Valley of the Kings
Blue Murder, 1989. Solo by John Sykes.
Sykes opened his post-Whitesnake band's debut with this Egyptian-themed epic and a solo full of wide vibrato.
Valley of the Kings opened Blue Murder's debut, the band John Sykes formed after leaving Whitesnake, and it is a big, dramatic, Egyptian-themed rocker. Sykes plays with a heavy, saturated tone and a wide vibrato that makes held notes sound enormous, shaking them until they almost howl. His solo mixes Eastern-sounding scale flavours with fast, bluesy runs and pinch harmonics, matching the song's grand, cinematic mood. It shows Sykes at the height of his powers, both as a player and as the leader of his own project. Listen for how he holds single notes for long stretches, using vibrato alone to build tension before the next flurry.
Valley of the Kings by Blue Murder is ranked #303 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by John Sykes and the song was released in 1989. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #37 (guitarguitar).
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Who played the guitar solo on Valley of the Kings?
John Sykes played the solo on Blue Murder's Valley of the Kings (1989).
Where does Valley of the Kings rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#303 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.