"Like Someone Stuffing Jimmy Page and Andrés Segovia into a Blender with a Bunch of Everclear and Hawaiian Punch"

"By that time Eddie Van Halen's playing was already well on its way to becoming the definitive guitar-solo style of 1980s pop, rock, and even rap radio hits. It wasn't until grunge that this started to shift, usually in ways that either de-emphasized the centrality of the solo as a compositional showpiece altogether, or saw guitar gods turning into masters of texture and soundscape (à la Tom Morello and Jonny Greenwood) rather than blazing gunslingers. It was almost as if there wasn't anywhere left to go in Eddie's wake, his abilities so singular that all that was left was homage."

Jack Hamilton at Slate assesses Eddie Van Halen, upon the guitarist's death.