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Riff Tone

If Darkness Had a Son

Metallica

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarESP Snakebyte (James Hetfield signature, 2023 studio recording)
AmpMarshall Super Lead 100-watt head (late-60s/early-70s, José Arredondo modded)

Amp Settings

gain9
bass6

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording for 'If Darkness Had a Son' (2023, 72 Seasons album). Producer Greg Fidelman confirmed Hetfield used his José-modded Marshall Super Lead for almost every track on the album. No evidence of live rig or alternate amps for this riff section.

Tone Character(10)
tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate pick attackchunky low endmodern metal claritycompressed and focusedminimal ambiencedry, in-your-face rhythm

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise downpicking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms typical of modern Metallica, making it challenging for intermediate players.

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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