Chris Poland, Andy Timmons, and Mikael Akerfeldt.
Chris for his overall sound and amazing legato technique.
Andy for his phrasing and overall feel.
Mikael isn't a real technical chops type of player but has the ability to create interesting, memorable, melodic leads with a lot of dynamics and emotion (which I personally favor vs. speed or "let's see how many scales/modes I can use in one song" type soloing). Rhythm-wise I've always loved the strange dissonant chords he comes up with and his incredibly creative use of harmony between different guitar parts.
Chris for his overall sound and amazing legato technique.
Andy for his phrasing and overall feel.
Mikael isn't a real technical chops type of player but has the ability to create interesting, memorable, melodic leads with a lot of dynamics and emotion (which I personally favor vs. speed or "let's see how many scales/modes I can use in one song" type soloing). Rhythm-wise I've always loved the strange dissonant chords he comes up with and his incredibly creative use of harmony between different guitar parts.