Four criminally underrated guitarists from the 1980s that are guaranteed to melt your face off

OutKick's Matt Reigle and Austin Perry discuss the top 6 times a rock or metal band managed to improve after replacing a previous member. This opinion might land me in some hot water with music purists everywhere, but I believe the greatest era of guitar wizardry came in the 1980s. The decade featured some of the most revered and celebrated virtuosos to ever walk the planet, both critically and commercially. But for every Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads, there were plenty of other face-melters who existed in some form of relative obscurity compared to their more famous counterparts. BARRY MANILOW RESCHEDULES CONCERT 45 MINUTES BEFORE START AMID ONGOING LUNG CANCER RECOVERY That's not to say the bands these guitarists were in weren't successful in their own right, but if you were to ask a mainstream pop-listener from the era who these guys were, chances are you'd get looks of befuddlement. Which is a shame, because these guys were just as talented (if not more talented) than some of the more popular axe-slingers of the 80s. And hey, since I love you dear readers so much, I decided to include a bonus guest pick from my good buddy and fellow guitar junkie, Matt Reigle! With that said,

Aug 8, 2026 → Aug 8, 2026