While I'm sure there are a lot of stoner rock/metal and riff-rock bands that I'm most likely the only fan of (Spiritual Beggars, Slaves To Gravity, Voodoo Six, Lo-pan, etc.), I think I should mention this fella:
Eric Gales - Dear god, this man should be a rock guitar legend. I currently only have two of his albums (Crystal Vision, and A Picture Of A Thousand Faces), but jesus christ this guy can WAIL. The man a hybrid Blues/hard rock/metal guitar album with smooth vocals on top in vein of Hendrix and SRV, yet he adds a Satriani/Vai flair on top that rocks to no end. He's got an AMAZING tone and some smooth soloing in concert with rocking riffs and excellent phrasing. He's unreal.