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Riff Tone
Creeping Death
Metallica
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 (custom Explorer-style, white finish, 1984)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio, 1984)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass5.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Rhythm guitar by James Hetfield. No confirmed pedals in studio chain; distortion from amp. Kirk Hammett used a 1979 Gibson Flying V for some lead parts, but main riff is Hetfield's rhythm track.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate pick attackdry, minimal ambiencecrushing low endrazor-sharp claritydouble-tracked heavinessfast attack
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, consistent downstrokes, tight palm muting, and precise timing at a high tempo, demanding both technical skill and stamina.
This tone has been researched 139 times by the community
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Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarESP MX220 (custom Explorer-style, white finish, 1984)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ head into Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio, 1984)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
This tone has been researched 139 times by the community
Notes
Studio recording, 1984. Rhythm guitar by James Hetfield. No confirmed pedals in studio chain; distortion from amp. Kirk Hammett used a 1979 Gibson Flying V for some lead parts, but main riff is Hetfield's rhythm track.
Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate pick attackdry, minimal ambiencecrushing low endrazor-sharp claritydouble-tracked heavinessfast attack
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, consistent downstrokes, tight palm muting, and precise timing at a high tempo, demanding both technical skill and stamina.