While the most dominating and influential heavy metal guitarist of the '80s would have to be Eddie Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne's original guitarist, Randy Rhoads, was one of the few guitarists of the era to create his own signature style. While just about every other guitarist was merely copying Van Halen's unorthodox two-hand tapping technique, Rhoads was one of the first heavy metal guitarists to incorporate classical music into his playing (later picked up by such six-string shredders as Yngwie Malmsteen). Although he only issued a pair of major-label albums during his lifetime, he immediately reached legendary status upon his tragic death in early 1982.

Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wiedlandt on January 14, 1967 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is a lead guitarist, pianist, singer and songwriter, best known for his role as founder of Black Label Society and guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Wylde was lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist he released the critically acclaimed Book of Shadows in 1996. Zakk Wylde's guitar-playing style is characterized by his use of pinch harmonics and wide/aggressive vibrato. His guitar soloing technique is usually characterized by use of the minor pentatonic scale, playing rapid box-pattern licks using strict alternate-picking, creating a very distinctive, choppy style of playing. Another notable feature of Wylde's playing is his liberal use of "chicken pickin' ," a technique which is usually associated with country music, and which is (comparatively) rarely seen in heavy metal; a technique he has stated as being picked up from watching Albert Lee.