52 guitarists, week 12—Scott Ian

If you’ve read any of the previous entries in this 52 guitarists series, you’ll know I favour the rhythm guitarists out there. Especially the incredibly good ones. The twelfth entry in this series is not only one of the greatest rhythm guitarists alive—my website, my opinions—but he is also one of the biggest fans alive of another iconic rhythm guitarist, Malcolm Young. So he obviously keeps on winning. That’s just one reason why I admire Scott Ian from Anthrax as much as I do. … 52 guitarists, week 12—Scott Ian

Guitar

52 guitarists, week 11—Billy Corgan

For many, the early nineties was a dark time for guitar lovers. The popularity of the standard guitar solo was waning and the grunge era was booming. Not grunge—in my opinion at least—but making some incredible noise in the grunge era was The Smashing Pumpkins. The man responsible for the majority of that noise was of course Billy Corgan. What Billy did with his guitar still amazes me to this day. I’ve always been in awe of any guitarist who can truly control the screaming feedback of a guitar. Billy not only managed this, he also managed to incorporate many of those sounds into the songs themselves the way most of us incorporate regular guitar playing. … 52 guitarists, week 11—Billy Corgan

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52 guitarists, week 10—Kirk Hammett

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again … I’m not a lead guitarist and I never will be. My passion is rhythm guitar. Therefore most of my influential guitarists have strong rhythm guitar skills. That’s what appeals to me. But when a guitarist is responsible for my all-time favourite guitar solo, well then … That gets you added to my list. Kirk Hammett is that guitarist. He is responsible for one heck of a famous riff too. That helps. … 52 guitarists, week 10—Kirk Hammett

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52 guitarists, week 9—Angus Young

There are few bands that seem to do well with a decades-long approach to a single style of music. Most bands fade away after a decade while others alter their style in attempts to remain relevant. One band that has evolved while staying true to its origins is AC/DC. The band has experienced a vocalist change—arguably recovering from that loss like no other band in history—and several other lineup changes. One thing that has pretty much been constant however has been Malcolm and Angus Young. As much as I admire that duo, I will today focus on the guitarist who originally grabbed my attention in that band.

The ever-young school boy, Angus. … 52 guitarists, week 9—Angus Young