2015 IN THIS YEAR…

89 people die in a terrorist attack at the Bataclan in Paris during a concert by Eagles Of Death Metal

Iron Maiden’s double album Thebookofsouls hits number one in 24 countries

B. B. King dies aged 89, Lemmy dies aged 70

GRINDER

GARY CLARK JR.

One listen to 2015’s Thestory Ofsonnyboyslim confirms the Texan knows his way around the fretboard and has a knack for making guitars scream. The thick, fuzz-marinated leads and roaring feedback heard on Grinder will have you wincing – in the best possible way. The opening D5-C5 chords are easy, but it’s Gary’s scorching wah licks that really set the opening verse alight. Most of these lines are based around the good old minor pentatonic scale – in D here (D F G A C), so the root note is on the 10th fret. Listen out at 1:10 when Gary hits a long, whining string bend up to an E note; that 2nd interval really grates – as we said before, in the best possible way!

HAPPY SONG

BRING ME THE HORIZON

Video: bit.ly/tg336video Sheffield’s enfant terribles channel Morello-style riffing for this welcomingly hooky yet stomping number from

2015’s That’s Thespirit.

CIRICE

GHOST

Video: bit.ly/tg336video Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls deliver this doom-laden metal riff on Gibson RD guitars, before they made a switch to Hagstrom Fantomens in more recent times.

THE RED AND THE BLACK

IRON MAIDEN

Four decades and 16 albums in, the NWOBHM originals are still the masters of their world – as evidenced on this perfectly

crafted 13-minute epic.

HUNGRY HEART

YAK

Rambunctious and noisy, the bludgeoning relentlessness of London power trio Yak’s debut single landed like a ten ton anvil.

NOBLE SAVAGE

CLUTCH

The Maryland quartet’s axeman, Tim Sult, is very much today’s answer to Tony Iommi when it comes to heavy blues riffing. Don’t believe us? Just listen to this.

RIVERMAN

NOEL GALLAGHER

Noel shows the power of a simple strumming pattern, a few chords and a solo you can sing.

BRAZIL

DECLAN MCKENNA

The sneaky slides on Declan’s Telecaster make this riff stick. The rest is just the magic of barre chords.