Randy Rhoads

"Most heavy metal is not very melodic in nature. It’s often minor in tone so you can use a lot of minor thirds in your lead breaks. That automatically sounds classical. Leslie West was one of my favorites because he used classical ideas with feeling. He was melodic but mean."

"Rhoads infused the explosive, fleet-fingered, yet largely blues-based guitar style of Eddie Van Halen with classical music–inspired melodies and runs and an advanced knowledge of music theory. His playing on Blizzard of Ozz classics like Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley and I Don’t Know raised the bar for guitar shredders in the Eighties and beyond."

"Few guitarist in contemporary music have made such a monumental impact over such short a period of time like Randy Rhodes has. [...] With albums Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, Randy Rhodes’s legacy has become one of the most respected and influential of any guitarist in the metal genre."

"Rhoads brought a new level of virtuosity to metal guitar. [...] Carefully trained by his music teacher mom, Rhoads had a flair for modal improvisation, tapped arpeggios and meticulously doubled leads, and set the stage for the Eighties shred boom."