Anyone who has listened to many rock songs knows that a good guitar solo can make the difference between a good song and a great song. A strong guitar solo sticks in your mind and makes you feel good every time you hear it. While many people have written about the solos of Eric Clapton, the Beatles and other timeless musicians, I’d like to present my picks for modern rock’s (1999-present) five best guitar solos.
1. Bullet For My Valentine: Hearts Burst Into Fire (2008)
Let me be honest. I’m not a fan of this group. Most of their songs descend into the scream-filled sludge that characterizes bad metal. The solo in this song, however, is one of their rare gems. Rather than placing it in the middle of the song, as is customary, BFMV puts it in the beginning, as a sort of extended intro. The slower and faster sections of the solo examine different aspects of the character’s psyche and prepare the listener for the rest of the song. It also makes good use of the double bass technique, common in most songs of the genre.
2. Alter Bridge: Blackbird (2007)
Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti is arguably one of the greatest living guitarists, and he proves it on this solo — a 1:17 thrill ride of a collaboration with lead singer Myles Kennedy. The song was written as a tribute to one of Kennedy’s close friends, who died from a terminal illness shortly before the release of the album. The solo’s strength lies in how well it fits the rest of the song. Its soaring sound provides a strong tribute to a life lost too soon, and the listener can picture the lyrics: “Blackbird, fly away / May you never be broken again.”. While the emotions in the song are simple, the solo is filled with many complex rhythms and motives, departing from the notion that a good guitar solo is simply a bunch of quickly-played 32nd notes strung together.
3. HIM: The Kiss of Dawn (2007)
This song is interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is its guitar solo. It follows in the same vein of the bloody, raw chords that characterize the main riff. The solo lurches along rather slowly for most of the time, and kind of lulls the listener into thinking that it will not be anything special. Then, without warning, guitarist Mikko Lindström rips off a six-second stream of notes that burns out as brilliantly as it starts. That element of surprise, and the contrast with the main riff that keeps repeating behind him, is what makes this solo one of the best.
4. Guns N’ Roses: Sorry (2008)
While lead singer Axl Rose is somewhat vindictive and arrogant in this song, Robin Finck’s guitar solo is top-notch. This solo separates well from the rest of the song, with a free-form spirit that sounds verbal in an odd way, almost as if someone is talking while the bass and drums play behind the guitar. Periodic bursts of syncopation also add flavor to the solo and prevent it from becoming repetitive.
5. Santana featuring Rob Thomas: Smooth (1999)
While many of the aforementioned songs may not be immediately familiar to many listeners, Santana and Rob Thomas’s collaboration got major radio airplay and won three Grammy awards — with good reason. This solo is good mainly because it blends rock sensibilities with a salsa texture in the background. It also washes over the listener in a, well, smooth way, fitting the subject of the song: a sweet-talking woman who the character cannot figure out how to reach.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
