10 Greatest Ever Metallica Solos

10. Hit The Lights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IduF03tZTSc The first song Metallica ever wrote and one that has actually featured different lead guitarists on three recordings. First appearing on volume one of the Metal Massacre compilation series (from a fledgling Metal Blade Records, back in 1982). This is Metallica's only recording with Jamaican, Lloyd Grant on lead guitar. Then the solo is similar but made better by a young Dave Mustaine, who recorded the version that is on the band's legendary demo, 'No Life til' Leather', that was a huge underground, tape trading hit, and got them their first record deal. The definitive version is of course the opening track on the bands debut album, 'Kill 'em All', and this is where Hammett laid down his take on the lengthy shred fest, that fills the last third of the song. The evolution of the solo is pretty interesting as Mustaine's is loosely based on Grant's, just making it more technical and staying in key, whereas Hammett's is much closer to Mustaine's, but he just adds more melody and gives it better dynamics and a new-found clarity. The latter is easily the best of the three and could easily be one that, even to this day, still sums up what a Thrash Metal guitar solo should sound like.