Knights of Cydonia
Muse, 2006. Solo by Matt Bellamy.
Matt Bellamy's guitar playing here is full of drama, from the galloping, spaghetti-western-flavored intro to the frantic solos near the end. He combines fast tremolo picking, sweeping runs and big, bent notes with a heavily processed tone that sounds almost synthetic in places. The song's structure, with sudden changes in dynamics and tempo, gives the guitar plenty of room to make an entrance. It became one of Muse's most loved tracks and a showcase for Bellamy's mix of classical flair and rock bombast. Listen for the moment the song shifts into overdrive, with Bellamy's lines rising over the rhythm section like a charge across open ground.
Knights of Cydonia by Muse is ranked #94 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Matt Bellamy and the song was released in 2006. It appears on 5 lists, placing as high as #5 (NME).
In our lists
- See Them Live — #31
- The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #63
- The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #19
- The 25 Greatest Alternative Rock Guitar Solos — #6
- The 2000s — #3
- Epic-Length Solos — #22
Sources
- NME: 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #5
- Studio Brussel (VRT public radio, Belgium): Beste gitaarsolo ooit is van Jimi Hendrix — #6
- The Metal Circus (Spain), reproducing Q magazine: Los 20 mejores solos de guitarra — #9
- Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #91
- Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) — #98
Who played the guitar solo on Knights of Cydonia?
Matt Bellamy played the solo on Muse's Knights of Cydonia (2006).
What guitar was used on the Knights of Cydonia solo?
A manson, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Knights of Cydonia rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#94 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 5 of them.