In an exclusive clip from Sky Arts’ “Greatest Guitar Riffs,“ Queen‘s legendary Brian May throws down a scorching solo over Black Sabbath‘s immortal “Paranoid,” alongside none other than Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi himself.
The clip, taken from the video series that aired last November, over three consecutive nights, showcases a friendship forged in riffs and fueled by distortion pedals. May‘s signature vibrato soars above Iommi‘s crushing power chords, their combined might proving that age and genre are no match for musical alchemy. Witnessing these two titans trade licks on a Sabbath classic is akin to watching Michelangelo and Da Vinci collaborate on a graffiti masterpiece.
But “Greatest Guitar Riffs” is more than just a one-off jam session. It’s a three-episode odyssey into the soul of the six-string, hosted by guitar icons like The Police‘s Andy Summers and Heart‘s Nancy Wilson. Each episode delves into the stories behind legendary riffs, tracing their impact on music history and the personal journeys of the guitarists who birthed them.
Iommi himself pulls back the curtain on Sabbath‘s riff-fueled revolution, dissecting anthems like “War Pigs” and “Iron Man.” Summers reflects on the Police‘s infectious grooves, from the opening salvo of “Every Breath You Take” to the pulsating rhythm of “Roxanne.” And Wilson takes us on a personal pilgrimage through the music that shaped her, culminating in a grunge-tinged showdown with Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready and Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil.
But the riff party doesn’t stop there. The series throws in cameos from guitar royalty like jazz legend George Benson, The Killers‘ Dave Keuning, Bon Jovi‘s Richie Sambora, and even Michael Jackson‘s shred queen Orianthi.
