Photo Gallery: The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1992

The winners of last week's Best Guitar Album poll reflect the evolving landscape of guitar in 1992.

Metal was far from dead (Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Pantera easily made the cut), but it certainly wasn't the dominant force anymore.

Considering almost 20 years have passed since the records in the photo gallery below were released, it's telling what an indelible impact alternative rock made on the culture of music.

It's never been a secret that many six-string enthusiasts harbored hope that grunge was no more than a flash in the pan, and lead guitar would make a quick and triumphant return. But in retrospect -- and perhaps because of the late-Nineties boy-band explosion -- the alternative rock scene may have had more to offer the guitar community than met the eye ... ah, ear.

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