Riff Tone

A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation

Trivium

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (likely 2000s, as used by Matt Heafy in studio)

AmpPeavey 5150 II head into Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinet (studio recording era)

PickupsEMG 81/85 active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid5

treble6.5

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

noise_gateISP ISP Decimator Noise Gate

boostKHDK KHDK Electronics Ascendancy Overdrive

eqMXR MXR M109S Six Band EQ

Notes

Studio recording, 2005 album 'Ascendancy'. Gear confirmed for era by multiple rig rundowns; Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu both used Les Paul Customs with EMG pickups and Peavey 5150 II amps for rhythm tracks in this period. Settings are estimated based on genre, amp, and era as no direct numeric settings for this song's recording are found.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low-endscooped but present midsrazor-sharp attackmodern metal claritycompressed and focusedminimal ambiencefast transient response

Difficulty

The riff requires precise, fast palm-muted picking, tight rhythm, and stamina to maintain clarity at high speed, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Trivium Rig Rundown Guitar Gear Tour - Premier Guitar Matt Heafy's Guitar Gear, Les Pauls & Pedalboard | Equipboard Complete Trivium Tunings List - Reddit

This tone has been researched 6 times by the community

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