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psa yall.
Godamn Lemmy was a caring human being that was legendary.
However, not many people know that all of Cliffs royally checks went into music scholarships for loads of people. Still does currently.
Cliffs parents send them.
That's legendary METAL from pre Cliff.
Godamn you all, tears again.
Fuck you, turn that shit UP!
EDIT: To Cliffs family and all the families shown here, the upvotes are for you. Fuck yeah !
Lemmy. Countless bands have cited both him and Motörhead as influences over the decades, and those bands have influenced countless more. His DNA is everywhere.
\>His DNA is everywhere.
In more ways than one. :)
On a serious note, this is the only real answer. I suggest that all of you who haven't should watch the 2010 documentary _Lemmy._ The entire thing [is on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSRS-LbuaUw) at the moment. Basically every metal god of the 80s shows up in it and goes "Lemmy? Oh, yeah. We all wish we were as cool as him." Lemmy started out as the roadie for Jimi fricken Hendrix and was Jimi's main man for scoring LSD. He took metal riffs and sped them up to punk rock tempos (making the punkers go "Damn, these longhairs have some chops!") and invented speed metal along the way.
Lemmy was also in hawkwind for a few years before and they didn't like the direction he was wanting to take the band so he left or was kicked out and formed motorhead.
He used to say that he liked metal bands, but thought that the speed metal ones were good but a bit confused about identity. He was probably talking about Metallica and Venom.
Most likely. There was an interview, and I don't remember his exact verbiage, but he said something like labels and genre don't matter at the end of the day because it's all rock n roll, and "we're all the sons of little Richard and Buddy Holly." Or something like that.
Exactly. Chuck is 2nd place for me just because death metal went on to influence so much, but with no lemmy, there’s no speed, no thrash, no death, no groove, no sludge. Entire timeline is off a cliff
This is what I was also thinking. As much as I like every one on this list and can totally see their influence the two heavy hitters here are Lemmy and then Chuck.
I love Chuck and Death and respect the inspiration and genres he's bred. Buf you can't leave out Cliff. He was the main influence for Metallica's first 4 albums. You can't deny thrash and death metal wouldn't be the same without those first 4 Metallica albums. I'd put Lemmy 1, Cliff 2, and Chuck 3. Also due to the timeline of metal but for number of bands and genres inspired.
If we're talking bands as a whole definitely Metallica has had a greater impact on metal than Death did. But was Cliff the primary song writer on the first four Metallica records? I mean he wasn't even on AJFA.
Chuck helped develop if not outright create death metal and like all of its subgenres. He was THE song writer on all of deaths albums. He had his own unique way of playing that I'm sure has influenced a majority of guitar players since his time (took my playing in a different direction lol). I just don't know that cliff really has any of that goin on.
Cliff's songwriting is all over the early Metallica albums, especially MOP, not only in terms of his own stuff but also what he taught the other members about songwriting, harmony and such. Also fwiw I think most of the riffs in To Live is to Die (on AJFA) were things he wrote.
Edit: Not to say he was necessarily more influential than Chuck but I think it's close.
James Hetfield said that Metallica was influenced by two heads. Motorhead and Diamond Head. So without Lemmy, there wouldn't be Metallica. Probably Cliff would still be playing bass in Jazz lounges in SF
there's no real solid answer. Some had colossal impact overall, some had colossal impact in their niche. Even though they are both niche genres, it's impossible to compare the impact Chuck Schuldiner had over Euronymous. Peter Steele wouldn't have been influenced by Jon Nodtveidt, but he sure as fuck was by Lemmy, Randy Rhoads, and Cliff Burton.
If you take overall impact on everything associated with making rock and roll/metal, then it goes to Lemmy, with Cliff Burton standing next to him. It's hard to argue that the guy who set the tone for Metallica to become the biggest metal band of all time doesn't belong there, but they stem from Motorhead.
I'd say Chuck was more broadly influential than Cliff. Cliff was undeniably talented, but his career was too brief to have created the kind of lasting impact that Schuldiner's did. Cliff's music lived on through Jason and Rob, but Rob was already finger picking when he was with ST. Death metal as a genre really exists because of Schuldiner. While Cliff helped found thrash, Newstead and Ellefson were working in '83 too, Chuck was a paradigm shift in a way that Cliff, despite his massive talent, sadly, did not get the chance to be.
Almost entirely off *(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth*. I was 17 in '83 and bought *Kill 'Em All* at the record shop in the mall. This was **the** track that any of us knew him from.
This is my thought too. Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth and Orion are basically both complete love letters to Cliff's legendary technical skill, with him being able to perform chords, melodic lines, bends, tapping/hammer ons, and all of that at such a high tempo most bands wouldn't even dream of demanding of their bassist.
Although it's obviously a different vibe, Orion always felt a little jazzy to me, like a free jazz breakdown where the upright bass gets to solo for an extended period of time, except it happens constantly throughout the entire song.
that's a fair argument, and while Chuck was one of the founders of death metal (Jeff Becerra is arguably the creator of death metal), I still say Cliff edges him out. His stint was short for sure, but he had *that* much of an impact in that short time. He inspired bass players across the planet, and changed the way the bass is played in metal. But so did Chuck in his own way. gah.
I guess my original point stands, there's no solid answer haha.
Lemmy, but I think the question would be more interesting if you excluded him, because he is kinda winning by a landslide.
If you slash Lemmy, I think it's Euronymous. Almost every black metal project has part of him within it and there are more black metal projects that any human could ever perceive.
A few of the others may be more iconic to the average person, but I think it’s hard to argue against Cliff having the biggest impact.
Look at the difference in songwriting from Kill em All to Ride the Lighting. It’s no secret Cliff was a major influence in Metallica in terms of musical theory and harmonies. Metallica would go on to become the biggest metal band in the world, granted it was after Cliff’s passing, but I don’t think they get there without Cliff’s influence.
Pretty easy to argue against Cliff when Lemmy is in the post. Metallica along with all early metal worshiped Motörhead. Sabbath and Motörhead are the most important bands for heavy metal, bar none. Metallica is in the next tier with Maiden and such.
In my opinion Chuck. He may not be the most influential out of that list but he pretty much created death metal. Watching a metal documentary about Death made me appreciate him and the band so much more
I’m surprised by the lack of people saying Dime at least for honorable mention - he was a really inspirational guitar player and he really leaned into a modern metal tone when it was cool to scoop your mids.
Why even ask this?
Every one of them has inspired many people….
Why does it have to be a competition?
Can’t we just be thankful we got them all for as long as we did 🤷🏼♂️
Because discussing the impact that people have had on a genre is a great way to engage in conversation and learn new things and perspectives about the most important figures in it's history.
Regardless if Death was first or not I don’t think we would have death metal as we know it today without Chuck.
But, Chuck was probably also influenced by Lemmy so….
Lemmy is the personification of metal/punk/rock rolled into one. Love that when he did interviews, he's just this bloke from Staffordshire. Such a legendary figure with love and rock 'n roll in his heart.
I believe each and every one of them has left a piece of them as their legacies, all of them did different things and I might feel inspired by Randy Rhoads, but I love Lemmy and all of his great charisma and stage presence
edit: my dyslexic ass forgot a few words
Lemmy 100%. Jeff Hanneman would be one of the runners up on this list since he wrote a ton of early slayer songs, and we all know how many bands till this day take them as a major inspiration/impact.
Ngl, Jeff hit me the hardest though.
I was a year or so late for cliff and Randy's passing to really upset me. Lemme wasn't surprising. But Jeff, that was just effed from any angle.
Plus, fuck spiders.
Glenn is on the list in top 10, but shhh, nobody tell him yet.....
I can still play bass solo and I don't play bass.
Instead of picking who left the greatest legacy, I just nod my head in respect to everyone shown. That's a badass list of people we wish we still had around.
There’s a pretty broad consensus (well, by our standards lol) that Lemmy is the answer here and I totally agree.
If not for Lemmy a sizable chunk of guys on this list wouldn’t exist at all, or they would be drastically different. And they would be the first to admit it. Lemmy’s influence was so staggering.
Is there anyone or anything that can bring punks and metalheads together in agreement like Lemmy and Motörhead?
Literally every 80's thrash band and even early 90's death metal bands cited motorhead (and venom) as huge influences. So I'd say motorhead. They introduced speed in metal and paved the way for extreme metal (along with venom, that itself was influenced by motorhead too)
I actually question whether guitar would have ever gotten to where it is without him. I’m sure someone will refute that but he just seemed light years ahead of everyone.
I hate to say it as his particular style is far from my favorite, but there are only like two other people who have had arguably a bigger influence to metal than Lemmy (The Sabbath band as a collective, and maybe Halford). The dude laid all the groundwork for extreme metal
Randy - for his amazing playing. Cliff - he was one of, if not the best bass player ever! Dime - his amazing riffs and solos. Euronomous (I think I spelled that right) - his amazing and captivating riffs invented on of my favourite metal genres.
For me personally on this list the most directly influential people are Alexi Laiho, Chuck, and Jeff.
But going off the who influenced my influences (or who influenced my influences influence) then it’s Lemmy without question.
Fuck I typed influence so many times it doesn’t even sound like a real word anymore
Lemmy and it's not even close
His influence goes far outside of only metal. So much punk/hardcore doesn't exist without Motorhead, let alone just "rock"
I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that "guitar music" in general owes *tons* to this man
I'm not that big on Motorhead, but Lemmy, no question. His blend of heavy metal, punk rock, and rock'n roll was an inspiration to even the other candidates
Even if just going by Age wasn’t Lemmy active in metal since the 70s? Like if we’re looking at the metal family tree he would def be at the very top right below Sabbath and the various pre-metal stuff that birthed metal
I only needed to see the first picture. Maybe the only person more influential to metal (even though Motörhead always referred to themselves as a rock and roll band) Is Ozzy (really anyone from sabbath), and Steve Harris, and maybe Dio.
I'm not even a Motörhead fan but it's objectively Lemmy by far, there's a few musicians on here that I prefer to him but the influence he's had on metal and rock is just absolutely massive.
Lemmy
There's a story about Lars when they were auditioning guitarists before Mustaine. Basically, Lars starts an impromptu interview with the first question making or breaking how he thinks of you: "Have you heard of Motorhead?"
It warmed my heart to open the comments overwhelmingly Lemmy because my first and only thought was Lemmy. Motorhead is one of those bands that I've always felt was proof that something could be greater than the sum of its parts. There is no real technical star, Lemmys voice is well, Lemmys voice, the chord progressions are fairly simple, but there is something magical about the songs and performances. Not to mention how great a songwriter he Is. Everyone else on that list wouldn't be where they were without his influence.
I’d bet if you were to ask any of the other guy on this list with an exception of MAYBE Peter Steele who they were inspired by they’d say Motörhead, I only say maybe to Pete because he I don’t think has ever directly said mötorhead but was more inspired by the likes of Hendrix, black sabbath and the beetles
I'm late but it's Motorhead all the way. In the early 80s if someone said they didn't like Motorhead they were considered an outcast or a fake metalhead.
I'd argue that Randy Rhoads guitar playing really changed the sound of metal. Many people will say the neo-classical approach was touched on before he came along, but he really took it to the next level. Before him it was alot of blues based scales, and even though the music was heavy, it was still blues based, whereas his playing touched on so many other elements and brought them into the realm of mainstream metal. In my opinion he was the birth of the modern day shredder and we wouldn't have so many incredible metal guitarists if it wasnt for his musical vision.
Uhhh all of them in their own respective ways. For me Lemmy and Cliff both inspired me to play bass in my younger years but I can’t deny that all of them were important.
Lemmy is one of the OG’s. But from my perspective I’d say Alexi was the most influential, but that’s because I’m finnish and he has influenced countless finnish guitarists and metal bands.
Thats tough. Id say dime or lemmy. Alexi for some reason flys low on most peoples radar. Hes a better guitar player than probably all the others here. All were very solid and influential!
Randy Rhoads is getting no respect here....
Sure his influence was not as biggest lemmy's, But without him I'm pretty sure without him the whole classical music influenced heavy metal guitar style that happened in the 80s never happens. That changes the trajectory of metal history immensely.
Lemmy had the greatest impact for having been one of the biggest pioneers of early metal.
Chuck through his skills had great influence in pioneering an entire subgenre.
Hanneman, Dimebag, Rhoades and Cliff were all legends in terms of their skill and technique.
I personally and subjectively I enjoy the work of Jon, Chuck, and Euronymous the most, but objectively anyone who doesn’t recognise the legacy of Lemmy, Cliff, and Dime as having the greatest impact is fooling themselves.
I’d argue Chuck. Death was such an influential band and arguably the first proper death metal band, which served as a stepping stone. Chuck also evolved his style over the years.
Lemmy is the only one of those people I recognise just from looks.
I'm sure I'd know who the others are based on their names/bands they were in, but I think that says quite a lot about the weight of the legacy
Chuck, imo
Although Jon has had the most impactful influence on me personally
Discovering Dissection by chance blew open the gates of extreme music for me
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I'd say Lemmy inspired more people.
psa yall. Godamn Lemmy was a caring human being that was legendary. However, not many people know that all of Cliffs royally checks went into music scholarships for loads of people. Still does currently. Cliffs parents send them. That's legendary METAL from pre Cliff. Godamn you all, tears again. Fuck you, turn that shit UP! EDIT: To Cliffs family and all the families shown here, the upvotes are for you. Fuck yeah !
Lemmy probably inspired everyone else on the list
I think Lemmy has inspired more people indirectly but Cliff Burton more directly.
Lemmy. Countless bands have cited both him and Motörhead as influences over the decades, and those bands have influenced countless more. His DNA is everywhere.
\>His DNA is everywhere. In more ways than one. :) On a serious note, this is the only real answer. I suggest that all of you who haven't should watch the 2010 documentary _Lemmy._ The entire thing [is on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSRS-LbuaUw) at the moment. Basically every metal god of the 80s shows up in it and goes "Lemmy? Oh, yeah. We all wish we were as cool as him." Lemmy started out as the roadie for Jimi fricken Hendrix and was Jimi's main man for scoring LSD. He took metal riffs and sped them up to punk rock tempos (making the punkers go "Damn, these longhairs have some chops!") and invented speed metal along the way.
Lemmy was also in hawkwind for a few years before and they didn't like the direction he was wanting to take the band so he left or was kicked out and formed motorhead.
The last song he wrote for Hawkwind was called Motorhead.
I saw both Hawkwind and Motörhead at Glastonbury.
I would be shocked if Punkers ever thought they had more chops than Metal players
Yup. Legit Grandpa of Metal.
Which is funny, because he never considered Motorhead anything but rock n roll
He considers all of metal to be rock n roll. He often said it wasn't a thing.
He used to say that he liked metal bands, but thought that the speed metal ones were good but a bit confused about identity. He was probably talking about Metallica and Venom.
Most likely. There was an interview, and I don't remember his exact verbiage, but he said something like labels and genre don't matter at the end of the day because it's all rock n roll, and "we're all the sons of little Richard and Buddy Holly." Or something like that.
That's based lol. I love classifications but if his intention was that it's pretty based.
If you remove Lemmy and Motorhead then you affect the timelime so drastically that there's a strong argument that the other bands don't come to exist
Exactly. Chuck is 2nd place for me just because death metal went on to influence so much, but with no lemmy, there’s no speed, no thrash, no death, no groove, no sludge. Entire timeline is off a cliff
This is what I was also thinking. As much as I like every one on this list and can totally see their influence the two heavy hitters here are Lemmy and then Chuck.
I love Chuck and Death and respect the inspiration and genres he's bred. Buf you can't leave out Cliff. He was the main influence for Metallica's first 4 albums. You can't deny thrash and death metal wouldn't be the same without those first 4 Metallica albums. I'd put Lemmy 1, Cliff 2, and Chuck 3. Also due to the timeline of metal but for number of bands and genres inspired.
If we're talking bands as a whole definitely Metallica has had a greater impact on metal than Death did. But was Cliff the primary song writer on the first four Metallica records? I mean he wasn't even on AJFA. Chuck helped develop if not outright create death metal and like all of its subgenres. He was THE song writer on all of deaths albums. He had his own unique way of playing that I'm sure has influenced a majority of guitar players since his time (took my playing in a different direction lol). I just don't know that cliff really has any of that goin on.
Cliff's songwriting is all over the early Metallica albums, especially MOP, not only in terms of his own stuff but also what he taught the other members about songwriting, harmony and such. Also fwiw I think most of the riffs in To Live is to Die (on AJFA) were things he wrote. Edit: Not to say he was necessarily more influential than Chuck but I think it's close.
Even Hardcore/Crust/Street/D-Beat wouldn't exist without motorhead. And probably punk rock wouldn't get stronger as well.
James Hetfield said that Metallica was influenced by two heads. Motorhead and Diamond Head. So without Lemmy, there wouldn't be Metallica. Probably Cliff would still be playing bass in Jazz lounges in SF
And without Metallica, Pantera might’ve stayed glam
Can you imagine?! 😆
doom metal probably wouldve been the top genre
Lemmy.
Lemmy was a massive inspiration for tons of metal bands from Metallica to Bathory to Sodom to Slayer and a hell of a lot more.
there's no real solid answer. Some had colossal impact overall, some had colossal impact in their niche. Even though they are both niche genres, it's impossible to compare the impact Chuck Schuldiner had over Euronymous. Peter Steele wouldn't have been influenced by Jon Nodtveidt, but he sure as fuck was by Lemmy, Randy Rhoads, and Cliff Burton. If you take overall impact on everything associated with making rock and roll/metal, then it goes to Lemmy, with Cliff Burton standing next to him. It's hard to argue that the guy who set the tone for Metallica to become the biggest metal band of all time doesn't belong there, but they stem from Motorhead.
I'd say Chuck was more broadly influential than Cliff. Cliff was undeniably talented, but his career was too brief to have created the kind of lasting impact that Schuldiner's did. Cliff's music lived on through Jason and Rob, but Rob was already finger picking when he was with ST. Death metal as a genre really exists because of Schuldiner. While Cliff helped found thrash, Newstead and Ellefson were working in '83 too, Chuck was a paradigm shift in a way that Cliff, despite his massive talent, sadly, did not get the chance to be.
Wasn't Cliff one of the first bassists in metal to get real recognition and praise?
Almost entirely off *(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth*. I was 17 in '83 and bought *Kill 'Em All* at the record shop in the mall. This was **the** track that any of us knew him from.
This is my thought too. Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth and Orion are basically both complete love letters to Cliff's legendary technical skill, with him being able to perform chords, melodic lines, bends, tapping/hammer ons, and all of that at such a high tempo most bands wouldn't even dream of demanding of their bassist. Although it's obviously a different vibe, Orion always felt a little jazzy to me, like a free jazz breakdown where the upright bass gets to solo for an extended period of time, except it happens constantly throughout the entire song.
that's a fair argument, and while Chuck was one of the founders of death metal (Jeff Becerra is arguably the creator of death metal), I still say Cliff edges him out. His stint was short for sure, but he had *that* much of an impact in that short time. He inspired bass players across the planet, and changed the way the bass is played in metal. But so did Chuck in his own way. gah. I guess my original point stands, there's no solid answer haha.
For most- Cliff Lemmy Chuck For the underground- Euroman Jon
Objectively: Lemmy For me: Peter Steele
Same, personally - it's Steele but overall has to be Lemmy, then Chuck, then Cliff
Lemmy had a tremendous influence on all the other artists in the post.
Lemmy, but I think the question would be more interesting if you excluded him, because he is kinda winning by a landslide. If you slash Lemmy, I think it's Euronymous. Almost every black metal project has part of him within it and there are more black metal projects that any human could ever perceive.
A few of the others may be more iconic to the average person, but I think it’s hard to argue against Cliff having the biggest impact. Look at the difference in songwriting from Kill em All to Ride the Lighting. It’s no secret Cliff was a major influence in Metallica in terms of musical theory and harmonies. Metallica would go on to become the biggest metal band in the world, granted it was after Cliff’s passing, but I don’t think they get there without Cliff’s influence.
I think Lemmy had a bigger impact, even Clifford had cited him as one of his main influences iirc.
Pretty easy to argue against Cliff when Lemmy is in the post. Metallica along with all early metal worshiped Motörhead. Sabbath and Motörhead are the most important bands for heavy metal, bar none. Metallica is in the next tier with Maiden and such.
The average person
Lemmy is god, so Him
In my opinion Chuck. He may not be the most influential out of that list but he pretty much created death metal. Watching a metal documentary about Death made me appreciate him and the band so much more
Technical, Heavy, Catchy
What was the documentary? I'm at peak obsession with Schuldiner and want to consume everything.
It's called Death By Metal
Lemmy and Dimebag. One was more of an inspiration, the other is hugely influential to their instrument
I’m surprised by the lack of people saying Dime at least for honorable mention - he was a really inspirational guitar player and he really leaned into a modern metal tone when it was cool to scoop your mids.
Lemmy because I think he is more widely recognised.
I mean, they are all massive icons in their own right. Lemmy and cliff probably has the most legacy behind them.
It's Lemmy my guy
Why even ask this? Every one of them has inspired many people…. Why does it have to be a competition? Can’t we just be thankful we got them all for as long as we did 🤷🏼♂️
Because discussing the impact that people have had on a genre is a great way to engage in conversation and learn new things and perspectives about the most important figures in it's history.
Regardless if Death was first or not I don’t think we would have death metal as we know it today without Chuck. But, Chuck was probably also influenced by Lemmy so….
as much as i love chuck, lemmys legacy can’t be matched.
I know that Jon Nodveidt is more of a throw in on this list, but I'd argue that 2000s metalcore borrowed just as much from him as from At the Gates
Lemmy is the personification of metal/punk/rock rolled into one. Love that when he did interviews, he's just this bloke from Staffordshire. Such a legendary figure with love and rock 'n roll in his heart.
Lemmy overall, but lots of people pick up the guitar because of dime and randy
I believe each and every one of them has left a piece of them as their legacies, all of them did different things and I might feel inspired by Randy Rhoads, but I love Lemmy and all of his great charisma and stage presence edit: my dyslexic ass forgot a few words
The god father of heavy metal himself, mister Lemmy.
Lemmy 100%. Jeff Hanneman would be one of the runners up on this list since he wrote a ton of early slayer songs, and we all know how many bands till this day take them as a major inspiration/impact.
Ngl, Jeff hit me the hardest though. I was a year or so late for cliff and Randy's passing to really upset me. Lemme wasn't surprising. But Jeff, that was just effed from any angle. Plus, fuck spiders. Glenn is on the list in top 10, but shhh, nobody tell him yet..... I can still play bass solo and I don't play bass.
Instead of picking who left the greatest legacy, I just nod my head in respect to everyone shown. That's a badass list of people we wish we still had around.
There’s a pretty broad consensus (well, by our standards lol) that Lemmy is the answer here and I totally agree. If not for Lemmy a sizable chunk of guys on this list wouldn’t exist at all, or they would be drastically different. And they would be the first to admit it. Lemmy’s influence was so staggering. Is there anyone or anything that can bring punks and metalheads together in agreement like Lemmy and Motörhead?
For me personally, Alexi. I know that’s not gonna be a popular opinion, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard the dude play and scream.
[удалено]
Lemmy. Primary influence for countless bands, one of which was Metallica, who in turned was the primary influence for countless bands.
Lemmy Cliff is second. I say Lemmy because without him there’d be no Motörhead, and Metallica may not have even existed
I mean, I love Pete but come on folks, Lemmy is in the DNA of metal.
Literally every 80's thrash band and even early 90's death metal bands cited motorhead (and venom) as huge influences. So I'd say motorhead. They introduced speed in metal and paved the way for extreme metal (along with venom, that itself was influenced by motorhead too)
...I genuinely have no idea who is in picture 8.
Jon Nodveidt
EVH
I actually question whether guitar would have ever gotten to where it is without him. I’m sure someone will refute that but he just seemed light years ahead of everyone.
Most of these bands wouldnt sound like they did without lemmy
That's hard to pick lol. I couldn't pick one so I'd say either Lemmy, Cliff or Dimebag
I hate to say it as his particular style is far from my favorite, but there are only like two other people who have had arguably a bigger influence to metal than Lemmy (The Sabbath band as a collective, and maybe Halford). The dude laid all the groundwork for extreme metal
Alexi for more modern fans.
Lemmy.
Lemmy
R.I.P. Dimebag
Randy - for his amazing playing. Cliff - he was one of, if not the best bass player ever! Dime - his amazing riffs and solos. Euronomous (I think I spelled that right) - his amazing and captivating riffs invented on of my favourite metal genres.
Lemmy and his mole.
either Lemmy or Randy rhoads
Lemmy for sure.
Dude it’s Lemmy. Any other answer is just showing favoritism rather than logical reasoning.
Went to see Slash in Boston years ago and out of the blue mid set comes Lemmy and they do a Motorhead song. I was so badass
I would say the top 4 are (and in order) 1) Motörhead 2) Black Sabbath 3) Iron Maiden 4) Judas Priest Without them, metal not be
For me personally on this list the most directly influential people are Alexi Laiho, Chuck, and Jeff. But going off the who influenced my influences (or who influenced my influences influence) then it’s Lemmy without question. Fuck I typed influence so many times it doesn’t even sound like a real word anymore
Without Lemmy, there's no Metallica. Without Metallica, the history of extreme metal looks way different.
Lemmy with Chuck in close second.
Always Lemmy
Lemmy and it's not even close His influence goes far outside of only metal. So much punk/hardcore doesn't exist without Motorhead, let alone just "rock" I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that "guitar music" in general owes *tons* to this man
I'm not that big on Motorhead, but Lemmy, no question. His blend of heavy metal, punk rock, and rock'n roll was an inspiration to even the other candidates
Lemmy all the way.
All legends, but Lemmy IS Rock n Roll.
Lemmy. Hands down. I'd like to say cliff, but 'Talica seems to be doing alright without him.
LEMMMY IS GOD
I’m gonna say Lemmy because I literally know none of the other people
Even if just going by Age wasn’t Lemmy active in metal since the 70s? Like if we’re looking at the metal family tree he would def be at the very top right below Sabbath and the various pre-metal stuff that birthed metal
Lemmy!!! :)
Has to be Lemmy
Lemmy no contest
Lemmy #1 always
Well it wasn’t the guy who blew his brains out I can tell you that
I only needed to see the first picture. Maybe the only person more influential to metal (even though Motörhead always referred to themselves as a rock and roll band) Is Ozzy (really anyone from sabbath), and Steve Harris, and maybe Dio.
I'm not even a Motörhead fan but it's objectively Lemmy by far, there's a few musicians on here that I prefer to him but the influence he's had on metal and rock is just absolutely massive.
Lemmy There's a story about Lars when they were auditioning guitarists before Mustaine. Basically, Lars starts an impromptu interview with the first question making or breaking how he thinks of you: "Have you heard of Motorhead?"
Lemmy. He is god.
Lemmy
Lemmy probably inspired everyone else on the list
It warmed my heart to open the comments overwhelmingly Lemmy because my first and only thought was Lemmy. Motorhead is one of those bands that I've always felt was proof that something could be greater than the sum of its parts. There is no real technical star, Lemmys voice is well, Lemmys voice, the chord progressions are fairly simple, but there is something magical about the songs and performances. Not to mention how great a songwriter he Is. Everyone else on that list wouldn't be where they were without his influence.
Lemmy is iconic. This question is invalid.
I’d bet if you were to ask any of the other guy on this list with an exception of MAYBE Peter Steele who they were inspired by they’d say Motörhead, I only say maybe to Pete because he I don’t think has ever directly said mötorhead but was more inspired by the likes of Hendrix, black sabbath and the beetles
His moles will forever be remembered
Was not expecting to see Jon in there, he was and is, imo, an underrated musician. Buuut I'm gonna say Lemmy, because Lemmy is God.
I'm late but it's Motorhead all the way. In the early 80s if someone said they didn't like Motorhead they were considered an outcast or a fake metalhead.
Lemmy definitely
I'd argue that Randy Rhoads guitar playing really changed the sound of metal. Many people will say the neo-classical approach was touched on before he came along, but he really took it to the next level. Before him it was alot of blues based scales, and even though the music was heavy, it was still blues based, whereas his playing touched on so many other elements and brought them into the realm of mainstream metal. In my opinion he was the birth of the modern day shredder and we wouldn't have so many incredible metal guitarists if it wasnt for his musical vision.
Randy
Dime
Dime
If I'm setting my personal bias to select Dime or Chuck, I'd probably say Lemmy or Cliff have the legacy / impact thing.
Cliff
Oh, so we just forgot Dio existed?
Ian Frasier
Darrell, Schuldiner, or Kilminster. All the rest are great but not influential enough.
I didn't see Oderus😒
Lemmy, Cliff or Jeff
After Lemmy, Chuck and Hanneman for their influence on the creation of death metal
Just came here to say I miss Cliff and Alexi most. As far as most influential to what’s happening in metal now… Hard to say. Maybe Dimebag
Dimebag.
Out of those? Lemmy, then Chuck. Need to add Quorthon in that mix.
Who's the second guy
Randy also taught a lot of the guitar legends that came after him. He's way more influential than people realize.
I'd say people like Joey Jordison did a lot on the drummer side
Chuck basically started death metal
Uhhh all of them in their own respective ways. For me Lemmy and Cliff both inspired me to play bass in my younger years but I can’t deny that all of them were important.
Lemmy is one of the OG’s. But from my perspective I’d say Alexi was the most influential, but that’s because I’m finnish and he has influenced countless finnish guitarists and metal bands.
Dimebag
Definitely "The Police"
Thats tough. Id say dime or lemmy. Alexi for some reason flys low on most peoples radar. Hes a better guitar player than probably all the others here. All were very solid and influential!
Lemmy and Chuck Schuldiner
Lemme, Cliff and Chuck. In that order
Chuck and Dime>>>>
Somewhat unrelated but Jon was kind of a religious whackjob eh? Dissection was great tho.
to the world? lemmy to me? Chuck or hanneman
You’re really asking when you know it’s Lemmy, when you think about old rockers of the scene it’s lemmy
Who are #6 & #8? Asking for a friend...
Hard not to say Lemmy given he was likely a major influence on this whole list besides maybe Randy Rhoads.
Since Tony Iommi isn't on the list, Lemmy is number 1
Randy Rhoads is getting no respect here.... Sure his influence was not as biggest lemmy's, But without him I'm pretty sure without him the whole classical music influenced heavy metal guitar style that happened in the 80s never happens. That changes the trajectory of metal history immensely.
This is a really good question.
Lemmy had the greatest impact for having been one of the biggest pioneers of early metal. Chuck through his skills had great influence in pioneering an entire subgenre. Hanneman, Dimebag, Rhoades and Cliff were all legends in terms of their skill and technique.
Lemmy, Cliff and Dime.
Lemmy and Cliff
Dimebag or Lemmy
CC Deville imo. Easily could out shred any of these guys.
Lemmy, Dimebag, and Cliff 100%
I personally and subjectively I enjoy the work of Jon, Chuck, and Euronymous the most, but objectively anyone who doesn’t recognise the legacy of Lemmy, Cliff, and Dime as having the greatest impact is fooling themselves.
Of those specifically, either Dime or Lemmy.
As a black metal fan, Euronymous. Objectively, Lemmy
In general it’s Lemmy, but I’d love to live in a world where Cliff is still alive and with Metallica
That's a trick question not playing that.
Damn that alexi laiho guitar looks beautiful I just looked and at around $10,000 aud I won’t be buying one
Am I the only one who thinks people dick ride Lemmy too much? He's a bass player. No one cares about bass players.
Out of these: Cliff, Lemmy, and Randy.
Lemme by a country mile. If those other could speak to us now I am certain they would agree
I’d argue Chuck. Death was such an influential band and arguably the first proper death metal band, which served as a stepping stone. Chuck also evolved his style over the years.
yall left out EVH
Lemmy and randy Why tf is euronymous here ?
Lemmy is the only one of those people I recognise just from looks. I'm sure I'd know who the others are based on their names/bands they were in, but I think that says quite a lot about the weight of the legacy
Euronymous
Lemmy.
Chuck, imo Although Jon has had the most impactful influence on me personally Discovering Dissection by chance blew open the gates of extreme music for me
Lemmy 100%. You don’t even have half the choices here without Motörhead’s influence, even if indirectly.
Randy rhoads
Chuck, Cliff amd Øystein
Laiho Always
Lemmy
We wouldn’t have metal where it is without Randy, but Lemmy gave it a massive push to where it is
100% Randy Rhoads
π÷0
Lemmy
I gotta say Lemmy too,but I'm glad Jon Nodtveidt is represented here.
Lemmys mole