# The 16 Best Neoclassical Metal Guitar Solos of All Time > The 16 best neoclassical metal guitar solos of all time, ranked. #1 is Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne, then Far Beyond the Sun and Speed Metal Symphony. Canonical URL: Neoclassical metal borrows scales, arpeggios and phrasing from Bach and Paganini and plays them at shred speed. This list runs from Uli Jon Roth's "Sails of Charon" (1977) and Randy Rhoads' "Mr. Crowley" (1980) through Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman, and every video starts right at the solo. 1. [Mr. Crowley](https://greatestsolos.com/song/ozzy-osbourne-mr-crowley/) — Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Randy Rhoads · 1980 2. [Far Beyond the Sun](https://greatestsolos.com/song/yngwie-j-malmsteen-far-beyond-the-sun/) — Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984 3. [Speed Metal Symphony](https://greatestsolos.com/song/cacophony-speed-metal-symphony/) — Cacophony · solo by Marty Friedman, Jason Becker · 1987 4. [Altitudes](https://greatestsolos.com/song/jason-becker-altitudes/) — Jason Becker · solo by Jason Becker · 1988 5. [Black Star](https://greatestsolos.com/song/yngwie-j-malmsteen-black-star/) — Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984 6. [Sails of Charon](https://greatestsolos.com/song/scorpions-sails-of-charon/) — Scorpions · solo by Uli Jon Roth · 1977 7. [Perpetual Burn](https://greatestsolos.com/song/jason-becker-perpetual-burn/) — Jason Becker · solo by Jason Becker · 1988 8. [Island in the Sun](https://greatestsolos.com/song/alcatrazz-island-in-the-sun/) — Alcatrazz · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1983 9. [I'll See the Light, Tonight](https://greatestsolos.com/song/yngwie-j-malmsteen-s-rising-force-i-ll-see-the-light-tonight/) — Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1985 10. [Scarified](https://greatestsolos.com/song/racer-x-scarified/) — Racer X · solo by Paul Gilbert, Bruce Bouillet · 1987 11. [Dragon Mistress](https://greatestsolos.com/song/marty-friedman-dragon-mistress/) — Marty Friedman · solo by Marty Friedman · 1988 12. [Edge of Insanity](https://greatestsolos.com/song/tony-macalpine-edge-of-insanity/) — Tony MacAlpine · solo by Tony MacAlpine · 1986 13. [Mind's Eye](https://greatestsolos.com/song/vinnie-moore-mind-s-eye/) — Vinnie Moore · solo by Vinnie Moore · 1986 14. [Of Sins and Shadows](https://greatestsolos.com/song/symphony-x-of-sins-and-shadows/) — Symphony X · solo by Michael Romeo · 1997 15. [Trilogy Suite Op: 5](https://greatestsolos.com/song/yngwie-j-malmsteen-trilogy-suite-op-5/) — Yngwie J. Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1986 16. [Japanese Dream](https://greatestsolos.com/song/electric-sun-japanese-dream/) — Electric Sun · solo by Uli Jon Roth · 1979 ## Quick answers ### What is the best neoclassical guitar solo? Randy Rhoads' solo on Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" (1980). It ranks number 22 in the GreatestSolos Consensus rankings, the highest of any song on this list. ### Who played on Cacophony's "Speed Metal Symphony"? Marty Friedman and Jason Becker, who played twin-guitar harmonies on the 1987 instrumental. Both men's solo albums are also on this list. ### What was Yngwie Malmsteen's band before his solo career? Alcatrazz. Malmsteen played on their 1983 song "Island in the Sun" before his 1984 solo album, which includes "Far Beyond the Sun" and "Black Star". --- GreatestSolos ranks the greatest guitar solos by consensus across published lists. Agent guide: [llms.txt](https://greatestsolos.com/llms.txt) · [Sitemap](https://greatestsolos.com/sitemap.xml) · [Dataset (CSV)](https://greatestsolos.com/data/greatest-guitar-solos.csv) · [How we rank](https://greatestsolos.com/method/)