REBECCA: These guys certainly make playing metal on the axe look easy.
Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Heavy Metal Guitar Solos.
For this list, we've limited it to one song per artist.
Keep in mind that we're only focusing on heavy metal, so, no hard rock acts like Van Halen...
...and Guns N' Roses will appear.
AXL (singing): Where do we go?
(singing) Ahh, where do we go now?
REBECCA: We're also excluding instrumentals.
Be sure to also check out our list of the Top 10 Guitar Solos.
BRUCE (singing): Into the abyss I'll fall, the eye of Horus...
REBECCA: What do you do when you have three guitarists in your band?
Have 'em take part in an epic three-way solo, of course.
Janick Gers, Dave Murray, and Adrian Smith didn't all track the original recording,
But that doesn't stop them from bringing down the house together live these days.
Starting with a slow, melodic melody that builds into an eruption of awesomeness,
"Powerslave" has it all.
M. SHADOWS (singing): Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen...
REBECCA: Some guitar solos are all about flash,
and Avenged Sevenfold's Synyster Gates has that in spades.
Reminiscent of the many bands that influenced them,
the "Afterlife" solo is lightning fast and dares anyone to try and keep up.
It's a touch of old-school metal mixed with a bit of modern flair.
As part of a mainstream band,
Gates introduces the art of the heavy metal solo on this Avenged Sevenfold single
to those who might not have had as much exposure,
and helped the band reach the Top 20 of Billboard's rock tracks chart.
M. SHADOWS (singing): and I'd hoped you might take me back inside when the time is right.
TOM (singing): Razor's edge outline the dead, incisions in my head
REBECCA: Slayer.
All you need to do is simply utter that one word, and every metal fan knows what you're talkin' about.
One of the best reasons to headbang is this gem from their 5th album "Seasons in the Abyss."
Blindingly fast and unapologetic, Kerry King and the late Jeff Hanneman bring the pain.
This is about as metal as you can get.
MARK (singing): It was you, it was me, and we would last forever...
REBECCA: With a name like Yngwie Malmsteen, you just know that we're in for a rockin' good time.
MARK (singing): How could you leave me?
REBECCA: Listening to his riffs alone will put hair on your chest.
Though Malmsteen's discography is highlighted by epic instrumentals like the iconic "Black Star,"
many of his songs do have lyrics.
Case in point: "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget," which also features a blistering solo.
If there was ever a solo that told you both what he was about, and the time period of metal you were in,
this is it.
PHIL (singing): Wash away us all...
REBECCA: Pantera is considered by many to be one of the best metal bands of all time,
and for good reason.
Aside from clever lyrics and a "no b.s." attitude,
late guitarist Dimebag Darrell is respected and viewed as one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived.
Throughout his career, he gave us many memorable solos, like the one from "Cemetery Gates,"
but "Floods" is the most unique and different.
It may be slower-paced and less flashy, but it never loses the heaviness that was Dimebag's trademark.
ROB (singing): Faster than a bullet, terrifying scream...
REBECCA: If there is any band that knows how to make a heavy metal anthem, it's Judas Priest.
Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are masters of their craft.
ROB (singing): ...the painkiller, this is the painkiller...
REBECCA: You know what they say...
"Two is always better than one," and combining these two made for the perfect combination.
"Painkiller" cranks it to 11, and then to 12, and then beyond.
This is what speed is all about,
and our necks are still sore from banging our heads to this classic track.
ROB (singing): Flying high on rapture, stronger, free, and brave...
OZZY (singing): Revolution in their minds, the children start to march...
REBECCA: If your call yourself a metal fan and aren't into--or aware of--Black Sabbath,
then you better get crackin'.
They're pretty much the originators of all things heavy metal,
and one of the reasons for this is guitarist Tony Iommi.
Many contemporary guitarists credit Iommi's ingenuity as their inspiration
and consider his work a milestone that laid the groundwork for what was to come.
The solo from "Children of the Grave" is truly one of his best
and showcases everything that Black Sabbath is about.
When it comes to Kirk Hammett,
it feels like there are way too many solos to weed through to determine his best.
For example, there's the very popular "Fade to Black,"
but after much debate, we settled on "One."
The reason is simple:
If you have to explain Metallica to someone who's never heard of them, this is the song you play.
Fast, melodic, beautiful.
This thrash-and-speed metal track is the very essence of a Hammett solo and Metallica riffage.
OZZY (singing): What went on in your head?
(singing) Oh, Mr. Crowley...
REBECCA: There's a reason that Randy Rhoads' solo from "Mr. Crowley"
has shown up more than once in our rankings.
The song even beats out another of his famous solos as found in "Revelation: Mother Earth."
OZZY: Come on!
REBECCA: It is, hands down, one of the best guitar solos ever constructed, regardless of genre.
It's exactly what a guitar solo should be,
which is an extension of the song, but also not without a personality of its own.
Rhoads' legacy is filled with many incredible solos, and this is inarguably one of them.
Before we unveil our top pick,
here are a few honorable mentions.
DAVE (singing): This morning, I made the call,
(singing) the one that ends it all,
(singing) hanging up, I wanted to cry...
REBECCA: For those who don't know,
Dave Mustaine used to be in Metallica before abruptly being kicked out of the band.
However, that didn't stop Mustaine from starting a little band of his own: Megadeth.
DAVE (singing): ...in the eye of the tornado, blow me away.
REBECCA: And while he has quite the number of fine solos in his catalog,
so does his bandmate Marty Friedman, who delivered a masterpiece on "Tornado of Souls."
Lengthy, rip-roaring, and with an abundance of shred,
it's just what a heavy metal guitar solo should be.
Do you agree with our list?
What's your favorite heavy metal guitar solo?
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