10 Greatest Rock Music Guitar Solos Of The 2000s
9. Hysteria - Muse
If this were a list about killer base parts in rock music, then Hysteria by Muse would also be guaranteed a place.
The heavily-distorted, thick-as-mud rhythm line in this 2003 single is thunderous and it deservedly dominates the song. Don’t sleep on the other instruments, though, especially not Matt Bellamy on guitar.
Muse’s frontman plays a blistering sequence of notes without putting a fingertip wrong. The solo, which can be found on the band’s third album Absolution, has a similar darkly futuristic tone to its bass counterpart, creating further cohesion across this very tight piece.
It’s equal parts technically sound and flamboyantly self-serving, paying homage to the bands that came before Muse whilst also showing that they were something completely different. Bellamy is a great guitar player, which most people seem to forget about when they’re making jokes about him being a budget Thom Yorke.
Hysteria topped a 2012 poll by the NME to find Muse’s greatest ever song, and whilst the much-heralded bass part undoubtedly played its part in that result, hopefully the voters also cast their ballots because of this thoroughly underrated solo.