Some guitarists play fast. Some play clean. Some melt faces. 

George Lynch? 

He haunts the fretboard.

There’s something unmistakable in his vibrato, his phrasing, his tone; a fusion of California cool and molten fury, soaked in groove and twisted into something feral.

If Randy Rhoads was the elegant swordsman of L.A., Lynch was its streetfighter, teeth bared, shoes scuffed, still playing for his life.

And to the masses, it all began here…

NOTE: This is my list of his best guitar solo moments.

I also covered every release that I am aware off, regardless if that release had a standout solo or not.

DOKKEN – Breaking the Chains (1983)

The debut. European import. You could already hear something coiled and hungry in Lynch’s playing, even if the production felt more New Wave than Sunset Strip.

Standout Solo: “Paris Is Burning”

This is Lynch in demo mode, raw, unfiltered, wild. It was recorded live in Germany and sounds like he’s trying to kill the amp.

DOKKEN – Tooth and Nail (1984)

Here’s where the melodic genius and the savage technician became the same beast.

“Tooth and Nail” is like a car crash into Bach, and it’s glorious. But.

Standout Solo’s:

“Into the Fire”

Melodic gold. That legato phrasing. That ascending flurry that still makes me squint involuntarily every time I hear it. This was the solo that told me Lynch wasn’t just a shredder, he was a composer.

“Alone Again” 

Deserves a mention as well, proof he could feel as much as shred.

DOKKEN – Under Lock and Key (1985)

Radio hits, MTV sheen, Don and George fighting off-camera, but the guitar work? 

Career-defining.

Standout Solo’s: 

“Unchain the Night”

Intro alone sounds like a weather system brewing over a mountain. 

And when the solo comes? 

It’s not just speed. It’s shape. He dances between harmonics and melody like he’s writing a new dialect of guitar.

“The Hunter” is another one. Subtle. Hooky. Craftsmanship.

DOKKEN – Back for the Attack (1987)

This is the zenith. Lynch was untouchable here, creative peak, technical peak, and absolutely unchained.

Standout Solos:

“Kiss of Death”

This is the kind of solo that makes other guitarists rethink their lives. Dissonant bends, exotic scales, and just enough whammy bar to keep it psychotic. He doesn’t just play notes, he throws punches.

“Mr. Scary”

Yeah, I know, it’s the obvious one. But there’s a reason. It’s instrumental warfare. Like if Eddie Van Halen got into a knife fight with a robot demon and lost. Still jaw-dropping.

“Dream Warriors”

The solo drips with cinematic flair, melodic but menacing, perfectly suited for Freddy Krueger’s dream-stalking playground. He doesn’t just shred; he glides, throwing in bends that feel like they’re bending reality. It’s more haunted lullaby than guitar solo and it works.

“Prisoner”

The solo on “Prisoner” is peak Lynch: controlled chaos wrapped in melody. He lets it simmer before striking, phrasing each line like a confession behind bars. There’s a sorrow in his bends, a tension in his pauses, and when it finally soars, it’s pure liberation. A perfect mirror to the song’s theme, shackled, then set free.

DOKKEN – Beast from the East (1988)

A live album capturing the band’s energy, with Lynch’s solos on “Kiss of Death” and “Dream Warriors” standing out.

But. This live album also gave us a new studio cut.

“Walk Away”

The swan song of the classic Dokken lineup and what a way to bow out. The solo doesn’t scream; it sings. A lyrical, almost mournful cascade of notes that refuses to showboat, choosing instead to echo the heartbreak in Don’s voice. No flash, just class. It’s not just a goodbye, it’s a goodbye with taste.

LYNCH MOB – Wicked Sensation (1990)

Dokken burns out, and George finds a new muse in Oni Logan. 

The result? 

A fusion of bluesy swagger and metallic muscle.

Standout Solos:

“Wicked Sensation”

This one grooves like it’s on rails greased with sweat.

The solo?

Swampy, exotic, sexy. He was done competing with other guitarists, this was about vibe.

“All I Want”

A 12/8 shuffle that struts like a juke-joint ghost,

The solo?

Pure phrasing clinic.

He’s bending notes like they owe him money, soulful, slinky, and soaked in attitude. It’s not about speed here; it’s about feel, swagger, and serving the song.

“For a Million Years”

That solo is like late-night sin in audio form.

LYNCH MOB – Lynch Mob (1992)

A new singer (Robert Mason) and a grittier sound. This album’s overlooked, but the guitar tone alone is worth the price of admission.

Standout Solo:

“Tangled in the Web”

Funky. Fuzzy. Those double-stops are filth in the best way.

“Cold Is the Heart”

A slow burn wrapped in velvet menace sees Lynch mining the emotional low-end of his palette, dark, moody, and melodic as hell. He’s not shredding, he’s narrating. A masterclass in restraint and release.

“Tie Your Mother Down” 

Queen’s gritty rocker gets the Lynch treatment, and instead of mimicking May’s regal attack, George detours into baroque territory.

His solo erupts with neo-classical flash, harmonized runs, violin-like phrasing, and a touch of Yngwie filtered through a hot-rod blues engine. It’s a head-on collision of classical discipline and streetwise attitude.

Unexpected?

Totally.

But it works because Lynch makes it sound like he wrote it that way.

SOLO – Sacred Groove (1993)

Instrumental experimentation. Gospel vibes. Industrial edges. A rare look into Lynch without the band dynamic.

Standout Solos:

“Love Power from the Mama Head”

Insane. Absolutely bonkers. Feels like Hendrix high on Eastern mysticism and barbed wire. The title’s ridiculous, but the track is holy.

“We Don’t Own This World”

Lynch goes atmospheric here. The solo floats in with sustain-drenched bends and phrasing that leans more David Gilmour than Al DiMeola. But then, halfway through, he kicks the door in with a cascade of ascending runs, like nature fighting back. It’s one of his most lyrical, mature solos.

“I Will Remember”

One of the most heartfelt things he’s ever recorded. Pure tone poetry.

“Tierra Del Fuego”

This is Lynch the explorer, not the gunslinger. “Tierra Del Fuego” is his instrumental passport to South America, mixing flamenco flourishes with fusion chops and cinematic phrasing.

It’s a journey piece, percussion driving like hooves through desert dust while George’s guitar sings like it’s half-sunset, half-prayer. The solo is part fire dance, part jazz escape, with just enough shred to remind you who’s holding the torch.

DOKKEN – Dysfunctional (1995)

Less fire, more fatigue. But Lynch still delivered.

Standout Solo:

“Too High to Fly”

Extended jam. Controlled burn. This is Lynch saying, “I don’t need to go fast, I just need to go deep.”

DOKKEN – One Live Night (1996)

Stripped down yet charged with electricity, “One Live Night” finds Dokken trading neon-lit arenas for a dimly lit club and it works.

Standout Solo:

“Into the Fire”

Gone are the thunderous drums, but Lynch’s solo still crackles like a live wire. He teases the melody softly at first, then rips into a torrent of fluid legato runs. It’s a masterful balancing act, intimate and explosive in the same breath.

DOKKEN – Shadowlife (1997)

An experimental album with a grunge influence, featuring Lynch’s subdued guitar work. 

LYNCH MOB – Syzygy (EP, 1998)

Fresh off his final Dokken split and reunited with original vocalist Oni Logan, George Lynch delivered “Syzygy”, a lean, three‐song statement of intent. This EP feels like a secret jam session with hard rock’s raw spirit, no frills, just grit and groove.  

LYNCH MOB – Smoke This (1999)

An album that explores nu-metal influences, hip-hop vocals and with Lynch adapting his style to a heavier, groove-oriented sound. 

Largely ignored because of this.

That’s a wrap for the first part.

The Second part is coming up soon from the wastelands of the post Napster era.