4. Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrqF2KhZfa0 You just can't beat a vocalist screaming his sack off as the thing that heralds the beginning of a solo, and with M. Shadows' incredible projection utilising every last cubic centimetre of breath to shout "I need another chance to live!", Synyster Gates comes screaming in playing as fast as fingers will allow. The sheer ferocity in his playing, coupled with the recording-session interview bringing to light that he was just allowed to play as maniacally as he wanted, combines the cacophonous explosion that starts the solo, some incredibly complicated sweeps in the middle, and a tremolo-picked ending into a powerhouse of modern guitar-shred. All performed by a remarkably talented guy who despite a lot of undeserved hate for his band, has remained a very progressive player with a killer identity.