My addiction to music and to this lovely instrument started in the year 2006, when I was in Kolkata. Back then I used to sulk into the heart-wrenching melodies of Knopfler’s ‘Boom, Like That’ and the sorrowful harmony of Gilmour’s ‘High Hopes’ but I never thought that I would ever be privileged to even hold the holy axe. But on one particular day when I was in my first local gig, the moment I heard the guitarist pinch on the D note and raise E to F# in the concluding solo of ‘Comfortably Numb’, I knew that I’m learning this instrument and I’m playing this solo.

Guitar solos have been the soul of rock and metal music and almost every individual longs for a song to be graced by a brilliant solo. 2012 saw the release of many rock and metal albums with some really good guitar work. So let’s check out the top 10 solos from the year.

10. Bevar Sea – Abishtu

‘Abhishtu’ is a song from debut self-titled album of the Stoner/Doom Metal band from the metal haven of India, Bangalore. This nine-minute long track offers some heavy headbangable riffs and two really transcendent and sublime solos accompanied with a perfectly stoner atmosphere. The first solo appears at about 2:11 and acts as a short bridge between two verses, played very gently with properly selected notes. The second longer solo starts when the heavy riffs of the song drown into a very ambient mood at about 4:00. The guitarist takes us through the transient part with delicate slides between perfectly selected notes and back to the hefty part with beautiful bends. An admirable thing about the solos is that they are very simple, within the scale and yet succeed to mesmerise us.

9. Kryptos – Starfall

Kryptos, being the old school legends of India, continue to please us with perfectly tailored songs on their new release ‘The Coils Of Apollyon’. ‘Starfall’ is the seventh track from the album and just like the remainder of the album, it consists of some splendid guitar work. The solo on the song is played by both Nolan Lewis and Rohit Chaturvedi who take us through the song with a minute long duet. It starts at about 3:23 and features both the guitars playing classic licks, remaining within the scale. The solos mainly consist of simple arpeggios and runs along the minor scale but yet turn out to be very melodic and impressive.

8. 1833 AD – Wiser Than The Wisest

Black metal is not so well known for guitar riffs or solos, but has always attracted cult followers, who look for a dark and evil like ambience in their music. But won’t the whole pleasure be amplified when we get the devilish environment with some really kickass solos? 1833 AD gives us that pleasure. Their new album, ‘My Dark Symphony’, consists of really brutal progressions, some brilliant solos and of course the darkest atmosphere. ‘Wiser Than The Wisest’ is one of the best tracks of the album and also has the best solo on the album which not only elevates the mood but also demonstrates some really fast runs along the fretboard. The runs are mostly done on the scale in triplets, which changes with the change in chords and cover a good amount of fretboard.

7. Chronic Xorn – Wrath’s Black Rain

We talk of guitar solos and not talk of Bengalis; that’s not happening. Chronic Xorn, the No. 1 metal act of Kolkata (ReverbNation) came out with a fantastic album and whipped us with some beautifully tailored solos. The solo on ‘Wrath’s Black Rain’ starts off with melodious licks with clean guitars in background and moves into higher octave with distorted chords in the background. Suvam covers a nice amount of fretboard while going through some really heart-rending bends. This solo, no. seven on the list, will surely mesmerise you with its melodic and sentimental nature.

6. Rectified Spirit – Bloodrush

Rectified Spirit, a band that was had formed in 2005, split up in 2009, again reformed in 2011 and with some new members on board, make a comeback with a solid self-titled debut album. This versatile band cites influences from a broad variety of bands ranging from bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple to Meshuggah and Dream Theatre. The album consists of some insane work on guitars. The second song from the album, Bloodrush, features a kickass solo. The solo has everything: the speed runs, the deadly sweeps and excellent coverage of fretboard. The quick changes in the rhythm have been accounted for very nicely. Check out these crazyheads from Guwahati for some more insane music.

5. Chronic Xorn – From Mercy

Another heart-bleeding solo from the album! This song features Travis Montgomery from Canadian metalcore band, Threat Signal in a guest solo. Needless to say, this solo made it to number 5. The solo starts with fast arpeggios accompanied with some sweeps and taps and transcends into a melodic section with the same notes combination played in triplets. The speed changes and melodious licks will shake your every bit.

4. Oxymoron – Indebted

Oxymoron is metal outfit hailing from Lucknow and after listening to them, I was convinced that the complaint about lack of good guitarists in India can finally be buried down beneath as I came across some fine compositions in their debut EP. Indebted, the second track on the EP, features some really groovy progressions and a mind blowing solo. We can witness some splendid sweeps and insane shredding all over the fretboard, that all with a very simple rhythm in background. This simply shows the broadness of one’s mind which is really necessary while composing a solo.

3. Orion – Devoured Existence

Orion, also a debutant, is a Progressive/Technical band from Mumbai. Their EP, ‘The Banks Of Rubicon’ is a gold mine for progressive listeners, offering a huge variety of ravishing progressions and stunning solos. The solo on Devoured Existence ticks in at about 2:18, being a full technical treat. The piece reminds of Muhammed Suicmez’ solos, which we haven’t witnessed in a while (and maybe we never will). The solo offers us the same sweep-tap combination we experience in Necrophagist solos. I must say the solo has been done very neatly and we can look forward really good work from these guys.

2. Skyharbor – Catharsis

‘Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos’, the most awaited album of the year was finally out and guess whom did the mastermind, Keshav Dhar, bring in to play this solo for him. Yes! Marty Friedman, the man behind the heart-wrenching solos of ‘Tornado Of Souls’, ‘Skin O’ My Teeth’, ‘Symphony Of Destruction’ and countless no. of solos! Apart from the soul touching bends and heart pinching vibratos, Marty came out with some dreamscaping runs, pretty similar to classical solos played on fiddle. This is a solo not to be missed!

1. Indus Creed – Dissolve

And to top the list, of course the most acclaimed acts in the Indian rock scene; and they had to top the list after releasing such a wonderful album after 17 long years. Indus Creed has always been known for their excellent work on guitars especially during their live performances in which they prolong their solos on stage. ‘Dissolve’ kicks in straight with a stunning solo and exhibits one of the best works of Indus Creed. Clearly there seem to be no words to describe the sheer brilliance of the solo. Let the radiance of the piece simply penetrated through your heart. The moment I heard it, I just knew that this was going on top.