I don't really label EVH a shredder or speed metal guitarist. If you have spent any time listening to the last 15 years of the shredder genre you would realize that pretty quickly. Most shredders lack originality and innovation and that is something EVH had tons of.

He shaped an entire generation of guitarist and the music they produced. You may not care much for him as a guitarist or his style but his contribution to the art of lead guitar and song writing is amazing. If your a fan and have listened and tried to learn the body of his work you will recognize him as one of the most influential guitarist in the broad range of the rock genre.

Same with Joe Satriani. Some consider him a shredder and while he can, his body of work is laden with originality and innovation. He has written some amazing melodic lead pieces. He took what EVH started and carried it forward.

You can tell I'm a fan right? I have sat with several rock guitarist (not pro or famous) and we have hashed over every guitarist from Hendrix to Gilbert. Argued for days over the merits of each. EVH was always near the top of list.

We did find it easier to keep the players in their respective genre. You can't compare Chet Atkins to EVH or any other cross genre comparison.