Best metal guitar solos for recent songs after 2010?

[Roma_Victrix]

Every metalhead and fan of metal can cite at least one memorable guitar solo from the 1980s, some from the 1990s, and with the resurgence of thrash metal in the new wave thrash movement, plenty of stuff from the 2000s. What about the most recent stuff in this decade, the 2010s? Before we hit the big New Years Eve for 2020, help me to document all the worthy metal guitar solos of the decade before it ends! I'd like to hear and discover new stuff that I might not have heard so far anyway.

Here's a great example, from the old school thrash metal band Testament, their song "Neptune's Spear" on the album Brotherhood of the Snake, released by Nuclear Blast records in 2016. The song was composed by the guitarists Alexander Skolnick and Eric Peterson (lyrics by the singer Charles "Chuck" Billy). The solo starts at the 2:30 mark and goes on for a while, shifting into an awesome Oriental-style Eastern Mediterranean sounding theme with a hint of Mozart, Beethoven, or some other classical music composer there at the very end. The solo ends at the 3:44 minute mark.

[Kyriakos]

I think that Dave Mustaine's solo at the tribute concert to the dead Pantera guitarist has to count as original, given Dave missed virtually all of the notes and showed why he isn't a lead guitarist

Start at 5.10

[Halie Satanus]

Guitar solo's are boring unless they have a point in the song and video. Such as the placement of the guitar solo at the hight of the awesome dance off between the locals and the new comer in Mastadon's 'The Motherload.' Solo starts at 3.54. Though it's worth watching the rest of the video for context.

[LaMuerte]

If you want metal solos, look no further than Dragonforce. Amazing band, amazing sound engineering.

There's more than one solos in this song, first a foretaste at 1:18 , main course starts at 1:57.

[Roma_Victrix]

I think that Dave Mustaine's solo at the tribute concert to the dead Pantera guitarist has to count as original, given Dave missed virtually all of the notes and showed why he isn't a lead guitarist

Start at 5.10

You get a pass, Kyriakos, but only because that's hilarious. I'm not a fan of Dream Theater, but I do love Pantera, so it is pretty funny to see Dave butcher the solo. Was he drunk or is he just being his narcissistic self, thinking his own take is better than Dimebag Darrell's original? A shame, because I do love Megadeth and Dave can play lead guitar, but he's not very good at sweep techniques, and usually sticks to simple chromatic scales.

Guitar solo's are boring

I can already tell that someone doesn't play guitar at all, or isn't actually a fan of metal, especially thrash metal or death metal. Mind you, some new wave thrash bands like Municipal Waste and Iron Reagan have very few guitar solos in comparison to other bands, but to say you don't like guitar solos, when they are the chief means of showing off lead guitar talent, is just the height of lameness...like, Lars Ulrich lame. I'm tempted to tell you to get out of here, but you at least listen to Mastadon.

unless they have a point in the song and video. Such as the placement of the guitar solo at the hight of the awesome dance off between the locals and the new comer in Mastadon's 'The Motherload.' Solo starts at 3.54. Though it's worth watching the rest of the video for context.

I do love Mastadon, have since the mid-2000s, and I saw them in concert back in like 2009 with Converge and Dethklok. Heh. That was fun. I saw the recent music video they had for Show Yourself, but hadn't seen this one, so thanks for sharing. The guitar solo is arguably pretty cool and I like the special effects for it, plus all the Twerk dancing. I guess you can't argue against that.

If you want metal solos, look no further than Dragonforce.

Hmm. Not a big fan of Dragonforce, they're kind of cheesy, but I will begrudgingly admit that they do have great guitar solos. Nobody can say otherwise. In my opinion, though, their solos are by far the best parts of their songs, while the songs themselves are just kinda...bland. I'm also biased, because I listen to a lot of underground metal and old school metal for that matter.

[Cyclops]

OK not trolling (and I am too soft for metal so disregard as you will) but I find the heaviest guitar comes from people seen as lightweights.

When Led Zeppelin came out they were seen as trashy pop pretenders, but their metal component is unchallenged for quality, they made a host of stuff that lays the groundwork for metal as a genre (they may have come second to Black Sabbath but they are far more influential IMHO).

Brian May, the astrophysicist nerd rocks likewise transcends his band's image on "We Will Rock You", remember Queen was a glam band and like Led Zep seen as phony when they appeared.

So is it possible the "most metal" current guitar solos are from outside Metal?

[Halie Satanus]

I can already tell that someone doesn't play guitar at all, or isn't actually a fan of metal, especially thrash metal or death metal. Mind you, some new wave thrash bands like Municipal Waste and Iron Reagan have very few guitar solos in comparison to other bands, but to say you don't like guitar solos, when they are the chief means of showing off lead guitar talent, is just the height of lameness...like, Lars Ulrich lame. I'm tempted to tell you to get out of here, but you at least listen to Mastadon.

I do love Mastadon, have since the mid-2000s, and I saw them in concert back in like 2009 with Converge and Dethklok. Heh. That was fun. I saw the recent music video they had for Show Yourself, but hadn't seen this one, so thanks for sharing. The guitar solo is arguably pretty cool and I like the special effects for it, plus all the Twerk dancing. I guess you can't argue against that.

I should probably define that statement. Metal solo's are shred, shred is wank.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I've played guitar for about 30 years, even played in bands in my 20's. If you check my blog you'll note I've even built a few, or put parts together to be more accurate. You are correct I'm not a huge metal fan, not these days. I saw Maiden in 84/85, Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeath all between 85-88, by 88-89 I was more into the Pixies and Jane's Addiction and the early stirrings of grunge. Metal had pretty much run it's course. It had a revival post grunge when Nu-Metal had it's day then stoner rock had a light shone on it, big fan of Kyuss and early QotSA (hate their last album, hipster posers).

Also big fan of SOAD, Deftones, Korn and Slipknot. Seen all several times. Though only SOAD are big on solo's..

My fave all time guitar player is probably Frusciante, though it's a close call with Kim Thayil (Soundgarden). Neither are known for generic guitar solo's. Frusciante tends to bleed one note for all it's worth while Thayil's style is as off the wall as solo's come.

Current rig, always set up for noodling...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

You might like Toska. Very modern, no solo's, no vocals.. Rebea Massaad is another player I highly rate.. And proof you don't need solo's to show off great playing...

[Knight of Heaven]

I know this is baby metal. But i gotta give The musicians of Kami band props. Even though Dragon force influence is all over. I do think they are very talented.



Also one of my favorite modern/recent metal bands.
Ne obliviscaris

That bass is godly. But the guitar solos are also sick.

[Kyriakos]

I think this has a solo. At any rate it is a very cool metal song

[Roma_Victrix]

double post, please delete

[Roma_Victrix]

So is it possible the "most metal" current guitar solos are from outside Metal?

Uh, bro, I love Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath for what they were in the 70s, but this is a thread about metal guitar solos made in the last decade. Can we stick to the topic please?

I should probably define that statement. Metal solo's are shred, shred is wank.

Yep. I knew it. You're opinion is just as lame as Lars Ulrich of Metallica telling Kirk Hammet, the master of guitar solos, that guitar solos aren't cool anymore. Do you know how much your opinion just sucks? That's nice that you play guitar, but your personal anecdote is irrelevant to this thread, especially if you're just going to be continuously passive aggressive and avoid the topic of the thread altogether without any meaningful contribution whatsoever. For instance, you mention System of a Down in your spoiler, a band I also like, but then you don't nominate or choose a single guitar solo they've made in the past 10 years. Did you forget the purpose of the thread?

If you've truly been playing guitar for as long as you say you've been, you'd know by now that SOAD, although entertaining, aren't the best musicians in the world and neither are any of the Nu Metal bands. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that thrash metal, or death metal of any kind, has superior musicians. Also, someone saying they don't like guitar solos or they are above that just means they probably suck at playing them. I will bet my left thumb such people can't play any lead guitar stuff from Racer X, Slayer, Deicide, hell, even Lamb of God which is way simpler to play. For instance, solo starts in this song at the 2:58 mark:



That was a LOG song from 2015, their Sturm und Drang album, but they are kinda mainstream metal. Here's an actual talented death metal band, Misery Index, a breakaway band from Dying Fetus, with the song "The Calling" off their 2014 album The Killing Gods. The solo starts at 2:57:



See? Now that's how you write a guitar solo. How anyone could call that boring is beyond me. Perhaps if you don't like it and since you clearly don't care or know about metal in the first place because you stopped paying attention to real music in 1985, perhaps go post in another thread more suitable to your preferences? Here's something that's more your speed, with a talent level that you would appreciate:

You might like Toska. Very modern, no solo's, no vocals.. Rebea Massaad is another player I highly rate.. And proof you don't need solo's to show off great playing...

Uh, okay? They're great and everything, but again, did you forget you were in a thread about guitar solos? Seriously, please stop posting if it's just going to be off-topic. Post something that ACTUALLY has a guitar solo worth mentioning, like the Mastadon video you posted above, which was legit.

I know this is baby metal. But i gotta give The musicians of Kami band props. Even though Dragon force influence is all over. I do think they are very talented.



Also one of my favorite modern/recent metal bands.
Ne obliviscaris

That bass is godly. But the guitar solos are also sick.

Baby Metal is silly but they are also very talented, so you are right to point them out. They are definitely a guilty pleasure of mine!

I've never heard of Obliviscaris, so that was fun. Thanks for sharing! They sound interesting, very unique.

I think this has a solo. At any rate it is a very cool metal song

Kyriakos, I love this album, you know that, but you no longer get a pass on this. This is a thread about the 2010s. This album came out in the freaking late 90s. Come on, show us something new please. These are the rules of the thread and you will obey them same as any man. Or I'll get out the executioner's block and blade (i.e. moderators to clean this thread up, seriously).

[Morifea]

Music after 2010? ask me again in 2030, then it will be the good old days :-)

Breaking the rules of the OP, i´ll take Iced Earths Song Iced Earth from the Album Iced Earth.
There is some fine guitarwork in it.

[Kyriakos]

Ok Roma, here is something post 2010s, a far more metallic cover of Smells like teen spirit

[Roma_Victrix]

You forgot to say the solo starts at the 2:24 minute mark. Damn your eyes, Kyriakos! Technically, Nirvana isn't metal, it's Seattle grunge or alternative rock, but I guess the robots are literally metal.

Well then, aside from Knight of Heaven's post that included Ne Obliviscaris (who I had never heard before), this has been a rather useless thread unfortunately. I was hoping to discover new thrash metal and death metal lead guitar work that I'd never heard before, from the collective minds of metalheads at TWC, since we had a long-running metal thread in the past. Instead I've gotten Dave Mustaine botching a 90s Pantera solo and more mainstream stuff I've already heard, like Mastadon.

[Kyriakos]

The mighty Compressorhead will take vengeance upon you for your barbarism, Roma!
In fact i hear they already are sending the Cyclops who brought an end to the (western) roman empire your way, and also his good friend and ally, the Kraken that got released to destroy Argos.

[Knight of Heaven]

Ill just leave this here, for fun.

[Kyriakos]

Morello's solo was nice

You GoT to do what they told you

[Roma_Victrix]

The mighty Compressorhead will take vengeance upon you for your barbarism, Roma!
In fact i hear they already are sending the Cyclops who brought an end to the (western) roman empire your way, and also his good friend and ally, the Kraken that got released to destroy Argos.

Foolish mortal! None can stand against the might of the Agema Phalangitai of Epeiros, who I have already deployed against you. I also dispatched Welsh conscripts, French mercenaries, and Irish warriors, before my arrival in France, so that they could conveniently RRRRRRRRRout you in the field at a time of my choosing.

https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...ight-I-said-NO

Ill just leave this here, for fun.

Hah! I never thought I'd see Scott Ian from Anthrax jamming with Tom Morello of Rage, let alone Ian and Morello playing Game of Thrones with the composer Ramin Djawadi! Pretty sweet, although D. B. Weiss is there, so he kind of ruins it.

It has a bunch of guitar solos over the rhythm, so I'll accept it.

Morello's solo was nice

You GoT to do what they told you

To the Mountain, Ser Gregor Clegane: You bow down to the Lannister flag...you got a dagger in the head! A dagger in the head! A dagger in the head! A dagger in the ing head!

[Gaidin]

Meh. My first one was deleted for spite. So I'm posting this one for spite. Yes it has a solo.

It's in this list.

[Logios]

"Donaukinder" by Rammstein is perhaps something to put on the list. It was released December 21st 2009, so maybe that is close enough to 2010 for you.
Solo at 4:03