 | Live After Death by Iron Maiden
Buy new: $24.98 / Used from: $7.99 It's Iron Maiden LIVE -- what else do you need? Simply the finest live recording of a fantastic metal band at their finest hour. Many tracks even better than their album versions. Twin guitars rule
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 | Symbol of Salvation by Armored Saint
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $7.94 Armored Saint was (understandably) very under-rated in their time, but check out their best album, and one of the greatest start-to-finish metal guitar recordings ever
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 | Master of Puppets by Metallica
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $5.95 What more can be said, their best work. One of the primary reasons that thirty-something males play guitar today. Some of the best riffs ever conceived
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 | Alibi by Vandenberg
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $12.71 Find this album now. Adrian Vandenberg is one of the greatest guitarist never to get his due. "Alibi" and "Fighting Against the World" are alone worth the purchase price
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 | Mechanical Resonance by Tesla
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $2.91 Start to finish, one of the greatest guitar rock records ever. The energy of a live album on all tracks, and the best dual guitar assault outside Queeensryche and Maiden
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 | Soldiers Under Command by Stryper
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $6.00 Yes, it is Stryper... but you can't beat a postive message surrounded by Hendrixian riffs, classic metal progressions, Van Halen-leads, and pure power metal. check out "Yellow N Black Attack " too.
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 | Metal Heart by Accept
Buy used from: $2.72 Even better than "Balls" with more twin-guitar riffs, crunching rhythms, and classical lead work. Not a bad song on here.
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 | Scumdogs of the Universe by Gwar
Buy used from: $8.77 Proof that GWAR is more than just theatrics, they actually can play and write great riffs, memorable melodies (sorry Dave, but they are catchy), intricate chord progressions-- and still stay filthy.
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 | Slave to the Grind by Skid Row
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $0.50 Yes, it is Skid Row. Look beyond your disgust with Sebastian Bach and just listen to "Monkey Business" or "Slave" or "Wasted Time." Brilliant songwriting, excellent guitar work.
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 | The Better Life by 3 Doors Down
Buy new: $10.97 / Used from: $0.80 80's and 90's style twin guitar assault with excellent songs and great vocals. the purest rock album released that year, check out "Life of my Own"
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 | Contagious by Y&T
Buy new: $6.98 / Used from: $1.51 Not their best overall album (check out Mean Streak or Black Tiger) but some of the best 80s era guitar work, that is both catchy, melodic, and intricate. Dave Meniketti is one of the best unknowns
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 | World Wide Live by Scorpions
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $6.81 Well, any Scorpions album is a guitarist's joy, but this one has their finest work, and LIVE to boot! Try not to get out of breath playing "Dynamite" or "Blackout." Learn "Coast 2 Coast" too!
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 | Power & the Glory by Saxon
Buy used from: $9.98 Great album, great songs, great band, great riffs. Excellent practice for the novice/ intermediate metal guitarist... as much fun to play as "Wheels of Steel" (one of the best metal songs ever, BTW)
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 | Powerslave by Iron Maiden
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $7.99 The best Iron Maiden since their first album, only with better songs, better structure, better riffs, and more intelligence. And no invocations to Satan either :)
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 | High 'N' Dry by Def Leppard
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $8.68 Def Lep was an entirely different band before Hysteria, before synthesizers, before they got lame. Darn you Pete. Every song oozes a Gibson Les Paul slung way down low...
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 | The Human Factor by Metal Church
Buy used from: $8.82 How can you argue with a Church that worships Metal? An unknown gem, with not a bad song on it. Check out "Betrayed" and "Date with Poverty"
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 | Done with Mirrors by Aerosmith
Buy new: $17.98 / Used from: $1.87 Forget anything post-"Vacation." This has the best 'Smith-riffs since "Toys". Simple, crunchy, pure. Has probably 6 of Aerosmith's 20 best guitar songs on here
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 | Let It Scream by Scream
Buy used from: $68.94 take Racer-X guitar talent, add Gary Moore's blues, sprinkle a li'l Zep and Stones, top off with AC/DC and this is your finished product. Too bad Nirvana killed this band early.
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 | Extreme II: Pornograffitti by Extreme
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 Delete 3-4 awful songs, and this is THE lesson in rock guitar songsmithing. "Get the Funk Out", "It's a Monster"-- I mean, Wow. Makes your fingers bleed.
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| Speak English or Die by S.O.D.: Stormtroopers of Death
Buy used from: $5.49 Buy one electric guitar & amp, plus 15 heavy picks. Learn 3-4 power chords, practice for 3 days. You can now play this entire album. Great when you don't take yourself too seriously!
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 | Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell by Social Distortion
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.63 See the "SOD" comments. Ditto.
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 | 5150 by Van Halen
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $0.97 Had to have some VH on an essential rock guitar list, right? VH I may have changed everything, but 5150 has Eddie's best guitar-driven songwriting since then. Mediocre songs, but great fretwork
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 | Back in Black by AC/DC
Buy used from: $2.75 Mandatory in any CD collection. The reasons why wouldn't fit on this page.
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 | Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $3.98 See the "Back in Black" comments. Ditto.
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 | Back for the Attack by Dokken
Buy used from: $0.68 O George Lynch, Where Art Thou? Not the band's best album, but certainly the most quality guitar work GL did with them. If only you could turn off the vocals...
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