Guitar solos to break you and heal you part 1

Stargazer & Elyna

Stargazer Scholar

Once upon a time, the little Stargazer was in the car with his dad. They were listening to the radio and a rock song came on. I could not remember its title or the artist for the life of me (no Shazam back then, alas), but I will never forget the exact moment when the guitar solo came on.

The song was elevated. It bloomed. It became huge. And it was then that the little Stargazer knew: rock music is awesome, because even the chains of the verse-chorus-verse formula cannot prevent it from casting that ultimate spell of musicality and improvisation for a few important heartbeats. So here are five mind-blowing solos the origins whereof I can, luckily, recollect. No particular order. Just some music I love and wanted to share.

Machine Head – ‘Halo’ (The Blackening)
Here’s a big one for starters and oh boy, where do I even begin? From the initial eruption of pure shred, to the smart development of the song’s main motifs, to the dramatic harmonization between Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel that gradually intensifies to the boiling point and makes all the rest of the instruments drop off in breath-holding reverence… To the ultimate catharsis of the chorus riff reprised a cappella. That’s how you make a metalhead cry. Well, me at least.

Coheed And Cambria – ‘The Final Cut’ (Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Part I)
Some solos ascend to greatness because of that special moment. A brilliant flash of musical intuition that elevates the piece from merely great to straight-up divine. This Gilmour-esque conclusion to the monolithic ‘The Willing Well’ suite culminates in an intense dialogue between Travis Stever and Claudio Sanchez. The first part of the solo plunges the listener into the depths of despair as it follows in the wake of the venomous depression of the song’s vocal segment, painting a brooding picture with distortion and grit. And then it happens: the second guitar kicks in. That change of tone, man. The raw sound of the first narrative is suddenly overtaken by that clean, bluesy sorrow that bleeds a clear, crystalline tear on the grim tapestry. It’s such a beautiful resolution of tension, and the phrasing of the ensuing piece is illegally sublime. This is how you make the guitar gently weep without resorting to otherworldly velocities. Wait, did I cry again? We have a trend here.

Revocation – ‘Witch Trials’ (Deathless)
The Technical Death/Thrash supremacy of Revocation should never be called into question, but songs like the epic ‘Witch Trials’ make the band simply irresistible. David Davidson’s shrederific shenanigans of the first solo work as both the continuation and counterweight to the song’s jaggedly elegant rhythms. But Dave has been saving the best for last, and soon we transition into a groovy yet smooth Melodeath riff. That’s when magic begins to unfold. Playing around with the motifs suggested by said riff, the guitar tiptoes on the thin line between speed and melody, sometimes joined by its counterpart but most of the time going poignantly berserk in what is one of the most earth-shattering manifestations of sonic poetry known to man. Like a rain after pummeling draught, this solo breathes spring into the Death Metal desolation. Too bad it ends with a fade out. Were they trying to avoid world-threatening levels of awesomeness? We’ll never know, guys, we’ll never know.

Whitechapel – ‘Kin’ (Kin)
While not exactly a Deathcore connoisseur, I’ve always held Whitechapel in high regard. When the band got bitten by Opeth, however, and started incorporating clean singing and melodic passages into their sound, my appreciation grew by an order of magnitude. And the breathtaking, heartrendingly fragile solo on the Kin’s closing track saw the apex of my adoration. As if the ballad itself weren’t touching enough, the second chorus suddenly calls upon a premonition of distorted guitars, and an acoustic number soars on its metal wings. It’s all about the phrasing. The melody is so exquisitely simple that you can sing along to it pretty faithfully, and every note that comes from under Ben Savage’s fingers breathes longing, sadness and love.

Children Of Bodom – ‘Downfall’ (Hatebreeder)
This final entry needs no lengthy introduction, so I’ll keep it brief for once. The early masterpiece of the great late Alexi Laiho unites everything I love about music: Metal and Classical. The transition from the Power Metal gallop to the virtuoso Baroque celebration will forever be etched in my memory as one of the finest triumphs of our beloved genre, and I remember replaying the song religiously just to relive that moment again and again and again… And you know what? It never got old after all. We miss you, Wild Child.

And on this bittersweet note please allow me to bow out, but not before I’ve thanked you for joining me on this nostalgic trip. MER readers are the best. Cheers.

Elyna Kahn

Although this is often misunderstood—especially at the mainstream level—music isn’t just aesthetic embellishment or background noise. Music has soul, spirit, and reason. In this sense, the guitar is one of the most vital elements in metal. It’s the thermostat of emotion, energy, and atmosphere. It carries identity, and delivers messages no words can express—only riffs, picks, and slides. Guitar solos are the purest expression of all of that. Today, we highlight five.

Galneryus – “Angel of Salvation” (Angel of Salvation)
To call it a solo almost feels dishonest. In Angel of Salvation by the legendary Galneryus, there isn’t one solo but a succession of them, each part of an ever-expanding 15-minute epic. The incomparable Syu doesn’t merely play—his guitar speaks, bursts into flame, then ascends. Between legato runs, sweeping arpeggios, tapped passages, and soaring bends, the neoclassical brilliance on display rivals even Yngwie. But it’s not just technical—there’s soul, prayer, and grandeur in every note. You don’t just hear the song; you witness it.

Enbound – “Leave Them to the Night” (Set It Free)
This is one of the most emotionally affecting ballads in recent memory. Full of subtle textures and deliberate pacing, Leave Them to the Night is proof that emotional devastation doesn’t need flash—just heart. Andy’s solo balances sweeping lines, silky slides, delicate vibrato, and arpeggiated phrases in a perfect blend of precision and soul. It cuts like a dagger through silk: quiet, graceful, and lethal. No theatrics, just pure feeling rendered in melody.

Thaurorod – “24601” (Coast of Gold)
24601 isn’t just a song—it’s an eruption. It rises in rhythmic intensity and melodic complexity until it explodes in one of power metal’s most magnificent solos. Emil Pohjalainen tears through the pre-chorus with intensity, unleashing an electric storm of sweeping runs, alternate picking, legato flourishes, and soulful bends. It’s an ode to escape and fire, offering not just technical might but a sense of grand, desperate release. A highlight in a genre that rarely holds back.

Dragonknight – “Pirates, Bloody Pirates!” (Legions)
Playful, exhilarating, and undeniably fierce, Pirates, Bloody Pirates! shows how to merge heavy, folk, and power metal into something unique and thrilling. Lord Gryphon delivers a solo that rides the high seas—furious sweeps, alternate picking, and string skipping crash together with infectious energy. The sustain alone feels like the howl of wind over a vast, wild ocean. It’s a cinematic moment of metal bravado done right—flamboyant but never fake, dramatic but never dull.

Visions and Dreams – “Risen” (Risen)
My top pick of 2024. Risen is a bold debut—an eight-minute single filled with layers of melody, rhythm, and atmosphere. It’s a sprawling journey that gives us two solos, both courtesy of the phenomenal Emil Norberg. The first, at 4:50, is smooth and elegant, rich with legato, precise picking, and melodic contour. The second, at 6:37, brings a rush of emotion and energy: aggressive sweeps, lyrical bends, and soulful vibrato. Together, they create a narrative of ascent, passion.