Guitar solos to break you and heal you part 2

Milo & Catto

No Intro, let’s go!

Milo Lane

Nokturnal Mortum – “Ukraina” (Verity)

Disclosure: there are allegations that this band likes the iron cross a bit too much, you decide if you want to dive in!

If you’ve ever talked to me, you’ve heard me mention this band. More often than not, this song, as well. “Ukraina”, and its solo, are a culmination of everything Nokturnal Mortum has been doing for over twenty years — infusing dirty Black Metal with the spirit of Slavic folklore. This solo doesn’t strive for virtuosity, or to be Black Metal’s blackest solo (the opposite could be said, in fact — it’s quite bright, and Heavy Metal in nature); its purpose is straightforward. It simply aches. It’s melodic, proud, and mournful. There is a distinct neofolk undertone that bleeds into classic Rock phrasing, almost like a lament performed on a battlefield. A disarming call to arms. The tone is soaring yet raw, evoking both the resilience and tragedy of a homeland. It doesn’t need words to tell you what it’s about, which I believe could be the entire point of it.

Voloh – “Veles Vječni Bog” (Gromovi nad Trebišćem)

This one is personal to me. (I’ll probably say that about all of these.) A gem I’ve dug up from I won’t tell you where, this entire album is a ritual, and this solo is the only one for its entire half an hour runtime. Emerging from the dense, shamanic MeloDeath slash Black Metal atmosphere, it arrives not to dominate, but to channel something — from the other side. The tone is raw and brittle, the phrasing is deliberate and chant-like, somewhat ancient, trying to bring you back to a time so old you can barely imagine it. There’s no rush here — each note feels like a footstep into the dark deep down below, reverent and unwavering. The entire song is an invocation to Veles, the chthonic god of cattle, water, and the dead. There’s a pastoral sadness in the melody, but it doesn’t scream — it knows. The solo doesn’t try to lift you above the song but sinks you deeper into its sacred mud, binding the listener to earth, to roots, to myth. A summoning, rather than a climax.

Sigh – “Scarlet Dream” (Imaginary Sonicscape)

To be frank, the solo here is absolutely deranged in the best possible way. It begins almost classically structured, with a melodic entrance that quickly dissolves into a set of experimentation. Tremolo picking, sudden octave jumps, whammy flourishes, some other things I’d have to Google to tell you about — all performed in a way that feels like psychedelic rock crash-landing in a haunted Japanese theater. It’s a fiasco, really, and it makes you feel entirely crazy. The guitar doesn’t just play — it hallucinates: there are moments where you think it will resolve into something harmonious, but instead it veers into dissonance or bizarre intervals. And I enjoy being pleasantly surprised. The entire album is so very strange, as is this song, yet amid all the strangeness, the solo maintains an odd beauty. It doesn’t alienate — it invites you into the fever dream, welcoming your confusion. (Footnote: writing about this solo without mentioning the keyboards was extremely difficult.)

Amorphis – “Cares” (Elegy)

Here it is — a necessary Amorphis mention. While I love every single beat played on Elegy (1996), I’d say the whole album is one big meditation. Except for this moment, the “Cares” solo — which arrives bearing its teeth. A swirl of precision and psyche, it’s what I imagine wolf-riding at nighttime in a medieval fantasy setting would be like. It dances around the scale with a slight off-kilter swing, the guitar tone is sharp and focused, cutting through the thick, groovy rhythm section like a flash of lightning in a storm. There is a pulse of aggression beneath its surface — not rage, but an agitated kind of yearning. An anxiety, almost, or an anticipation. The phrases are slightly rushed, as if the solo is trying to break free of the confinements of its own tempo — speeding. (On a wolf, preferably, but it’s fine if you only have a car.) It’s a glimpse into tension, a need to express too much in too little time — and it does.

Candlemass – “Black Stone Wielder” (Epicus Doomicus Metallicus)

Arriving at the end (I could give you 50 more of my favorite Metal solos, but 49 would be by Iron Maiden which means I need to be stopped), the solo in “Black Stone Wielder” bridges the divide between early Heavy Metal’s melodic clarity and incoming doom’s oppressive weight. It doesn’t intrude within the song’s massive architecture — it emerges from it, like a crack of light through stone. A discolored sunray through a cathedral window. The phrasing is slow-burning, rooted in a classic type of sensibility: think of old Sabbath‘s soulful restraint rather than some flamboyant, technical shred. What makes it striking is how it balances grandeur with gloom — the lead guitar rises, not to escape, but to reflect, hovering above the slow march of the rhythm section like a weary observer. The minor key heaviness, patient pacing, and an almost liturgical cadence makes up a solo that wants to expand itself as far and wide as it can, but remains rooted in respect for its pace. It holds silence and space, allowing each note to resonate within the song’s gigantic, crumbling temple of sound.

Metalcatto

Ne Obliviscaris – “Equus” (Exul)

In a deep emotional display of sorrow and mourning, this solo goes through almost every technique a guitarist dreams to master one day and yet it does it not for show, but to convey pain that can’t truly be put into words. It’s easy to throw notes and patterns in complicated ways, but NeO makes it feel so effortless. From minute 9:44, this solo demonstrates so much restraint and composure. And to be able to do that, you need to be capable of much more — did I make sense? I don’t know, but check it out!

Green Carnation – “Light of Day, Day of Darkness” (Light of Day, Day of Darkness)
Despite being an epic one-track album, the concepts here aren’t technically flashy. In fact, this solo is more toward the traditional side, but around the 42-minute mark, this long, heart-breaking, and touching journey starts. A solo that explores the highs and lows you can feel. It can make you shed a tear if you still have any left. A solo that uses its two minutes to squeeze every possible feeling out of you and, for a brief period of time, sets you free. Ah darn it! I’m too moved again!

Persefone – “Light & Grief – Act IV: To Face The Truth” (Core)

Persefone’s most underrated work if you ask me. This is another concept album that’s divided in three tracks (you’re starting to see a pattern here). Now, I’m bending the rules here, because from minute 2:23 to 3:30 what we get is a sequence and solos that go from intense and impossible to play to raw and almost Power Metal-like excitement. It makes your heart pound faster and your blood boil. This impeccable sequence has kept me entertained for decades, so maybe it’s time more people return to it. Also, can I just say that it’s a fun set of solos? It clearly shows a band that can tackle something serious but at the same time have a blast at it.

Opeth – “Deliverance” (Deliverance)

Ok, this isn’t surprising I guess. The whole track “Deliverance” is a masterclass of ugly Metal. Everything in it is captivating and yet utterly heavy and disgusting — except its solo. So around minute 8:15, after Opeth has shown everything it’s capable of and we think this can’t get any more versatile, it comes: a guitar solo that with so little gives us so much. It’s not complicated, it’s not too long, but every note raises the stakes until the point everything ends in a breathtaking tension release. Ah, I miss when Opeth could play with my feelings like this!

Intestine Baalism – “Blasphemy Resurrected / A Place Their Gods Leave Behind” (An Anatomy of the Beast)

A band that in isolation practically invented its own MeloDeath at the same time bands in Sweden were getting all the attention. Intestine Baalism could throw the dirtiest and most unpolished Death Metal for three minutes and then close with the most introspective and beautiful guitar solo you’ve witnessed. These are two tracks on paper, but in practice they’re one, with a solo each. One is dynamic, aggressive, and audacious. The other is more touching, solemn, and deeper in its delivery. They need to be enjoyed together — that’s the way!