I've been a metal guitarist for almost two decades and not enough people talk about these incredible guitar-shredding albums

Serena Cherry on stage with her guitar — (Image credit: Cezar Cazan)

As a metal guitarist, it pains me to say that on some days, I don’t even want to look at my guitar, let alone play it. There are moments when I feel so devoid of inspiration that I question why I ever dedicated so many years of my life to playing this instrument. But when I’m at that low point, there are five metal albums I reach for. These are the records that can yank me out of any creative block and serve as evidence that shredding heavy riffs will always be the greatest thing in the world. You may not have heard them, but I guarantee you will love them, if like me, you love blisteringly technical solos and fast, furious metal riffage.

Michael Romeo - War of the Worlds Part 2

Symphony X mastermind Michael Romeo is an architect of the riff, sculpting melodic phrases with intricate picking patterns into huge labyrinthine songs. He is an intimidatingly great guitar player and War of the Worlds Part 2 showcases some of his most accomplished guitar work to date.

Few solos will arrest your attention quite like the one on Divide and Conquer with its unique style of tapping, sweeping and vibrato wizardry.

This album further cements Michael Romeo as a virtuoso player who can do both - he can effectively serve a song, whilst also showcasing technical skills on guitar that will leave the listener speechless.

Paladin - Ascension

Paladin are the best thing to happen to power metal since Symphony X. It’s rare for a debut album to display such refined riffage, and yet Ascension delivers bright, explosive guitar work with the prowess of seasoned veterans.

On first listen to the exceptionally tight dual guitar harmonies of Taylor Washington and Alex Parra, you would be forgiven for assuming these guys have been playing together for 30 years, such is their synergy on this record.

While the words ‘fast’ and ‘technical’ are a very accurate description for the riffs and solos here, ‘joyous’ is the word that encapsulates this album best. I guarantee that listening to the song Awakening will make you immediately want to play guitar.

Keep of Kalessin - Armada

My picking hand aches just listening to Armada by Keep of Kalessin. The sheer speed and intricacy of guitarist Obsidian C’s right hand is a marvel of relentless stamina and accuracy. Simply put: no one does it quite like this guy in the world of metal guitar.

While the album's taut tremolo picking is undoubtedly the first thing you will notice, it’s the gorgeous interludes of Flamenco guitar passages that provide the true highlight on Armada. The Classical chops on display are vast, with rhythmic shifts threading beautiful melodies together in hypnotic fashion.

At its time of release (2006) it was unprecedented for a black metal band to fuse classical guitar with blast beats and aggressive riffs. In this respect, Obsidian C blazed a trail for extreme metal guitarists with this dynamic masterpiece of an album.

Stortregn - Finitude

Stortregn have always defied the limits of technical death metal, but never more evidently than on their latest album ‘Finitude.’ While the album did receive some critical acclaim from the underground metal scene for its refreshingly inspired and unpredictable guitar riffs, I can’t help but feel an album of such technical brilliance deserves way more recognition.

There’s an interesting jazz influence in the off-beat, proggy tangents that prevail throughout this record, which have no right to sit so comfortably next to its facemeltingly heavy riffs.

It’s a staggering musical achievement to take a million ideas, put them into one song and still make it sound cohesive. But that’s somehow what every track on Finitude does, to impressive effect.

Fellowship - The Saberlight Chronicles

As a girl with a penchant for dragons and blisteringly fast guitar solos, I have listened to a lot of power metal albums in my time - but there are few as potent as The Saberlight Chronicles when it comes to melodies that will lift your heart. Imagine the over-the-top shredding speed of Twilight Force and Dragonforce, mixed with a healthy dose of musical theater and pop sensibilities.

The guitar solos on this album are gorgeous, raising their catchy songs like Oak and Ash to even greater heights. Standing out in the talent-rich genre of power metal is no easy feat, but Fellowship's blend of charismatic vocals and technical but tasteful guitars makes them shine significantly brighter than most.

Svalbard 2025 UK farewell tour dates

Nov 19: Glasgow Slay
Nov 20: Manchester Rebellion
Nov 21: Newcastle Think Tank
Nov 22: Bristol Thekla
Nov 23: London Oslo Hackney

Serena Cherry is the co-lead vocalist and guitarist with British post-hardcore band Svalbard. She also leads Noctule – a Skyrim-themed black metal band – and writes about music, video games and theme parks. She is endorsed by Jackson Guitars.

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