Every year Music Radar conducts a public poll to elect the best metal guitarists of the year. In 2019, the honor goes to Jim Root and Mick Thomson of Slipknot .
The duo has been delivering powerful riffs to the group for some time now, and the recent release, We Are Not Your Kind, was no different. Root and Thomson delivered top-notch riffs, although many fans disagree.
In recent interviews, Root commented on one of the controversies surrounding the recent album. “I see a lot of comments like, ‘Where are the guitar solos on this record?’ Well, obviously, Mick and I love guitar; we love playing guitar, we love doing solos on every song, but it didn’t occur to me.”
“I was more concerned with the arrangements and making a good song from start to finish. There’s a solo in “Spiders,” even if it’s not a traditional solo, but that’s what I love. My point is that I can think outside the box and approach the guitar in a way I never would in a song like “Spiders,” because Clown wrote that song and it didn’t come from my head, so it’s difficult to process it.”
The poll showed strong contenders, demonstrating that the duo's victory was hard-fought and well-deserved. See the full list below.
- James Hetfield (Metallica)
- James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch (Korn)
- Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg (Amon Amarth)
- Richard Z. Kruspe and Paul Landers (Rammstein)
- Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa (As I Lay Dying)
- Sean Long and Mat Welsh (While She Sleeps)
- Kerry King and Gary Holt (Slayer)
- Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)
- Alexi Laiho and Daniel Freyberg (Children of Bodom)