Guitarists and music fans from around the world have named Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho as the greatest metal guitarist ever, in a recent poll conducted by Total Guitar magazine and musician’s website www.musicradar.com, beating metal stalwarts Black Sabbath, Metallica and Pantera to take first position.
Total Guitar and MusicRadar.com asked their readers to vote for the very best metal guitarist ever, in celebration of a brand new look for Europe’s bestselling guitar magazine, and over 68,000 fans cast their votes to crown the Finnish heavy metal guitarist as top dog.
Readers were asked to vote from a shortlist of 20 metal guitarists, with some unexpected results as traditional metal heroes, Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), James Hetfield (Metallic) and Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), missed out on the top spots.
Children of Bodom mobilised the ‘Hate Crew’ (the name given to COB fans) and the story was picked up by a national news outlet in Finland, resulting in a surge of votes from the band’s home territory.
Total Guitar – Greatest metal guitarist ever
1. Alexi Laiho – Children of Bodom
2. John Petrucci – Dream Theater
3. Mick Thomson – Slipknot
4. Mark Tremonti – Alter Bridge
5. Dimebag Darrell – Pantera
6. Mikael Åkerfeldt – Opeth
7. James Hetfield – Metallica
8. Tony Iommi – Black Sabbath
9. Glen Tipton – Judas Priest
10. Randy Rhoads – Quiet Riot
Stephen Lawson, Editor of Total Guitar said:
“We knew the metal masses would get excited about this poll, but the fact that a staggering 68,000 people voted proves that metal fans are still as passionate as ever. Alexi Laiho has a fiercely loyal following, and combined with his technical mastery, he was a force to be reckoned with in Total Guitar’s poll.
Yes, metal greats like Tony Iommi and Dimebag Darrell will always be revered by guitar fans (and rightly so!), but these results show that you can’t underestimate the popularity of metal in the 21st century.”
For a full run-down of the greatest metal guitarist, check out the latest issue of Total Guitar magazine, on sale Friday 18th March, or visit www.totalguitar.co.uk
ENDS
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