REB BEACH - Winger, Alice Cooper band.  Reb is a guy who was a victim of the pop-metal stereo-types in the late 80s.  Alot of the pop or glam bands had this problem.  While it's true that some of the looks and lyrics were hard to handle, almost every band had at least one great musician, and it was usually the guitarist.  This is the case for Reb.  I might not have appreciated it as much at the time, but now I see that his guitar work in Winger was pretty damn good.  I saw him live in '97, when he was playing in Alice Cooper's band, and he kicked ass!  No more poofy, permed hair.  Straight locks and blazing licks!  Plus, the guy's from Pittsburgh, so he can't be all bad.

VITO BRATTA - White Lion.  Vito might have been a pop-metal victim too.  People paid so much attention to Mike Tramp's pretty boy looks, and didn't even notice that Vito has one of the freshest and energetic guitar styles.  Some think he tries to be like that Van Halen guy, but I don't hear it.

VIVIAN CAMPBELL - Dio, Whitesnake, Def Leppard.  Viv's stuff on the old Dio albums is pure classic metal guitar playin'.  I'd love to hear him playing that way again.  Maybe if Def Lep's new album is as rockin' as it's supposed to be, we'll get to hear some of the vintage Vivian style.

JERRY CANTRELL - Alice In Chains.  It's a shame that Jerry gets overlooked as a guitar player, just because he is in a "grunge" band, and grunge isn't "cool" anymore.  I probably dig his songwriting more than his actual soloing, but he throws in a really cool lead here and there.  The tunes he writes have so much power in them.  They're heavy, and they have almost a feeling of "misery" to them, but that feeling makes me happy for some reason.  Go figure that!

CHRIS DEGARMO - Ex-Queensryche.  If Chris hadn't mellowed so much in the 90s, he'd probably be on the "my influences" page.  His stuff from 80s era Queensryche is as good as any metal band out there.  Maybe better.  His style is (was) very in synch with what I like to play, and the man was just an absolute genius at writing intricate, complex, yet totally rockin' metal tunes.  Truly a legendary guitarist in the world of metal.  I only hope he can return to his greatness, whether he joins another band or stays solo.

WARREN DEMARTINI - Ratt.  Warren's leads were always crisp and clear, and fit the song perfectly.  Since Ratt was a "pop metal" band, he was yet another victim of being judged more on his looks, rather than his amazing ability.

MICHAEL DENNER - Mercyful Fate, King Diamond.  Mike is a guy whose guitar playing I love, mainly because he can be heavy as hell, yet there is constant melody.  No noise.  This guy knows how to hit every cool note in a lead, without taking anything away from the tune.  I probably dig his leads more on King Diamond's "Abigail" album, than on Mercyful Fate's stuff.  That's not a slam on his Fate stuff, but the Abigail material is some of the best metal guitar ever!

MARTY FRIEDMAN - Megadeth.  Unfortunately, I haven't heard any of Marty's solo stuff.  For some reason, I fear it might be on the new-agey side.  But as for his playing in Megadeth, he is brilliant.  Obviously a technical whiz, with his lightning fast playing, he knows how to fit the song with a solo, and make it powerful whether it's fast or slow.  He has a very identifiable sound, and a style  that puts him up among the great metal guitarists.

BILLY GIBBONS - ZZ Top.  Here's probably the only guy besides Stevie Ray Vaughan who I really admire as a guitarist, yet he is very heavily blues influenced.  Billy's stuff isn't just that boring soloing using a blues scale stuff, it's more of a "desert/southwestern" feel, and I love that desert shit.

TRACII GUNS - L.A. Guns.  Tracii is an amazing player with leads that always fit the song.  His rhythm and riffs were so "gritty" sounding.  He was another victim of being a guitarist in a pop metal band.  I love the LA Guns stuff.  It's from the same style of Guns'N'Roses (of which Tracii was a founding member, hense the "Guns" part), but I dug teh Guns more.  Maybe becausee GNR was "too popular".

KIRK HAMMETT -  Metallica.  It pains me to even have to comment on the fuckin' traitors that Kirk and Hetfield have become, but because of their past, I feel it's necessary to pay them some honor.  Kirk's style is a little too blues based for me, now that I'm into classical/metal stuff.  But his leads back when Metallica was great, were fantastic.  I always admired that no matter what great solo he was playing, it always fit in perfectly with the song.  Too bad he's ashamed of his past.

JAMES HETTFIELD -  Metallica.  See Hammet above for traitor explanation.  The James of old was a true riff master, and one of the best rhythm players in metal history.  This is a guy I would have gone to war with, someone I thought would always carry the flag for metal.  But he is a traitor bastard who is ashamed of his past, and their fans who got them were they are.  All the guys in SUCKtallica are.  I don't care what they do, they'll never get another penny of my money.  My tribute album to Metallica would be called "FUCK 'EM ALL"!