10 Greatest Rock Music Guitar Solos Of The 2010s

When you take the decision to name yourself Synyster Gates, you better make sure you’re a damn fine metal guitar player.

The lead strummer from Avenged Sevenfold, whose real name is the much tamer Brian Haner Jr., definitely earns his self-appointed title, as there was a time when he ruled the roost when it came to grand expressions of skill with an axe.

The band’s first album of the 2010s, 2010’s Nightmare, features many great A7X songs, but one that doesn’t usually get a lot of love is Welcome to the Family, the album’s second track.

Written mostly by the band’s late drummer The Rev, Welcome to the Family shows Gates off at his best, as his solo flits effortlessly between rapid-fire and deliberately paced. Just when you think the section is over, it changes direction once again, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time, until Gates rounds it off with a clever flourish.

There are plenty of great Avenged Sevenfold solos to check out from across their many years as one of modern metal’s biggest bands, but this one definitely deserves more attention than it gets.