As most house hold items became disposable so does popular music of today, you generally have to look beyond the charts now for decent bands.
Altho in Australia there is occasionally real talent on the charts (John Butler)

Originally Posted by: DAMAGED ONEYou want some good old stuff!
Check out.
Exodus
Overkill
Testament
Old Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East

Hah Awesome list of Thrash Metal bands It should of been the big Three and they should of been Overkill, Testament and Exodus :D

Any way saying most of todays guitarist is something that really is not true. Compare modern shredder to ol' shredders its a slaughter. (Skill wise but of coarse there are exceptions)
Rusty vs Yngwie
Buckethead vs Van halen
Of old are the innovators but now we have the people who mastered what they started imho.

Plus in the metal world guitarists have never been so skilled its almost mandatory to be of a very high skill technique wise. (Besides Doom, Black and there other many sub-genres)

To Noisetherapy I believe making a s**t sounding record and calling it raw makes you black metal :p