When you listen to Maidens last 4 records, can you tell which guitarist is playing what? I'd like to be able to tell how their playing styles differ. I'd like to know whose the more melodic, whose more heavy and stuff like that. A lot of their songs start have really clean sounding intros. and harmonies, and i never know whose playing them.
Murray's style is unique. I can tell him from anybody. The other two I can't tell apart, and of course there are times when Murray doesn't do his thing and I'm lost. Anyhoo, Guinea Pig made a couple of excellent posts on the matter a few years back. Search this thread for legato and you'll see them both. Pretty definitive.
Actually, I have an easier time distinguishing Adrian from the other two on the newer albums. I really think that his playing was helped along and became much better from his time in Bruce's solo band. My guess is that Roy Z really challenged his playing ability and rubbed off on him in a very positive way.
+100. H is the only Maiden guitarists who solo's like he has something to prove. The other guys have rested on the same shit they've done for years while H is constantly evolving. And I agree with you that Roy Z pushed H, I think I said it a few years back, early in this thread, but I've often wondered whether H got a few cheeky lessons of Roy back in the Bruce solo days. Once he started playing with Roy he started to incorporate a lot more diminshed-type licks and runs, you can hear the change in his playing, which worked so well once he rejoined Maiden.
Adrian - Razor-like tone, thoroughly worked out solos, not much in the way of improv. His solo's usually follow the same structure, which he talks about a little bit here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wItsn3r_kcDave - Smooth, fast legato playing, lots of trills, mellow neck-pickup tone.
Janick - Generally messy poop, save for the more ballad-y type songs where he manages to play some seriously tasty emotional solos i.e, Wasting Love, Blood Brothers