I've been thinking about making this pole for a while ever since I came across a few interesting posts on the Wintersun comment board for their self titled debut album. Now, after some friendly debating, I decided to make this poll, to see what Metalstorm feels about these two talented guitarists, and how they compare to each other.

First we have Jari Mäenpää, hailing from Helsinki, Finland. He is the main songwriter, lead guitarist, and vocalist for Wintersun. To date, Wintersun has released one full length album, and while he was with Ensiferum, he contributed to two albums.

His opponent for this match is Angus Young from Glasgow, Scotland. He is the lead guitarist, back-up vocalist, and songwriter for the legendary hard rock band AC/DC. He has played on numerous albums throughout the years, no fewer than three or four I'm sure we all know.

Now, basically, this is a battle of skill. Some might say that you can't compare then, but I think you most definitely can. They're both two very competent guitarists, albeit different playing styles, but no two guitarists have the same.

Things to look for in their songwriting and person would be technical ability, how memorable their riffs are, how emotional you feel their solos are, how much you think they influence others with their skill, and anything else you think you'd like to throw in there.

Personally, while both guys are great, I just don't think Wintersun if everything that people make them out to be. Unfortunately for them, fanboys often make me dislike this band more than I should, but it's usually the all too often parallels I find in their music to say, Children of Bodom and Norther. Jari Mäenpää is very talented, as can be noted, but not very original in my opinion, and I just don't feel you could say he has explored all of his skills so far on the little material he has been a part of, to my knowledge.

Angus Young, while being part of a band that I'm not a huge fan of, still deserves respect out the ass from not only the rock and metal communities, but from the music communities as a whole. He's been at it for 30+ years, and still seems like he's going strong. Age certainly doesn't stop him, as I remember when I say their 'Live at Donnington' DVD, I was amazed how this guy was kicking it for hours on end. The best part about him, besides his stage presence, is his memorable songwriting skills, not to mention that damn blues influence! Yes, he's had a lot more years to write those, but you'll notice most of the most memorable AC/DC music was written during the first years.

My decision is for Angus Young. He knows how to write music that people will remember for years to come. His material over the years has proven his place among music's elite rockers, and he obviously has a lot more staying power. Jari Mäenpää is very talented indeed, but I suppose just not my cup of tea.

Please, enjoy.

I prefere Angus he is legend he plays well, he is from old days and he loves alcohol, he hasnt finished school but are great guy, hsi plays guitar so good that I doubt somebody of new guitarists be like he so I vote for him and I like Ac/Dc better

I voted for Jari, cuz i think his skills for singing, songwriting and guitar, are far way better than those from Angus.

LOL my God LOL. OK, sorry, but that was just my first reaction to this topic.

OK, I dont know, but I think that any guitarist who knows anything about music would say the same, if he is objective.

OK, so yeah, I am a fan of Wintersun, but also of AC/DC, why not?? I have no bad words on either of them, but I dont like to be referred to, as you said, "fanboy" so Ill try to be objective as well.

First of all, their style and technique is nowhere comparable, so Ill try to point out few other things.
First thing, Angus Young is already accomplished guitarist of an accomplished band, and as you said, Jari is just on the beginning of his career. Second, it is practically impossible for a band to get through with music like AC/DC's today, no matter it IS quality music, thats a fact. So, if Jari was playing that kind of music today, I would call hin un-original, but with this, no way. And to say that Wintersun is like COB or Norther is pure nonsense, I thought that too, but only after first listening, so Im pretty convinced that most of those who compare Wintersun to COB and like are not familiar with material enough. If you want the easiest way to see the obvious difference, jsut read the lyrics of those band, and compare them. COB is 2 while Wintersun would be at least 9 IMO.
If you compare the music (I know I said it cant be compared) of AC/DC and Wintersun, for instance Hard as a rock and Starchild..... well.... I have no comments, sorry.

Written by Clintagräm on 02.03.2008 at 17:50

I just don't feel you could say he has explored all of his skills so far on the little material he has been a part of, to my knowledge.

I totally agree with you, but thats the best part, isnt it?? That means that future work of Jari could be even better than what he did so far, so I dont see a bad thing in it.

And yeah, I voted for Wintersun, but anyway, if Angus wins, I think itll be pretty fair, at least to me.

Written by Stalker on 02.03.2008 at 19:14

If you want the easiest way to see the obvious difference, jsut read the lyrics of those band, and compare them. COB is 2 while Wintersun would be at least 9 IMO.

This wasn't really what I was getting at though. It's a personal preference, but lyrics aren't all that important to me, but Jari could write about frogs and it would be better than CoB (not that frogs are bad) but I was talking more along the lines, technically. I agree they are a better band than most of their Finnish brothers, but that doesn't make them very unique in my opinion. However, it could mean that I need to just listen to them more. But when you hear Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal, you've heard Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal. It's a sound, in my opinion. Bay Area is Bay Area, NYHC is NYHC. That's that.

By the way, six votes but four posts. Odd.

Written by Clintagräm on 03.03.2008 at 03:05

Written by Stalker on 02.03.2008 at 19:14

If you want the easiest way to see the obvious difference, jsut read the lyrics of those band, and compare them. COB is 2 while Wintersun would be at least 9 IMO.

This wasn't really what I was getting at though. It's a personal preference, but lyrics aren't all that important to me, but Jari could write about frogs and it would be better than CoB (not that frogs are bad) but I was talking more along the lines, technically. I agree they are a better band than most of their Finnish brothers, but that doesn't make them very unique in my opinion. However, it could mean that I need to just listen to them more. But when you hear Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal, you've heard Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal. It's a sound, in my opinion. Bay Area is Bay Area, NYHC is NYHC. That's that.

By the way, six votes but four posts. Odd.

Not so odd. Votes without posts, that's all.

Now this is a tough comparison. The guitar styles, the type of music (hard rock vs metal), and even the eras are different (almost 30 years). Angus is a party animal. He started in the mid-70s and ran out of ideas by the early 80s. He burned bright, then burned out. Jari, on the other hand, is a visionary and a perfectionist. He'll outperform and outlast Angus for years to come. So Jari gets my vote.

Written by Guest on 03.03.2008 at 04:54

Not so odd. Votes without posts, that's all.

Well, I just meant people are usually required to actually post when they vote, and not just vote. Otherwise a poll is worthless.

i voted jari - i think angus young is a good guitarist and all, but most of his stuff is very similar, sometimes a bit too similar, but jari's stuff is all unique and great in many ways

I feel that Jari doesn't have the longevity that Angus has earned. Maybe recreate this thread in 20 years and we can reasonably compare them, but I'm not too sure that the metal community will even remember who Mr. Maenpaa was...
While I admit that Ensiferum and Wintersun are good this moment in time, Angus and AC/DC continue to impact and influence music long after their prime...

Angus: I don't sweat. I rain.

Written by Clintagräm on 03.03.2008 at 03:05

Written by Stalker on 02.03.2008 at 19:14

If you want the easiest way to see the obvious difference, jsut read the lyrics of those band, and compare them. COB is 2 while Wintersun would be at least 9 IMO.

This wasn't really what I was getting at though. It's a personal preference, but lyrics aren't all that important to me, but Jari could write about frogs and it would be better than CoB (not that frogs are bad) but I was talking more along the lines, technically. I agree they are a better band than most of their Finnish brothers, but that doesn't make them very unique in my opinion. However, it could mean that I need to just listen to them more. But when you hear Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal, you've heard Finnish "Extreme" Power Metal. It's a sound, in my opinion. Bay Area is Bay Area, NYHC is NYHC. That's that.

By the way, six votes but four posts. Odd.

I can say that I agree in most of things you said there. Especially the one about frogs Yeah, lyrics are secondary to me, too, but I was really amazed when Ive read Wintersun's lyrics, it made it even easier to draw the difference between Wintersun and other "Extrem power meta" (i hate that term) bands.

And to reply yo one more thing from your 1st post, youve said Angus Young created some memorable music. Yes, I definitely agree, but unfortunately, in most cases "memorable" is in the same time - simple. (Which is not bad thing, anyway) But what I want to say, is that after hearing Starchild for first time, you wont go out and whistle the song... Maybe after 50 listens you will be able to memorize all the things from the songs, its not simple, and not so memorable, but you can enjoy it for longer time (at least it works that way for me).

i choose Angus because of his huge stage presence and awesome riffs, solos and the godly intro from THUNDERSTRUCK with that circus guitar riff. Jari is an excellent vocalist, but on the guitars there are few who can compete with Angus.

Written by Stalker on 03.03.2008 at 16:48

And to reply yo one more thing from your 1st post, youve said Angus Young created some memorable music. Yes, I definitely agree, but unfortunately, in most cases "memorable" is in the same time - simple. (Which is not bad thing, anyway) But what I want to say, is that after hearing Starchild for first time, you wont go out and whistle the song... Maybe after 50 listens you will be able to memorize all the things from the songs, its not simple, and not so memorable, but you can enjoy it for longer time (at least it works that way for me).

I understand what you mean, but indeed simple doesn't mean bad. Just because Angus might not use total guitar wankery in his songs doesn't mean he isn't technically proficient. It means he doesn't have to, because (especially for that genre) it's not about how fast you shred, it's about songwriting. We can't really argue who is better technically, because I doubt either of them have displayed their "true" skill in that area. It's really just a preference, I prefer the Hard Rock to this brand of Finnish Metal, and that's really what most people think about when they decide skill, since they enjoy the songwriting more than the technical aspect of the music, and that is what this often base that off of. If it was only technical skill we were judging, I could easily say that Herman Li is a better guitarist than say Chuck Berry, but I definitely do not hold that opinion.

Written by Clintagräm on 03.03.2008 at 19:13

Written by Stalker on 03.03.2008 at 16:48

And to reply yo one more thing from your 1st post, youve said Angus Young created some memorable music. Yes, I definitely agree, but unfortunately, in most cases "memorable" is in the same time - simple. (Which is not bad thing, anyway) But what I want to say, is that after hearing Starchild for first time, you wont go out and whistle the song... Maybe after 50 listens you will be able to memorize all the things from the songs, its not simple, and not so memorable, but you can enjoy it for longer time (at least it works that way for me).

I understand what you mean, but indeed simple doesn't mean bad. Just because Angus might not use total guitar wankery in his songs doesn't mean he isn't technically proficient. It means he doesn't have to, because (especially for that genre) it's not about how fast you shred, it's about songwriting. We can't really argue who is better technically, because I doubt either of them have displayed their "true" skill in that area. It's really just a preference, I prefer the Hard Rock to this brand of Finnish Metal, and that's really what most people think about when they decide skill, since they enjoy the songwriting more than the technical aspect of the music, and that is what this often base that off of. If it was only technical skill we were judging, I could easily say that Herman Li is a better guitarist than say Chuck Berry, but I definitely do not hold that opinion.

True, I totally agree with that. If you prefer some style of music/playing over other, go for it, why not. Its the most natural thing.
But again, I said that I AM fan of Wintersun, so I couldnt vote on the matter of which band do I like better, thats not objectivity, only thing that is left than, is to vote by songwriting/skill/technique, and I voted for the one I think is superior to another.
Hope I didnt do anything wrong by that.

Written by Stalker on 03.03.2008 at 19:25

True, I totally agree with that. If you prefer some style of music/playing over other, go for it, why not. Its the most natural thing.
But again, I said that I AM fan of Wintersun, so I couldnt vote on the matter of which band do I like better, thats not objectivity, only thing that is left than, is to vote by songwriting/skill/technique, and I voted for the one I think is superior to another.
Hope I didnt do anything wrong by that.

No of course not, but that's the point I was trying to make. No matter how hard we try, I think we will always be biased to whom we like more based on how well we like their music. It's just a natural thing. I mean, one could even make a case of someone like Varg being a better guitarist than Petrucci, because they simply like Burzum more than Dream Theater, and memorable songwriting is how they might judge the validity of a guitarist's skill.

Skill wise? Jari. Who doesn't bore the hell out of me? Angus. As far as talent goes I think Jari is much better, but there very little point to his playing...its like "Oh...yay, another sweeping arpeggio....why?". Also I find Angus' material to not be as overproduced, and I find him far more original. So I dont know if I can vote here.

EDIT: Only Jaris Wintersun material bores the hell out of me, it does have a few catchy leads here and there, but for the most part I don't find it very exciting.

I voted for Jari, as I do enjoy his music more than I enjoy Ac/Dc. (Althought Ac/Dc aren't bad at all, they've made som very great songs. ^^)
Generally I do find Jari's work more interesting, and just by listening I think he's a lot more skilled than Angus.

Jari is a god! I don't like ac /dc at all... But i love all Jari's work and always will do. He has a great unique melodies I think and he's vocals is really amazing also. Both clean and harsh. Can't wait for "Time"!

Going with Angus, great riffing and pretty much the ultimate in stage presence. Plus AC/DC is pretty much the pinnacle of pure rock music while Wintersun/Ensiferum is some of the worst pop garbage to come out of metal in recent times, I really can't stand to listen to any of that style for more than a few minutes. So if I'm biased it's because I can listen to and enjoy 1970s AC/DC with some regularity while Wintersun/Ensiferum makes me lose hope for the future of metal. Although speaking just of technical skill they might be on a pretty similar level, I'd say they're both close to the top in their respective styles.

Written by Fhuesc on 02.03.2008 at 18:39

I voted for Jari, cuz i think his skills for singing, songwriting and guitar, are far way better than those from Angus.

That completely sums up my opinion as well.

Written by Guest on 05.03.2008 at 18:16

I voted for Angus Young

But because I don't know the other guitarrist or his band, it's nothing personal.

I really like AcDc

Then why'd you vote? I mean, it doesn't say "who is more popular?", the poll is to discuss who is better, so in order to determine that don't you need to have heard both guitarists?

Angus young has demostrated a lot of feeling at the time to pley solos, while jarii is more closed and technical. My vote goes for Young.

Angus is the living legend..

Hail to Angus YEAH

Haha, this was a funny question. I chose Jari. Why? Not because I think that Young wouldn't be able to play Wintersun music, maybe he can but I don't think so. But that has nothing to do with why I chose Jari. The most important thing for a guitar player is the way he puts his emotions in it and make the riff to his own and no one elses. Angus Young is a very talented and passionate guitar player, but I've never really liked AC/DC (just some songs). Wintersun on the other hand appeal to me and I love the atmosphere of every guitar riff from the album.

I will end my post with saying that I can totally understand why more users choose Young.

Playing an instrument is about soul or the feeling, not about technique. Angus Young all the way, Jari is nothing compared to him.

Written by Lucas on 12.08.2008 at 14:25

Playing an instrument is about soul or the feeling, not about technique. Angus Young all the way, Jari is nothing compared to him.

Best post from you since I remebrer '???
Angus live, and sleep whit guitar, his life was road, whisky, guitar and never finished school, he play it he give sall soul into music, thats why all Ac/Dc albums even are simmilar but I never had been bored from it

Jari - he just know how play its all, but there no soul into it

Written by Bad English on 12.08.2008 at 14:30

Written by Lucas on 12.08.2008 at 14:25

Playing an instrument is about soul or the feeling, not about technique. Angus Young all the way, Jari is nothing compared to him.

Best post from you since I remebrer '???

What are you saying, are you pissing over all my other posts?

I think he just did that Lucas!

Written by Lucas on 12.08.2008 at 14:31

Written by Bad English on 12.08.2008 at 14:30

Written by Lucas on 12.08.2008 at 14:25

Playing an instrument is about soul or the feeling, not about technique. Angus Young all the way, Jari is nothing compared to him.

Best post from you since I remebrer '???

What are you saying, are you pissing over all my other posts?

No I remeber almoust all your posts this yera and last year :p

I vote angus too...for the same reasons that lucas and k7 support...jari is technically a god, but angus and his guitar are just one thing...and then again angus in live shows kicks ass!