Top 20 Hardest Rock Songs to Play On Guitar

Whitesnake
Steve Vai is a legendary guitar hero, with a laundry list of solo accomplishments. He’s helped out some bands along the way, as well, including the iconic hard rock group, Whitesnake. Vai joined The Snake on their 1989 album, “Slip of the Tongue,” and brought with him virtuoso playing that was best put to use on that album’s closing track, “Wings of the Storm.” Whitesnake’s bluesy origins are all but forgotten as Vai lets it rip, right from the song’s speedy opening riff. “Wings of the Storm” lets up on the gas long enough for front man David Coverdale to make his mark, but once the song enters its solo phase, forget about it: Vai is off to the races.

Meshuggah
The extreme metal subgenre colloquially known as “Djent” owes much of its root sound to this pioneering Swedish band, Meshuggah. The group’s complex, mathematical style and emphasis on polyrhythms walked, so that the free jazz-freakout explorations of Djent could run. “Bleed” is a great example of Meshuggah’s style, a blistering riff workout that requires an intense control and mastery of timing. Mårten Hagström’s rhythmic ability is unparalleled here on “Bleed,” while the melodies created by co-guitarist Fredrik Thordendal sound like they’re from outer space. The palm-muted madness of Meshuggah isn’t for everyone, but for many young guitarists, “Bleed” served as a fresh sound for a new generation.

Joe Satriani
Guitar feedback never sounded so good. “Flying in a Blue Dream” is one of guitar legend Joe Satriani’s most popular songs, and with good reason: it’s a true stroke of brilliance. If the song’s opening feedback sounds otherworldly, it’s because Satriani is actually manipulating it with melodic intent. “Flying in a Blue Dream” isn’t all smoke and mirrors, however, because Satch lets it rip with some tasty melodic phrasing. The man’s tone is perfect, the production impeccable and the song a perfect example of how Joe Satriani brings an inventive and unique perspective to the electric guitar.

Nitro
If you’re looking for subtlety or restraint, then look somewhere else, or you’re likely to get run over by Nitro’s “Freight Train” of hair metal excess. The blistering licks of Michael Angelo Batio are set on full display here, complete with the unforgettable visual of the man’s quadruple-necked guitar. The main riff and arrangement of “Freight Train” actually isn’t too complex, other than the above-average speed, but all bets are off once Batio gets over and under those four guitar necks. The solo section is obscenely fast and over-the-top, but it feels part and parcel with what Nitro is trying to achieve with the song. “Freight Train” may be garishly excessive, but fans of the musically absurd wouldn’t want it any other way.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra
And now for something completely different. The Mahavishnu Orchestra were one of the progenitors of jazz-rock, a fusion of both genres to create something fresh and exciting back in the early seventies. “The Noonward Race” is taken from the band’s genre-defining debut, “The Inner Mounting Flame,” and sets on full display the amazing talent of guitarist John McLaughlin. McLaughlin’s mellow demeanor on stage stands in stark contrast to his fiery ability as a player, as he moves up and down the fretboard of his double-necked guitar. “The Noonward Race” allows all of The Mahavishnu Orchestra members to jam out, but it’s McLaughlin’s interplay with drummer Billy Cobham that truly sends this song into the stratosphere.

Metallica
If “Stranger Things” has taught us anything, it’s that a good song truly is timeless. Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” earned a new lease on life after it was featured on the show, as thousands of new fans took to inter-webs to look up the OG. The song is a thrash metal masterpiece, a benchmark for young guitarists playing their trade in garages and rehearsal spaces around the world. James Hetfield’s right hand should be frozen and studied by future generations of guitarists, in order to discover the secret of the man’s rhythm mastery. Meanwhile, the harmony interlude and solo sections prove that Hetfield and bandmate Kirk Hammett are among the finest heavy metal guitar teams in history.

Cacophony
Speaking of guitar duos, Cacophony employed two of the best shredders in the business on their full-length debut, “Speed Metal Symphony.” Both Jason Becker and Marty Friedman will feature on our list later, but this early tag-team exercise drops neo-classical guitar arrangements into the thrash world with results that made metal fans stand up and take notice. The title track of “Speed Metal Symphony” is tightly orchestrated, with lead choices that are surprisingly melodic, but always played with intensity and precision. It’s gloriously indulgent with a “nothing succeeds like excess” approach.

Dire Straits
Looking for a palette cleanser after the riff inferno that was Cacophony? How about the smooth and subtle style of Dire Straits and their genius guitarist, Mark Knopfler? Knopfler’s call-and-response approach to “Sultans of Swing '' makes his guitar cry and sing, just like the song’s lyrics. This is jazzy, soulful rock with intelligence behind it, but also an accessibility that helped make it a radio staple. Additionally, Knopfler’s finger-picking style gives “Sultans of Swing '' a personal feel that makes it incredibly difficult to anyone else to truly make it their own.

Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela’s “Hanuman” is dedicated to the unequivocal guitar icon Carlos Santana, and it shows. The duo’s dedication to ingenuity and resistance to classification is on full display here, taking the Santana fusion of Latin rhythms and jazz-rock to a new level. “Hanuman” is a piece of percussive brilliance, a dizzying array of furious Flamenco flourishes and dexterous fretboard gymnastics that’s difficult to replicate. The sound of Rodrigo y Gabriela is arena rock without the arena, and an impressive way to show how so many disparate genres can come together to create musical magic.

Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa was a musical madman; a conductor of chaos that dabbled in nearly every genre imaginable, while creating some of the most challenging albums ever pressed to wax. “Willie the Pimp” is one of Zappa’s defining tunes after leaving The Mothers of Invention, a song that starts off innocuous enough with a simple blues-rock stomp. Once the idiosyncratic vocals of Captain Beefheart fade away, however, it’s Frank’s turn to let loose with one of his defining solos. Like so much of Zappa’s other work, “Willie the Pimp” is the sum of its creative parts. Sugarcane Harris’ violin duels with Frank’s guitar, Max Bennett’s bass pumps away and John Guerin’s drumming drives it all home: it’s one-of-a-kind stuff.

Van Halen
It was the tapping exercise that rocked the world, one that inspired generations of guitarists to pick up the instrument. It’s “Eruption,” by Van Halen, and it still kicks ass today. The amount of influence Eddie Van Halen had upon nearly every hard rock guitarist in his wake is immeasurable, but what’s perhaps less discussed is his knowledge of classical theory and technique. Eddie’s playing was fast and precise, sure, but “Eruption” is also remarkably well composed, the sort of instrumental that’s flashy, but also memorable. There’s a hooky-ness here that’s way beyond your average shred-fest, a testament to just how formative Eddie Van Halen was at his six-stringed weapon.

Dream Theater
The collective technical abilities of Dream Theater are beyond reproach, and have for years stymied musicians who try to map out the prog-metal band’s approach. “The Test that Stumped Them All” from the band’s “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” record was confounding, indeed, but “The Dance of Eternity '' may be even more insane. This movement is taken from “Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory,” a conceptual release that’s been hailed as one of the greatest guitar albums of all time by Guitar World Magazine. It’s easy to see why, too, as John Petrucci combines savage rhythmic chops with sweep-picked arpeggios and instrumental interplay to annihilate the senses.

Jason Becker
The story of Jason Becker is one of both tragedy and triumph. The guitar icon may be currently battling ALS, also known as motor neuron disease, but he continues to compose…just not in the same way. Still, “Perpetual Burn” remains a high point of Becker’s discography, a step up from his Cacophony collaboration mentioned earlier, and a benchmark for neo-classical shred guitar. The title track is up there with anything released by contemporaries like Yngwie Malmsteen (more on him later), as Becker sweeps up and down the fretboard with arpeggiated runs that boggle the mind. This is true, guitar-focused compositional skill at its highest level.

Racer X
We’re truly hammering down on the gas pedal from here on out, folks, spotlighting some of the fiercest and fastest guitar players in the world. Paul Gilbert definitely belongs in that category, although he’s been able to branch out into traditional hard rock with projects like Mr. Big. Newcomers to his work would be advised to consider Racer X as Gilbert’s shred machine, a vehicle for some of his most impressive licks. “Technical Difficulties” isn’t all show and no go, however, as Gilbert balances his heavy rhythm chops and harmonized lead with a thrashing, traditional metal base. It’s more than enough and just shy of too much; a riff exercise that’s designed to give your hands a workout.

Yngwie Malmsteen
What can we say about Sweden’s biggest and most popular guitar export, Yngwie Malmsteen? The man’s work eschews subtlety, in favor of the most in your face, hot-blooded shred guitar this side of Stockholm. Malmsteen has certainly released albums full of catchy, hit single material, but “Molto Arpeggiosa” isn’t one of them, instead diving head-first into a daring exercise in excess. The song, often mislabeled as “Arpeggios from Hell,” is the sort of “look what I can do!” shtick that Yngwie does best, a face-melt of an instrumental that barely sounds of this earth. It’s relentlessly fast and complex stuff, the sort of guitar playing that can only come from the hands of a master. Good luck!

Rush
We have to give it up to Rush for at least admitting what they were up to back on 1978’s “La Villa Strangiato.” The song is given the subtitle “An Exercise in Self-Indulgence,” but we love the end results. Rush has always thrived on the group dynamic between drummer Neil Peart, bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. But it’s Lifeson that takes a step forward here on “La Villa Strangiato.” The song’s multiple movements evoke moods that feel unique to Lifeson’s deft hand on the guitar, a mixture of fiery aggression and more laid-back, moody sections. It’s definitely something your average guitarist is going to find extremely difficult to replicate.

Megadeth
Megadeth fans will likely point to the early nineties’ lineup with Marty Friedman on lead guitar as one of the band’s absolute best. It’s difficult to argue against, especially when there’s evidence like “Tornado of Souls” on the table. Not only is this thrash metal masterpiece composed with enough artistry to hang in The Louvre, it’s also hyper-aggressive to a fault. The riffing is tight and measured, with an intense demand for rhythm, while the solo sections are something truly out of this world. Friedman and band leader Dave Mustaine are absolutely on fire throughout the entirety of the track.

Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is one of those guitarists that can play just about anything, from the heaviest of blues-rock with his early group Mariani, to the smash hit that was Johnson’s instrumental, “Cliffs of Dover.” There’s a smoothness to Johnson’s playing that hits the listener like lightning-in-a-bottle, while the song’s earworm melody feels truly inspired. “Cliffs of Dover” is melodic and sprawling, with moments of electricity, and others that feel almost folk-inspired in their vulnerability. It’s guitar playing at perhaps its most cinematic, and a song that has gone on to define Eric Johnson’s career.

Animals as Leaders
We don’t feel like we’re exaggerating when we say that guitarist Tosin Abasi from Animals as Leaders is truly on another level. “CAFO” practically sounds like it's from outer space, so maddening is the level of skill set on display. It feels almost as if Abasi’s talent has been bestowed upon him from another world, because only in that dimension could any other guitarist handle “CAFO” to completion. The rhythmic prowess alone is some of the best the “Djent '' genre has to offer, while Tosin’s fretboard sounds as if it's going to catch fire as he runs up and down without mercy. Needless to say, it’s not easy to keep up!

DragonForce
You know you’ve achieved something special when one of your songs appears in nearly every guitar-focused video game out there. “Through the Fire and Flames” captured the imaginations of many when it debuted on “Inhuman Rampage,” the third album from England’s power metal heroes, DragonForce. The harmonized leads of Sam Totman and Herman Li are so quick and processed-sounding that they recall Chiptune music from video games, but that’s really the entire point. “Through the Fire and Flames” sounds inhuman, yet strangely satisfying. It’s the sort of guitar hero theatrics that only come around once in a generation.