Tornado of Souls

Megadeth, 1990. Solo by Marty Friedman.

The most-cited thrash solo: exotic scales at speed, with a melody you can hum.

Marty Friedman's lead is one of the most discussed solos in thrash, and also one of the hardest to play. It draws on B natural minor and B Dorian, smooth legato, distinctive bends, economical arpeggios and sweep picking used in melodic, surprising ways rather than as pure speed. Friedman says he did not plan it but followed his intuition, and he argues its length gave him room to tell a story instead of spending everything in the first bars. When he finished, Dave Mustaine listened once and shook his hand without a word. Listen for the vocal-like bends between the fast passages; they are what makes a technically brutal solo feel hummable.

Tornado of Souls by Megadeth is ranked #48 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Marty Friedman and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 14 lists, placing as high as #1 (ADCI).

The story of Tornado of Souls

"Tornado of Souls" appears on Rust in Peace, the 1990 album that introduced Megadeth's celebrated line-up of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, drummer Nick Menza and lead guitarist Marty Friedman. Mustaine had hired Friedman after hearing his instrumental album Dragon's Kiss, and this record was the first to feature the new pairing. The album went on to earn a platinum certification and a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

The lyric, credited to Mustaine and Ellefson, is about breaking free from a draining relationship; Mustaine has linked it to a former girlfriend. He described feeling trapped in the eye of a storm, where one wrong move would throw him into oblivion, and the song's churning riffs and tense, harmonic-laden intro mirror that sense of being caught in a whirlwind.

Rust in Peace was recorded at Rumbo Recorders in Canoga Park, California, with producer Mike Clink. Mustaine was in rehab for the first half of the sessions, so Clink concentrated early on bass, drums and Friedman's guitar parts; Mustaine had already written the song before Friedman laid down his lead. Max Norman handled the mix. Released by Capitol on 24 September 1990, the album reached No. 23 in the US and No. 8 in the UK. "Tornado of Souls" was never issued as a single or promoted, yet it grew into one of the most beloved songs in the band's catalogue.

The solo

The lead belongs to Marty Friedman, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest solos in heavy metal as well as one of the hardest to play. MusicRadar's breakdown highlights Friedman's use of B natural minor and B Dorian, smooth legato lines, his distinctive bends, economical arpeggios and sweep-picking deployed in melodic, surprising ways rather than as pure speed. Friedman says he did not plan it: he simply responds to how a song feels and follows his intuition. He argues its power comes partly from its length, which gave him room to build a story instead of spending everything in the first few bars. When he finished, Mustaine listened once and shook his hand without a word, a moment Friedman says made him feel he was truly the band's guitarist. Details of the guitar and amplifier are not documented in the sources used here.

Legacy

The solo is a benchmark for technical metal players. In a 2011 Guitarist magazine poll it ranked No. 10 among the greatest guitar solos, the highest metal entry in the top 20. Billboard named it the best song on Rust in Peace in 2018, and Louder placed it second among Megadeth's greatest songs in 2022. The band has played it well over a thousand times, and Friedman's 2023 guest returns with Megadeth brought it back to him on stage.

Top 10 facts about Tornado of Souls

The song was never released as a single or promoted, yet it became one of Megadeth's signature tracks.
Wikipedia
Mustaine hired Marty Friedman after hearing his album Dragon's Kiss.
Wikipedia: Rust in Peace
Mustaine was in rehab during the first half of the Rust in Peace sessions, so producer Mike Clink focused on the bass, drums and Friedman's guitar first.
Wikipedia: Rust in Peace
After hearing the finished solo once, Mustaine shook Friedman's hand without saying anything.
MusicRadar
Friedman says he improvised his approach to the solo and relied on intuition rather than planning.
Guitar.com
The song's intro riff is built on palm-muted natural harmonics.
Songfacts
The solo ranked No. 10 in Guitarist magazine's 2011 poll of the greatest guitar solos, the top metal entry in the top 20.
MusicRadar
Megadeth has performed the song live more than 1,000 times.
Wikipedia
Friedman reworked the song for his 2008 album Future Addict, released on Avex Trax.
Wikipedia: Future Addict
The track featured in the 2009 video game Brutal Legend and was released as Rock Band downloadable content in February 2010.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Rude Awakening (Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona) (2001) Recorded in November 2001 and released as a live CD and DVD in 2002.
Rust in Peace Live (Hollywood Palladium) (2010) Full-album performance for the record's 20th anniversary.
Megadeth with Marty Friedman, Tokyo Budokan (2023) Livestreamed show where Friedman rejoined the band as a guest.
Megadeth with Marty Friedman, Wacken Open Air (2023) Friedman's first European appearance with Megadeth in over 20 years, on a mud-soaked festival site.

Notable covers

Marty Friedman (2008) The song's original soloist remade it for his album Future Addict.
Anubis (2021) Released as a standalone track on Bandcamp in February 2021.

In our lists

See Them Live — #13
Deep Cuts — #17
The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #9
The 25 Greatest Metal Guitar Solos — #7
The 25 Greatest Thrash Guitar Solos — #4
The 1990s — #9

Sources

What guitar was used on the Tornado of Souls solo?

A jackson, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Tornado of Souls rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#48 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 14 of them.

Who played the Tornado of Souls solo?

Marty Friedman, Megadeth's lead guitarist from 1990 to 2000.

What album is Tornado of Souls on?

Megadeth's fourth album, Rust in Peace, released in September 1990.

What is Tornado of Souls about?

It deals with escaping a suffocating relationship, drawn from Dave Mustaine's own life.

What scale is the Tornado of Souls solo in?

Analyses point to B natural minor and B Dorian, with legato, bends, arpeggios and sweep picking.

Did Marty Friedman plan the Tornado of Souls solo?

No; Friedman says he wings his solos, following what the song makes him feel.