Heavy metal has a huge line of guitar players who dominated the stage and played like the demons the vocalists sung about. Here's three players who did just that, but are now sadly no longer with us.
- Randy Rhoads. Formely of LA rock band Quiet riot, Randy Rhoads was best know as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist when the singer went solo from Black Sabbath. Rhoads helped write such classic Ozzy songs as 'Crazy train' and 'Dee'. Randy's classical influence and background can be seen on the first two solo Ozzy albums which he played on. 1979's 'Blizzard of Oz' album and 1981's 'diary of a madmen'. It is believed that Rhoades would've gone on to leave the band to study classical guitar at UCLA, and he would seek out classical guitar tutors on tour with Ozzy to keep up his knowledge and playing skill. The specialist guitars that Jackson had made for him are extremely popular with metal guitar players. Rhoads died tragically in a plane crash in 1982, and his since been an inspiration for thousands of guitarists since.
- Chuck Schulidner. 'Death's main axeman, vocalist and head songwriter. Hailed as the father of the death metal subgenre, a term he himself wasnt comfortable with, Chuck was a huge influence on many guitar players and extreme metal. 'Scream bloody gore', the first album from Death, was the template for the genre known as death metal, but with each album the style and directions changed. Death released four more albums before Schuldiner folded the band in 1999 to play guitar in a new band 'control denied', which released the one album 'the fragile art of exsistance'. Schuldiner lost his battle with cancer in 2001, the metal community had raised money on many occassions to pay for his operations.
- Darrell Lance Abbott -'Dimebag'. The guitar player of Pantera and Damageplan, who also played guitar for the 'rebel meets rebel' project. Pantera was formed in 1981 as a glam metal band, but the bands first album 'Cowboys from hell' saw them take a much more heavier groove laden approach with the music. Thier next album 1992's 'Vulgar display of power' was the band breakthrough album, featuring the songs 'this love','walk', and 'a new level'. The next album 'Far beyond driven' reached the top of the US charts at a time when metal wasnt considered 'popular'. Pantera brought out 2 more albums before a breakdown in communication split the band into two camps, never reconsiling before the guitarists death. Dimebag was tragically shot while performing onstage with Damageplan in December 2004, which saw the metal community grieve as a collective once again.
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Tags: electric guitars, Guitars