10 Rock Music Bands With Two Incredible Guitarists
These groups were being greedy when they snapped up two very talented guitarists.
You can pretend to enjoy the bass and drums as much as you want, but everybody knows the reason anyone gets into rock music is the guitars. Whether its riffs, solo, or whatever the hell Tom Morello does, the humble six string has been the cornerstone of the industry ever since the days of the blues.
A standard four-piece rock band will have two guitarists, one on rhythm and one on lead. Most of the time, the rhythm player is only as good as they need to be to carry a song; it's with the lead guitarist that the true talent lies.
Sometimes though, bands strike gold and have not one, but two talented axe-wielders on their books.
All of the following groups have had at least one line-up featuring two incredible guitar players, be that lead, rhythm, or whatever. This isn't including bands who have had multiple great players play for them across history; that's a subject for another time.
This list is all about the partnerships and collaborations that birthed some of the greatest rock songs of all time. It's also about shining a light on those who are so often overshadowed by their more famous bandmates.
10. Judas Priest
Whilst you would never call them a '60s band, British heavy metal unit Judas Priest have been around in some form or other since 1969.
Formed in the city of Birmingham, the band have undergone several changes over the years. Still, two musicians have appeared on every single Priest studio release; bassist Ian Hill and guitarist Glenn Tipton. During the band's peak, Tipton was partnered up with fellow axeman K. K. Downing to create the group's signature sound.
Both men were too talented to be kept out of the spotlight, so they took it in turns to play solo parts on Priest songs. This trading technique set the band apart from the other acts at the time, who would usually only have one performer take the lead.
Without either man's technical prowess, the band wouldn't be the juggernaut it is today. When Downing left in 2011, he took a little piece of Judas Priest's soul with him. Not that a leather-clad metal band had much soul to begin with.