The guitar solo has for a long time been a way for a guitarist to showcase his chops. Back in the day, Chuck Berry set the pace for Rock N’ Roll guitar solo inspiring a long roster of guitarists such as George Harrison, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In the 60’s the guitar solo seemed to start to take off with bands like The Yardbirds, The Who and The Rolling Stones but it was the 70’s where the guitar solo started to reach new heights. The 70’s ended up being a time where the guitar player would reach almost Godlike status. Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Eddie Van Halen are just a few that forged a style and sound all their own. While these guys were all influential and important in their own right, it was Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page to be one of the most identifiable guitar gods of the 70’s with his work on classics like “Dazed and Confused”, “Whole Lotta Love” and the song that every kid would eventually learn to play, “Stairway To Heaven.” Much like those before them, guitarists like Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Joe Perry would go on to inspired a whole new generation of guitarists that would rip faces with solos and memorable riffs just like their forefathers.
Growing up as a Metalhead in the 80’s, there was nothing more mind blowing than a killer guitar 
solo. Randy Rhoads killing it on “Crazy Train”, Warren DiMartini slaying it on “Round and Round” or Vivian Campbell ripping faces off on “Rainbow In The Dark” are just a few examples of the awesomeness that these great guitarists unleashed on my young, fragile ears. You can call it self indulgent and you can call it over kill but no matter what, the guitar solo was what took the song to stratospheric heights. Can you imagine what Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” would sound like without the twin guitar attack of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith? The guitar solo was more than just a way to fill up space. The guitar solo can be and in many cases is a song within a song. While some did it better than others, in Heavy Metal the guitar solo was what always set certain guitarists ahead of the pack. As the face of music seemed to change heading into the 90’s, it was obvious things were taking a turn into some odd waters. Heavy Metal didn’t sound like Heavy Metal anymore. All of the sudden Heavy Metal was played in all kinds of crazy dropped tunings, the bands were fronted by guys who rapped as opposed to guys who could sing and worst of all, the guitar solos were gone.
That’s right. Somewhere along the line, guitar solos seemed to disappear replaced by these “breakdowns” that took their place. I can remember reading about how guitar players would say things like, “guitar solos are cheesy and unimportant to the quality of a song.” I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears. How could people just decide that guitar solos were no longer an integral part of a song? Bands like Linkin Park and Korn were being considered the new face of metal and were even given their own genra, Nu Metal. Gag me with a fucking spoon. I would just hear Randy Rhoads screaming from the grave in agony as these guys were now gracing the cover of guitar magazines as the new guitar gods. Even heading into the ’00s, I was finding the lack of guitar solos in music disturbing. Hell, even Metallica recording an album in which they didn’t do ANY guitar solos. Are you fucking kidding me? Even one of my favorite modern metal bands Lacuna Coil refuses to play guitar solos. I find this so sad because those guys can play the fuck out of their guitars. Why not let them step up and shred it out?
So here we are in 2011 and I have to say that it has been great to see the rebirth of the guitar solo. 
A whole new generation on Metal bands have risen to not only resurrect that classic sound of Heavy Metal that was seemed to be long lost but they also manage to bring back the guitar solo. Bands like Holy Grail, White Wizzard and 3 Inches of Blood have brought back the spirit and the excitement of guitar playing in Metal music. Holy Grail’s Eli Santana and Alex Lee take the band’s songs to new heights with their dueling lead solos and twin guitar harmonies in the spirit of their heroes while White Wizzard’s Jake Dreyer brings forth the spirit of those classic Shrapnel guitarists of the 80’s such as Jason Becker and Paul Gilbert. Hell, these kids weren’t even born (or barely born) when these guys were in their prime which is proof of the undying influence of these guitar gods of old. Bands like Symphony X, Dragonforce and Blind Guardian all boast guitar gods of their own who have proven once again that in these modern times, the guitar solo is not a dying, dated thing of the past but an element of the song that is still very much alive and thriving. The guitar solo seems to have once again found a much deserved place in Heavy Metal as it continues to inspire a whole new generation of kids to pick up a guitar and shred. Who wants to do a lame ass breakdown when you can shred, melt faces and take a song to inspired and limitless heights? Welcome back home guitar solo. We’ve missed you.
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