Today we are talking with Ryan “Fluff” Bruce from YouTube’s Riffs, Beards & Gear about his Top 10 Heavy Rock Rhythm Guitar Players of all time!
10. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
His sense of timing and groove, and the way he locks in with everyone he plays with is something you can’t buy. You can tell that he has put in the time and effort and that he is a tone “purist”.
9. Adam Jones (Tool)
He wasn’t the first to do the polyrhythmic stuff, but he was one of the first to do it in a way that popularized it for the radio; his riffs groove so hard. Jones is so understated and it is what he doesn’t play that makes him special.
8. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
He is the principle songwriter in Soundgarden and he tracked all the rhythm guitars on Super Unknown, not guitarist Kim Thayil; Chris was more consistent and better at laying out the songs. He is percussive, tight, and just an incredible rhythm guitar player.
7. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
He is a revered guitar player and is considered to be one of the best lead guitar players. All of the live videos of him playing are evidence of his abilities and being a sledgehammer.
6. Joe Duplantier (Gojira)
Joe’s brother, Mario, is the drummer for the band and they just flip basic rhythm on its head; it is so outside of the box yet so streamlined. They are so percussive and there is a strong tribal element to the bands music.
5. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
His talent is reinforced by the family genes, with his brother being the drummer for the band. Eddie is very famous for his lead chops and innovation, but what is often overlooked is that his rhythm chops and his rhythm playing added so much swing to those songs.
4. Fredrik Thordendal & Marten Hagström (Meshuggah)
If anyone has seen the band live, it is like continuously being pummelled by a freight train and they created what we now know as the progressive shenti, and rhythmically heavy style. They were the first bands to ever have an 8-string guitar and a 9-string guitar, and were just so ahead of their time.
3. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Without Tony Iommi, you arguably wouldn’t have anyone else between 4 and 10 on this list. Due to an accident as a teenager, he had to chop off the tips of some of his fingers on his right hand and detune the guitar in order to play, which gave us modern heavy music as we know it today.
2. James Hetfield (Metallica)
Master of Puppets, Harvester of Sorrow – these songs were so heavy and percussive and they smack you in the face. He is the second best right hand in guitar playing.
1.Malcolm Young (AC/DC)
There has been nobody who is as tight while having so much swing, rhythm and boogie to any riff than Malcolm Young.
Watch the video below to learn more about Fluff’s Top 10 Heavy Rock Rhythm Guitarists!
