bits of musicality more impressive. Not the biggest fan of "the Satanist" , but trying to get over that and return to their earlier work that I did enjoy.




41-Hasjarl

His odd angular playing might barrow from Emperor, but I think his band is impressive in how chilling and dissonant they keep things, which lies in his ability to not over play despite playing very technical odd timed black metal.