10 Most Underrated Guitarists In Hard Rock

Not every guitarist is meant to be flashy. Even though you can wow an audience with how fast you annihilate your leads, sometimes it's better to just hang back and take your audience on a journey through the power of your instrument. It's not often seen in metal, but Jerry Cantrell is the prime example of a songwriter in the hard rock world.

Though Alice in Chains did initially go on the Clash of the Titans tour with Anthax, Megadeth, and Slayer, Cantrell's songs went much broader than straight thrash. Combing through everything from country to shoegaze to Sabbath-infused tunes, Cantrell helped lead Alice in Chains to different territory across albums like Dirt. There would occasionally be flashier moments like on the solo of "Them Bones," but the heart behind Jerry's playing is the melodicism of his breaks, which sometimes feel like they could have come off an Elton John record.

For as heavy as they might seem, many people tend to forget that the most successful Alice in Chains record is an EP of acoustic cuts, which gives Cantrell's work a smooth shimmer as opposed to the crunchy riffs we know him for. It's not necessarily up to the standards of someone like Yngwie Malmsteen, but the instinctive nature of Jerry Cantrell is something you just can't teach.