Filed under: brutal memoirs, death metal, gigs, Greece, people | Tags: break up, David Blomqvist, Dismember, Fred Estby, Greece, Martin Persson, Matti Karki, Metal Era, Richard Cabeza, Robert Sennebaeck, rock city, Thomas Daun, Tobias Christiansson
Dismember has been my all time favorite band since the mid 90s. I discovered death metal through the sounds of Dismember and other great Swedish bands such as Unleashed, At the gates and Grave. The first record I heard was the back then newly released Massive Killing Capacity. The impact of this album is probably much bigger than I can perceive. I remember getting a guitar on my hands in order to learn to play the opening riff of “Collection by blood”. It further increased my already significant obsession with learning as much trivia as possible about bands. Categories started forming in my head about each individual member’s composing style. Within a few years and when a new album was coming out I could tell with certainty who had writen which song without even looking at the inner sleeve or booklet.
I passionately defended Dismember among my peers when I was hearing criticisms such as that they sounded like Entombed. I hated reviewers in music zines because they would come up with ridiculous reasons to compare them to Entombed. I remember asking the late Nikos Tagalos (of Sadistic Noise ) in the old Rock City (also RIP) whether Pieces was any good:
Tagalos: “what have you heard of them?”
Me: “Like an ever flowing and Massive killing”
Tagalos: “more brutal than both of them”.
One day in the summer of 1997 I spent all day in Metal Era with Jim (ex-Rotting Christ bass player) and his friends while waiting for the very first vinyl copies of Death Metal to arrive. I remember the day I listened to the promo-cd of Hate Campaign and I run home to tell my friends about it. The freezing day I streamed the song “where ironcrosses grow” before the release of the album (it was Sunday and it had snowed).
I got to see Dismember live in the summer of 2005, with a ticket my friend Joan gave me as a present for my birthday. I had the honour of meeting Matti, David and Fred on that day. I was super excited for meeting my heroes, them for seeing a fun with a Dismember tatoo on his arm. The concert was like a dream that came true. They even played Reborn in Blasphemy!
After the departure of Fred, I knew that the future of the band would be uncertain. Fred was the motivator, an important composer and the producer. Of course, one of the things I always liked about and respected Dismember for, was that it was not an one-man band. Every album was a collective effort. And before Fred left, I was equally bummed out about the departures of Robert and Rickard, both of whom are amazing composers.
Then I saw the band again in 2007 in Thessaloniki during a one-day trip. I ended up spending the night sleeping at the entrance of a building because I wasted all my money on records. The show was again amazing and I got to meet Tobias and again Matti and David. I also saw David around 12 o clock at night wandering around the streets of Thessaloniki looking for his hotel. I explained to him that he was going the wrong way and suggested he should get a taxi. He asked me how much it would cost because he was worried that the taxi driver would rip him off, and he had a point…
Dismember seemed to me like a band which had a very laid back work ethic, which is something I respect greatly. It was also a very humble band and having met them I can say that they were not taking themselves very seriously and their primary goal was to have fun and play music they enjoyed. They survived a period very difficult for extreme music (mid- to late-90s) and they did so with dignity. Ok they got a bit more melodic as time went by… but one can see those melodic elements even in their early works. They had always been more into melody than their contemporaries.
In a period of 20 years they offered the world some of the most beautiful music ever created, some phenomenal lyrics and some of the most powerful and extreme executions. They certainly co-defined what swedish death metal means. They consistently released flawless albums, a feat that only a handful of bands have managed to pull off. A week ago they anounced that they will call it quits. This post is an opportunity for me to thank them for being such an inspiring part of my childhood and adult life.
Filed under: death metal, people, popular music | Tags: Abscess, autopsy, Chris Reifert, conformity, Danny Coralles, David Vincent, death metal, Eric Cutler, Illud divinum insanus, intolerance, Joe Trevisano, Macabre eternal, Morbid Angel, Trey Azagthoth
Early Summer is the time for new releases and this year these include releases from two bands that constitute cornerstones of Death Metal; I am talking of course about the new Autopsy and Morbid Angel albums.
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
This album marks the return of one of Death Metal’s finest and most inspirational bands. However, this is hardly the truth. The spirit of Autopsy has always been burning bright after the demise of the band in 1995, through the invovlement of Chis Reifert and Danny Coralles in Abscess. Although Abscess’s sound, especially in “Seminal vampires…”, is quite different from the classic Autopsy sound, it also has similarities with Autopsy’s two last albums, “Acts…” and “Shitfun”. And after ” Tormented” Abscess started sounding increasingly like the classic Autopsy. So, although Abscess were different, probably more so due to the involvement of Clint Bower who contributed amazing compositions and vocals, the philosophy is pretty much the same. Now, regarding the reformation of Autopsy… The songs written by Reifert, Coralles and Joe Trevisano on this album sound more like Abscess than traditional Autopsy. Which means that they are awesome. Danny’s song (the eponymous one) is an amazing classic Abscess bluesy/death metal song. Joe once again contributed only one song (Sewn into one) but, as in “Dawn of inhumanity”, it is one of the best songs in the album. The lyrics are inspired by the movie The human centipede and the first verse reminds me a lot of “Greenflies” by Nuclear Death! Chris’s songs are also great, as usual, although I sense a bit of repetition, thing which did not seem to be present during the Abscess years. The song “Bridge of Bones” sounds too familiar… Now about Eric Cutler. Eric wrote a few songs all by himself and some others in which Chris wrote the lyrics. On the ones Eric wrote the lyrics he also sings. These songs I cannot listen to. It is not that I don’t like his voice. I indeed dislike it and sounds nothing like 20 years ago on “Slaughterday”, but the real problem is the content of the lyrics. They give me the impression that they have been writen by a five-year old person with serious psychological problems. The lyrics are plain mean! He obviously has an issue with women which he should seek expert help for. However, I have to admit that his other songs (seeds of the doomed, deliver me from sanity) with Chris’s lyrics are probably the best on the album. The music these songs have is as haunting and inspiring as those two first Autopsy albums. Chris’s vocals are once again unique and flawless and his performance simply awesome. In conclusion, the new Autopsy album sounds to me pretty much like the average Abscess album (not the phenomenal “Through the cracks of death” though) with some nice touches of old Autopsy and some songs that I find distastefull. Cutler definitely has some amazing things to offer, but I feel that I already miss Bower’s honesty and kindness… I think that both as musicians and as people, Reifert and Bower click together better than Reifert and Cutler. I am afraid, however, that people who never gave a chance to Abscess will rally around the reformed Autopsy for the wrong reasons, which are image, reputation and conformity. Which takes us to our second review.
Morbid Angel – Illud Divinum Insanus
There is a war waged against Morbid Angel and their current musical direction by fans and critics alike. Morbid Angel are, of course, a death metal institution and there is not one contemporary death metal band that has not copied their sound, either directly (by listening to Morbid Angel) or indirectly (by listening to other bands that have copied them). Morbid Angel did not only affect bands in their own genre but their influence has crossed to other genres. Saturicon (post Rebel Extravaganza) were influenced by them and Immortal (post Blizzard beasts) too. Bands such as Vader that we now consider to be cult, have been hugely affected by Morbid Angel. Anyway, the scope of this post is not to praise Morbid Angel. Illud Divinum Insanus is, however, beyond briliance. The first listen of the album made me think that it was amazing. But subsequent hearings made my skin crawl and when I started being drawn into the atmosphere of the album I even reached the point late one night to think that it is one of the best albums ever made. But it was late at night and people tend to become very emotional at these hours… I think that with this album Morbid Angel perfected what they have been trying to do for many years. All these short instrumental passages on Blessed are the sick, Covenant and Domination and later albums now fall into place and, to my ears, make a perfect impression. This album has the production and overall sound of a different era, both Ancient and Future one. But first things first… I consider Vincent’s return a very good thing for Morbid Angel. I like Vincent’s voice way better than Tucker’s, I like Vincent’s songwriting better than Tucker’s and I like his bass-playing more than Tucker’s. I find Tucker’s vocals very monotonous and hence I did not think that they fitted with Morbid Angel’s flexible and atmospheric music. Vincent on the other hand is extremely versatile and powerfull. He sings with a different voice in each song, and he comes up with amazing vocal patterns. Instead of simply growling he sings properly. I still can’t get over the amazing things he did in Domination on songs like “This means war” (Tis time for reparations, tis time to settle scores…). Also he sounds like he is enjoying himself! On this new album, his brutal vocals are more varied than ever and they are a sensation. This fact alone makes the new album great. As far as the songwriting goes, there has been much debate both by the band and the fans. Some of the songs have many elements of electronic music (techno, hardcore, gabba, etc.), fact which has divided traditional death metal fans. Morbid Angel talk about innovation and about not sticking to formulas and so on. I most certainly agree with them they don’t play it safe. They do what they like even if it proves to be a career suicide. From Youtube comments and online music fora, it appears that the majority of people hate this new direction and some of the go as far as to declare it the worst metal album of all times. What most people don’t realise, however, is the difficulty to overcome established music norms and conventions. What is even more difficult is to understand a different music genre once you are unfamiliar with its subculture and the norms and conventions that come with it. Of course, Morbid Angel did not do something completely innovative. The pop (or at least traditional metal) stucture of ” I am morbid” has been attempted in the past by extreme bands such as Satyricon (listen to Fuel for Hatred) and many others. Mixing extreme techno music with extreme metal music has also been perfectly done by Dodheimsgard! And of course, there are loads of industrial metal bands. Still Morbid Angel are different because they have their own unique type of sound on which these new sounds build. In the case of songs like “Too extreme” or “Mea culpa”, the infrastructure is techno and so is some of the material used for the execution, but there is the morbid angel element also creeping in the background. In the case of the brilliant “I am morbid“, the foundation is traditional/commercial Rock music, but the orchestration is Death metal. I am not reluctant to say that I am totally chuffed to listen to songs that stick in my head and make me want to sing along and at the same time make my skin crawl through Trey’s creepy riffs and insane solos. The same goes for “Radicult”. It is clearly a commercial sounding song which could be played in a club, but the music behind it is creepy and insane, and Vincent is just genious! With regard to the more straightforward death metal songs there is not much to say really. The new addition to the Band (Destructhor) has risen up to the challenge and he became a worthy replacement for Erik Rutan. The songs he wrote for the new album (Blades for Baal, Ten more dead) are magnificent. The fact that Vincent gives some of his best performances ever helps too. I cannot stop listening to these songs. The main riff of Nevermore and the way the drums come in is pure genius. Only Morbid Angel could come up with something like that. It is important to say that it is finally the combination of factors that make a song excellent. It is a very good production, an amazing drummer, a great guitarist, a great song and a great vocalist. Most new death metal bands are lacking the latter two. But Trey’s guitar playing brings tears to my eyes and Vincent sounds like a Lovecraftian god. The solo on “Blades for Ball” must be one of the best ever writen. Finally, many people didn’t like the fact that Pete Sandoval did not play (althought he did write some of) the drums on this album. Initially, I did not like that either. When I heard the news a few months ago I was disappointed. Pete is undisputedly the greatest of all death metal drummers. Gene Hoglan is better than him, but he is more traditional. Pete is the definition of death metal (alongside with players such as Mike Smith of Suffocation) drummer. However, I did not like the choices he made in the last couple Morbid Angel albums regarding the sound of his drums. Furthermore, one of the reasons why I don’t like the latest Terrorizer album is his performance. Therefore, I don’t really mind that he is not present in this album. And Tim Yeung does an amazing job replicating his playing anyway. In conclusion, I consider this album a masterpiece of contemporary death metal, better and more interesting than any other band. Plus the artwork is captivating.
You come to us in torment
And we make your bodies heave
Our sounds invoke your demon
Together too Extreme!
Filed under: death metal | Tags: AMERICAN DEATH METAL, autopsy, broken hope, cannibal corpse, Death, Deicide, immolation, Massacre, Morbid Angel, obituary, suffocation
Every death metal fan should acknowledge the major effect of american death metal on all other death metal scenes around the world. One might love swedish death metal and the melancholy, bitterness and raw energy that comes with it. The same person might indeed hate american death metal and regard it empty and technocratic. However, that person should be aware that the roots of every death metal band can be found in the legacy of Sepultura, Master, Possessed, Atheist, Repulsion, Death, Massacre, Necrophagia, Autopsy, Celtic frost and Bathory. All of them, with the exception of Celtic frost and Bathory, are american.
The enormous continent has given birth to countless death metal bands. The american north is completely different from the south and the west is different from the east. The variations in the styles of death metal are, thus, many. However, it would not be oversimplifying to argue that some common elements can be found in american bands. American bands have been the most brutal and technical in the world, since the beginning.
What strikes me most about these early death metal bands is the diversity of styles. No band sounds like the other one and no singer sounds the same. Back in the day, people wanted to sound furious and brutal to match the brutality of the music, so they opened their lungs and mouths and growled. What was coming out was one of a kind because every person has a different voice and shouts in different ways. There was no such thing as a death metal recipee, a formula that people followed in order to be “death metal”, which is the case with latter and contemporary death metal bands. Without further ado, here are some of my all time favorite death metal albums from the USA.
1. Massacre – From Beyond (1991)
I have not payed much attention to the massacre story, because it is complicated and I learned it a couple of years ago through the internet. When I listened to the album, the only thing I knew about it was that it was released in 1991. I did not care if they existed since 1921 or if they were the former band of Schuldiner or whatever. The album can easily be put in a spaceship and sent to space, as the true definition of death metal. The vocals are the most abominable vocals ever. The production is awesome. The compositions are simple, straightforward, heavy and emotionless. Most songs are uniquely majestic (e.g. Chambers of ages, Dawn of eternity). Indeed death metal has rarely been so majestic! Some of the topics are silly but very nicely written and the Lovecraft references are just awesome. Dawn of Eternity is the definitive hymn of death metal.
2. Death – Symbolic (1995)
Symbolic is the ultimate musical achievement. After the excellent “Individual…”, Chuck happened to create the perfect combination of technique and emotion. Of course the surrounding musicians helped create this masterpiece, especially Hoglan, who has written the most appropriate, inspired and yet straightforward tempos ever. The drum work indeed requires special referrence. All the songs with their awesome choruses, breaks, bridges and so on, are monumental. The interplay of guitar melodies and solos is unique. There are no best tracks here, just ideas and feelings in harmonious co-existence. Everything is perfect.
3. Immolation – Close to a world below (2000)
Immolation, to a large extent, pushed the boundaries of music further with their discography. I have to admit that choosing this particular album is random. All their discography is exquisite. For many years I considered “Here in After” being their best album. For some time I considered “Failures for gods”, and for some time “Unholy cult”. I decided to put this one here for several reasons. First of all, it has an awfully rotten and swampy production that fits Immolation perfectly. Secondly, the compositions are beyond imagination! Parts like the “you failed Mary, you raped Mary, over and over again…” are unbelievable. There are some amazing vocal patterns which render songs unique and memorable and the lyrics are compelling. Musically is one of the most depressing and mournfull statements in the world. Immolation, along with Morbid Angel, redefine what music is.
4. Broken Hope – Grotesque Blessing (2000)
Broken hope is a huge and underated band. Like Immolation and some other bands, they pushed the limits of death metal and music in general further. When you listen to Broken hope for the first time, you think “wait a minute…what did just happen here!”. These guys, not only are technical without becoming boring (because their music is highly emotional), but also are proposing alternative structural patterns to riff-making and lyric writing. All this, inside a context of utter disgust, brutality and anomaly! And their lyrics are not brainless words that make up no meaning. They are awesome! Read the lyrics to “Reunited” from the magnificent “Loathing” album, or “wolf among sheep” on this one! This album is my personal favorite and among the best american death records. I think that they reached the peak of their compositional inspiration, and achieved a perfect executional ability. R.I.P. Joe Ptacek.
5. Cannibal Corpse – The Bleeding (1994)
What can one say about this album! The vocal interpretations should be carefully studied by anyone interested in singing death metal. Barnes moved away from the extreme gutural vocals he did on Tomb of the mutilated, toward more powerful and articulate vocals, coupled with his (now) trademark shrieks. The combination of hyper-guttural vocals and shrieks became the blueprint for the mid-nineties American brutal death metal scene. The guitar work is among the best ever, along with Suffocation. The guitar riffs, melodies and vocal patterns are extremely memorable. The bass is huge and along with the drums they create a wall of sound that crashes the listener! The fast songs are manic and the mid-paced songs are even better and heavier. The production is the best possible production for this music. Scott Burns is this band’s sixth member in this record! Without him, this album would not be so perfect.
6. Suffocation – Effigy of the forgotten (1991)
Suffocation is one of those bands who do their own thing from day one. And it sounds so natural, so non-pressured that makes you wonder what exactly these people were listening! Why are they so different from their peers? Why do they sound so professional even on their demos? With their first album they set a standard so high in Brutal death metal, that I don’t think anyone since 1991 managed to match. They introduced a novel type of riffing and, hence, guitar playing. They introduced the extremely heavy-swampy passages. They introduced the extreme guttural vocals. Finally they introduced extremely tight playing and, arguably, the blueprint for death metal drumming.
7. Autopsy -Mental Funeral (1991)
Autopsy set the atmosphere for swedish death metal with their demos and their first two albums. It doesn’t take a much experienced ear to realise the similarities between Autopsy and Dismember or Entombed. But Autopsy’s origins can be traced back to the swampy riffs and atmosphere of early Black Sabbath. Nevertheless, the nightmare visions that mental funeral evokes cannot be found anywhere in music. Interestingly enough, the sole reference I can think off, for riffs like Fleshcrawl, is the intro riff of Halloween by Helloween. This music is the spawn of utter disgust, sickness and death. Reifert’s extremely flexible voice gives the impression of gagging and adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the album.
8. Obituary – Cause of Death (1990)
Obituary amazed everyone in 1989 with their brutal sound and with having a psychopath for singer. Tardy’s voice is, like with most early death metal singers, definetely one of a kind. Although their first album is intense, brutal and awesome, it is their second album that shows a mature band with a vision. James Murphy’s addition was an excellent decision, since the solos on this album are chilling to the bone and mix perfectly with the terrifying music and production. I consider this album a cornerstone of American death metal, equal to From Beyond to define what American death metal is. It has a lot of everything. Flesh-ripping guitar riffs (Find the Arise), swampy crawling passages (Dying, Infected), aggressive moshing parts (Cause of death circa 1:36), violent mid-tempo passages and breakdowns (Chopped in half). The vocals are completely inhumane. When I was young I would imagine Tardy being confronted by a lion and eventually scaring it off.
9. Morbid Angel -Covenant (1993)
There are no words to describe Morbid Angel. They are a phenomenon of exceptional significance in world music. Although you see where they come from, and the marks of bands like Possessed and Celtic frost are all over them, still they are one of a kind. It would not be an overstatement that Morbid Angel discovered a new sound with this album. The music on God of Emptiness is simply unearthly. The more frantic but surgically executed songs like Pain divine, Rapture, the heaviness of The promised land with its monolithic break, all are just instances of grandeur and inspiration and reflections of the will and zest to be pioneers.
p.s. I listened to a few songs off the new Morbid Angel album and I am blown away!
10. Deicide – Legion (1992)
Although their first album is another perfect example of unique death metal, this one is definitely my favorite. Deicide sounded like nobody else. Other bands might have been more brutal or faster, but deicide have always been the most intense and absolutely insane! Everything was insane about this band. The melodies, the breakdowns, the vocal partners, the solos, etc. I dare anyone to point out a chorus crazier than Carnage in the temple of the damned, from their self titled album. On this, their second album, Deicide are more mature but more intense (if that is possible) and faster. Riffs are more complicated and played at exhaustive speed. The slower songs are very catchy and have brilliant innovative tempos and vocal rhythms. In my opinion, every single song is amazing and although I’ve been listening to this album more than 15 years, it never ceases to amase me with its ingenuity and sheer energy.
p.s. Of course, there are numerous other bands that deserved to be on this list such as Atheist, Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, and even newer bands such as Dying Fetus, Deeds of Flesh and so on, but this is a personal list where I tried to pick the albums that I have loved more over the years.
Filed under: people, popular music | Tags: adrian smith, Al Pitreli, Anders Bjorler, Andre Olbrich, Brian McAlpin, Criss Oliva, Dan Rock, Dave Murray, David Blomqvist, death metal, Deniz Tek, dennis Straton, Greg Mackintosh, guitar solo, metal, rock, Tommy (Sadist), Tonny Iommi
Having just watched the amazing French movie “The first day of your life” I feel many different things among which is to write a post about guitar solos. I never really cared much about guitar solos. I have always been more interested in compositions, melodies and riffs rather than leads. However, there have always been certain guitar solos that brought me to my knees and albums where the absence of good solos bothered me. But as long as the music was of superior quality I didn’t really mind. For example, while I loved the early Gamma Ray (first four albums) I always thought that their solos were horrible. But when they got that new guitar player (around 1997) who could play solos I stopped finding the compositions interesting, so good solos didn’t really save the situation. Anyway, there is no such thing as “the greatest guitar solo of all times” but I can try to think of solos that have marked my soul. Of course, there are different types of solos, like the kind that are more improvised and instinctive and those that are more thought-through and structured, fast solos and slow solos, etc. My heroes in the first category are without a shadow of a doubt Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) and Criss Oliva (Savatage) and in the second one Andre Olbrich (Blind Guardian) and Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost). Now to quote Sir Daniel Fortesque “get on with it!”
1. Tommy – Sometimes they come back (Album “Above the light”) at 4:42-5:53
I first heard Sadist’s first album circa 1997. It was on a cassette tape I had borrowed from a friend. “Above the light” was on side A and “Symbolic” by Death on side B. For the first couple of months that I had that tape, I believe that I was listening to the Sadist side 3-4 times per day. I remember going to school and listening to Sadist and having my finger on the rewind button for every time a solo was on. While listening to this particular song and this particular solo I used to get goosebamps. More accurately, I felt like all the blood was drained out of my body or that my soul was leaving my body. At times I felt my knees getting weak, which is what you’d expect from someone whose blood had just left their body 
. A very classic minor heavy metal solo but very imaginately developed and amazingly played with feeling. I am aware that on the final part of the solo, the extra keys which accompany add to the magnificent atmosphere, but I don’t think this is against the rules.
2. Tony Iommi – Neon Knights (Album “Heaven and Hell”) at 1:59-2:44
Tony Iommi may be the master of riffs, some of which have basicaly constituted the foundations upon which british and swedish death metal were built, but is also the master of soloing. His soloing abilities are more prominent in the post-Ozzy Black Sabbath, especially in the albums he did with Dio. The feeling present in Iommi’s solos is something I personally never found in another metal band. The reason for this is, I think, that after a certain point the Malmsteen style of playing dominated the metal world. Most of Iommi’s solos are phenomenal but there is something about this solo that I cannot get over. The conversation from 2:07 until 2:22 is just phenomenal.
3. Andre Olbrich – Imaginations from the other side (Album “Imaginations from the other side”) at 4:39-5:15
Andre Olbrich is a god and Blind Guardian are probably the best metal band of the 90s (along with Rage). All of his solos are thought-through and could stand on their own. His solos are not simply scales but have complex rythms and patterns, which usually bring them closer to being melodies and integral parts of the songs’ structure. This specific solo is a representative example of his art, although most solos on this album and the rest BG albums are equally amazing and inspired.
4. Anders Bjorler – Cold (Album “Slaughter of the soul”) at 1:55-2:16
The first three At the Gates albums are among the most challenging and unique albums of contemporary music. Slaughter of the soul is briliant but in a much more conventional and mainstream way. Here song structures are simple and straightforward with clean solos and everything. One of the solos that have always made my skin crawl is this one. Clean guitars firstly calm the listener and subsequently build up, slowly preparing the listener for a downpour of intense emotions reflected in the soulfull first notes of the solo. The seven distorted notes on 2:00 take the solo to a whole new level…
5. Greg Mackintosh – Forever Failure (Album “Draconian Times”) at 3:28-4:36
One of the best songs ever writen in the history of the universe. Every single moment of this song overflows with beauty and inspiration. The solo right after the sample is the icing on the (melancholic) cake. I don’t think I can describe why this solo is so good. Find out for yourselves.
6. David Blomqvist – Dreaming in Red (Album “Indecent and Obscene”) at 0:51-1:28
That’s how Dave Murray of Iron Maiden would have sounded if he was sad and had downtuned his guitar. Another example of art that leaves me speechless. Great ideas and execution. David achieved the perfect tone on this album. I don’t think I ‘ve ever heard a better sound on a guitar solo. His entire work is monumental but I think this one stands out as a cult moment.
7. Criss Oliva -Hounds (Album “Gutter Ballet”) at 2:45-3:45
Criss is a solos-master and on this haunting song his genius shines through. He sounds like Randy Rhoads on cocaine. Abbrassive, emotional and sophisticated, all in one.
8. Tony Iommi – Falling off the edge of the world (Album “mob rules”) at 3:33-4:06
A song that I could not leave out of this list. Sheer power and intensity in a solo that can bring on the Amaggedon. Every time I listen to this solo I want to jump out of my body. When you think that there’s nowhere else he can go he keeps going! And the way he packs everything up in the end is just ridiculous!
9. Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin – Into the everflow (Album “Into the everflow”) at 6:20-7:47
What happens when you put together Black Sabbath with Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull? This song! The solo is just phenomenal, there are so many things going on, so many dimensions that there are really no words to describe…
10. Deniz Tek – Descend into the Maelstrom (Album “Radios Appear”) Entire song
Deniz Tek is god and motivation for people to grab a guitar and learn to play it.
11. Al Pitreli -This is the time (Album “Dead winter dead”) Entire song
The entire album is a treasure of solos. Al pitreli definitely steped in and did justice to the legacy of Criss Oliva. Extremely emotive album and Al is one of the major reasons why.
12. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman – Psychopathy Red (Album “World Painted blood”) at 1:17-1:53
I would never expect a band like Slayer to be in a list like this one. But their incredible last album has a little something for everyone. When it comes to solos, you either love or hate Slayer. If you are unable to understand that they are not interested in producing proper solos, or that their approach to soloing is exactly what fits their music then you haven’t figured what Slayer are about. Anyway, this specific solo is genius. The part where Kerry leaves it for Jeff to pick it up at 1:33 is hallucinogenic! And the crazy stuff Jeff is doing around 1:47 are just awesome!
13. Dave Murray and Dennis Straton (Adrian Smith on video)-Phantom of the opera (Album “Iron Maiden”) Entire song
Dave Murray is an institution, with a unique style and unbelievable feel when he is playing and when he is composing. Probably the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. Now this song is without a doubt monumental. But every single time in his career that Murray goes down that neck, my skin crawls.
14. Chuck Schuldiner-1000 Eyes (Album “Symbolic”) 2:14-2:39
A masterpiece of an album filled with excellent, inventive and emotional solos. The specific solo however is one of my all time favorites. It comes in after a series of rhetoric questions and tragic realisations to seal the tragedy. A trully amazing phrase that sticks with you and resounds the final line; “we are enslaved now”.
15. Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine-Hangar 18 (Album “Rust in Peace”) at 3:50-5:07
Such a classic song with such an amazing riff which conciliates punk attitude, eeriness and kindness. The solos throughout the song are amazing. Marty provides sophisticated ideas with arpegios and so on and Dave provides chaos. The interplay of solos after 3:50 is just insane. Perfect to air-guitar to!
