Favorite Guitar Solos
Ranked by song title, one per artist. |
| 1 |  | Rush
Signals
"The Analog Kid" by Alex Lifeson
You could argue that any Alex Lifeson solo is better and make a convincing argument, but whenever I think of Lifeson's playing, my brain immediately goes to "The Analog Kid" |
| 2 |  | Immolation
Here in After
"Christ's Cage" by Robert Vigna
For as vicious as Immolation can get, the solo to "Christ Cage" sounds almost scared. Impressively encapsulates the emotional elements of the band without saying a word. |
| 3 |  | Death
Human
"Cosmic Sea" by Paul Masvidal and Chuck Schuldiner
Two of the greatest metal guitarists trying to out-shred each other, what more could you ask for? |
| 4 |  | Molly Hatchet
Flirtin' With Disaster
"Flirtin' With Disaster" by Dave Hlubek
Takes me back to Rock Band 1. How could you not move your body during the outro? |
| 5 |  | Rollins Band
Weight
"Fool" by Chris Haskett
This song is just Haskett having the time of his life and it absolutely rips. |
| 6 |  | Lynyrd Skynyrd
Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
"Free Bird" by Allen Collins
The infamous |
| 7 |  | Pantera
The Great Southern Trendkill
"The Great Southern Trendkill" by Dimebag Darrell
This song is like 1/2 guitar solo and it rules. Hell of a showcase for Dimebag's skills. |
| 8 |  | Helmet
Meantime
"He Feels Bad" by Page Hamilton
Hamilton might be my favorite guitar soloist, and this might be my favorite guitar solo of all time. There's just something so alien about his guitar solos that just makes your spine tingle. |
| 9 |  | King Crimson
Discipline
"Indiscipline" by Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp
Specifically this 1982 performance. Excellent showcase of both guitarist's skills. Fripp's solo being more calculated, while Belew is more interested in making his guitar sound nothing like a guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnGD8RI0kGQ |
| 10 |  | Dream Theater
Awake
"Lie" by John Petrucci
DT's most straightforward banger. How did this not land on every rock station in 1994? |
| 11 |  | Primus
Pork Soda
"Mr. Krinkle" by Larry LaLonde
This is second only to "He Feels Bad", hell on some days it might be my favorite solo. LaLonde's solos are so expressive while still being incredibly atonal. |
| 12 |  | Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast
"The Number of the Beast" by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith
Solos worthy of satan themself. |
| 13 |  | Steely Dan
Aja
"Peg" by Jay Graydon
So perfect it feels spontaneous. |
| 14 |  | Tears for Fears
Songs from the Big Chair
"Shout" by Roland Orzabal
Just when you thought this song couldn't sound any bigger, Orzabal's solo comes in to make it soar. |
| 15 |  | Soundgarden
Badmotorfinger
"Slaves and Bulldozers" by Kim Thayil
Shout out to Soundgarden and Primus for bringing dissonant, heavy music to the mainstream. I definitely think this type of atonal playing is what helped me get into extreme metal bands. |
| 16 |  | Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
"Sludge Factory" by Jerry Cantrell
Cantrell playing blues over Layne Staley's incoherent rambling. Of all the solos on here, I find this one to be the most unnerving. |
| 17 |  | Tool
Ænima
"Third Eye" by Adam Jones
It's not often when Jones comes in with a guitar solo, but when he does it's an absolute monster. The added delay on the guitar makes this his most Fripp-ian performance. |
| 18 |  | Botch
We Are the Romans
"Transitions from Persona to Object" by Dave Knudson
B I G S K R O N K |
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