Metal Reviews

yes. he is.

There was a time like 10 years ago when i started playing guitar,that i was very impressed by guitar players,the version of "AIR" by jason becker became a personal chalenge for me,and the cacophony album it was like the bible for how to play guitar,then i started to listen to other guitar players like vinnie moore (morning star became another chalenge for me),Frank Gamballe,Stanley Jordan,Blues Saraceno,Joe Satriani,etc..,so after all those years of listening to guitar players i ralized that speed is not everythig,so my friend all i got to say is:

ERICH JOHNSON IS THE MASTER.(and next it would be Steve Vai).

Greatest Axemen :
-Robert Fripp
-Steve Hackett
-Jeff Beck

and speed is just wanking imo :roll:

8)

Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are also both exceptional - I suppose anyone who gets anywhere near King Crimson has to be. Also, Steve Howe doesn't get anywhere near enough love..

edit: and Mike Oldfield! I know he doesn't immediately jump to mind, but his melodies are twice as rich as they would be if they were played by anyone else.

I agree on Howe. I love him and always get shit from people who are all too happy to pretend he wasn't awesome.

And indeed, Jeff Beck is the man. He isn't the most original songwriter around, he simply floats with the times. But he does it with skill, and a knack for great melodies, licks, and so on. He is one of the few, if not the only, legends of his time to constantly update himself with the times and stay both respectable and enjoyable.

As for Becker, he is definitely one of the few guys in the shred era that was musical and enjoyable beyond the first few minutes of "holy shit that's fast!". He and Friedman made what was easily some of the best guitar music of that period.

Vai is lame, he suffers from Chris Impellitteri disease, which is he is freaking worthless when he isn't going at breakneck speeds. Vai is probably my least favorite of the guitar virtuosos, because he composes music that is as uninteresting as any of his contemporaries without the benefit of the speed or intensity that adds to their sound. Eric Johnson has similar problems, he simply doesn't take the time to make his music interesting or his melodies memorable, with a few exceptions. People are much too quick to dismiss any technically impressive guitarist in order to sound like they are musically mature or some shit, but some of those guys were great musicians as well as technically gifted guitarists.

You know I can agree with a lot of what you are saying. A lot of Vai’s songs are not very memorable, but Steve Vai has a special place in my heart. Mainly b/c he introduced Devin Townsend to the world. I will never forget the first time I heard "Touching Tongues". That song is so spectacular. Vai may write some forgettable songs, but I will NEVER forget “Touching Tongues.”


I had the chance to see Vai live, but I missed him due to FUCKING WORK!!!! :x


You can not argue that you would like to see him live.

Was the master. He's paralyzed. Still a great guy though, dispite all he's been through.

TIE is a fucking moron.

Becker > God.

why now, why here... why my god why ??? seriously what did I do in this thread to deserve that Caleb ? :shock:

nothing, just felt like being an asshole! :twisted:

Jason is God of guitar!! My All time fav guitar player..
Hes albums are the bible for all guitar players to listen,learn and follow...

I used to have great fun playing Cacophony's Concerto or Desert Island. Becker was amazing. But I think I prefer Friedman ;)

And still my favourite axeman is David T.Chastain

Has anyone listened to the album he wrote after getting ALS? I believe it was called Perspectives. It was really good, even though he barely played anything on it himself. Obviously the shredding is cut way down, but it showcases his songwriting ability without his technical shred-your-face-off technical skill.

I've just seen the excerpts on Becker's DVD. Nice, but it's a bit too neoclassical for me. I've been having an alergy on neoclassical stuff recently ;)

I was a huge fan of all the shredders in the 80s Becker,Friedman, Moore,Malmsteen,Racer X etc. Amazing player imagine what he could have achieved if he could still play. You only have to check out the Becker tribute cds to see how many top players were fans. Even saw a Luca Turilli interview he lists Becker as a favourite shows what a wide reaching appeal he's had.

Taking into account that Turlli plays mostly arpeggios, then it's quite obvious that Becker's name would be mentioned

I am teh best axeman in teh world.