Interesting shredders please!

All these lists of dull as ditchwater neo-classical sweepers are getting on my tits now!
They practically all sound the same. If you're playing top speed you don't miss notes out, vary the dynamics, make big wailing vibratos etc..

Here are some recommendations:

Scott Henderson, Al Di Meola, Satriani (esp. surfing with the alien), Shaun Baxter, Allan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, Jennifer Batten (damn right!).

Alex Lifeson doesn't count as a shredder (he rarely shreds) but Exit Stage Left by Rush has SEVERAL of the best guitar solos ever on it.
Terje Rypdal's recorded some really original and great guitar music also but he's not some sweep-picking freak, he's another great musician.

What say you guys?

Ron Thal
he has some really amazing stuff

Check out Matias "IA" Eklund.

Jason Becker- no one sweeps better
Marty Friedman


Guys in Bands
Michael Romeo - Symphony X
Timo Tolkki - Stratovarius (check out Speed of Light)
Luca Turilli - Rhapsody

Steve Vai
Jason Becker
Satriani
Petrucci
Malmsteen
Friedman
Michael Angelo
Michael Romeo
Paul Gilbert
Chris Impeliteri (spell?)
Jennifer Batten
Van Halen
Dimebag Darrel
Zakk Wylde
Kirk Hammett (he's not too bad to get a place at the end of the list)


These are my fav shredders generaly.
The list got only 3 neo-classical (malmsteen,romeo,impeliteri) cuz I don't like neo-classic a lot , and I don't count becker as a neo-classical player.

I would count Becker into progressive music. There are lots of wacky rythms on his songs and he´s definitly not a neo-classical guitar player.

I adore the closing traack on Perpetual Burn called Opus Pocus. That one is amazing and yet possible to play. Evrything else is death hard as a whole but some parts here and there are playable. Amazing influence and inspiration he is.

Cacaphony is also a god blessed band. Probably the best twin guitar band ever. Too bad that the voclas on those records isn´t great as the guitar work and drum work as well.

And than there´s Kirk. I don´t know why lots of people basiclly hate him. So underated but amazing in my opinion. Now I know his work on the last two albums are not any good but during the eightis his solos were amazing. Solo in Disposable Heroes is one of my absolute favorit solos ever.

I agree with Sly that neo classical syle is pretty boring. Basiclly same thing whole the time but still cool in a way and would be hella cool if I could master it 100%. However Michael Romeo is beyond neo classical and he is pretty much allaround I think. Tapping isn´t much of neo classical style but Romeo´s tapping licks kills.

Also Steve Vai´s music can be extremly boring in the length. It seems like he was high while recording some stuff. Little Green Man is an amazing tone. (We have came a long way we hope our ships are O.K. e eo e eo...) funny one.

WHAT WOULD YOU CALL NEO-CLASSICAL?
Having heard Becker (thank's for the tip off guys, he's a hot shredder) and bought his CD I'd have said he was DEFINITELY Neo-Classical because of his tone and the amount of Sweeping he does. On the other hand I'd even call some Satch Neo - like for instance Midnight (which Is a tapping piece) and maybe Echo. Terje Rypdal (when he isn't playing jazz) often plays with orchestral instruments but I wouldn't call him Neo-classical 'cause that term is associated closely with all out shred, Rypdal's style is more based around volume swells, bends and pinches. Arguably he's more neo-classical than any of those shredders but I think he's been booted out of his pigeon hole by the other type of neos!

TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE = TOO LITTLE INSPIRATION?
Most neo though bores the crap out of me. I think perhaps the effort of getting technically proficient enough to play it perhaps removes that feeling of adventure from guitar playing. I don't know the fretboard 100%, sometimes I'm not sure what the next note I'm going to play will sound like, thereafter the next note can help the previous one to fit in. That element of surprise can be refreshing. I think that experimental approach used to yield better music for me than has picking up more shapes and scales. It's getting me stuck in ruts. I think this increasing reliance upon patterns and sweeps might have helped to atrophy my imagination. Perhaps that's why so many of these technically awesome players are so boring.

IF YOU LIKE BECKER TRY ALSO TONY MACALPINE
The most similar player I've ever heard to him is probably Tony MacAlpine, if you guys like Becker you ought to buy "Edge of Insanity" by MacAlpine. MacAlpine plays piano for Steve Vai... personally I think he ought to play guitar for Vai also! This sickeningly talented man can also play Chopin stuff on piano flawlessly and up to speed... AGGHH!!

Yeah Tony is a freak. Just how the hell can he play piano and gutar so damn good? He probably practiced 10 hrs guitar/10 hrs piano per day.

Guy is mental!!!

Dude , you can't call every music that's played with classical music theory (scales , modes , arps) Neo-Classical , or else we'd say that Vai,Angelo,Friedman,petrucci,and others Neo-Classical too for using these stuff I mentioned.
I believe the best example of Neo-Classical would be Yngwie Malmsteen.

Jason Becker (& Marty Friedman) is very far from being compared to Malmsteen's style , he plays the most complex sweeps ever , exotic scales , some pentatonic too , wierd stuff and dissonance as well ... He's too versatile to be called Neo-Classic.

so now the argument becomes the difference between shredding and neo-classical guitar....




Marty Friedman uses many exotic and asian scales, probably more than anybody. his music is vary diverse

Speaking of Friedman , did anybody notice his picking hand position ?
God , I don't know how does he pick this way , it realy feels awkward ... But he does a great job , no argue about that.

Dimebag Darrell
Steve Vai
Satch
And of course... John Petrucci!!

Some great players I missed:
Vinnie Moore (neoclassical through to blues and even some flamenco type stuff, versatile and extremely talented, guilty of the shredder's crime... MUSIC!)
Glenn Tipton, (ex Judas Priest) the title track blisters, burns and spits out fantastic exubberant melodies. Nobody plays I've heard plays pinch harmonics better than this guy and for me there is no better metal guitar tone than his.
On most of the other tracks the solos are scarily fast and perfectly played but, like life of a caveman, they're brutish and short. It's worth getting the album for "Baptism.." alone, it's got Billy Sheehan and Carmen Apice on it as well..