Riff Tone

Amaranth

Nightwish

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP Horizon NT-II (likely, as used by Emppu Vuorinen during 'Dark Passion Play' era studio sessions)

AmpENGL Powerball (likely, as used by Emppu Vuorinen for heavy rhythm tones on 'Dark Passion Play')

PickupsEMG 81/85 active humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2007. Gear inferred from Emppu Vuorinen's known studio rig for 'Dark Passion Play' era. No direct source confirms exact gear for 'Amaranth' riff, but ESP Horizon NT-II with EMG pickups and ENGL Powerball amp are widely cited for this period.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivehigh-gain saturationarticulate chugsslightly scooped midsbright and clear attackcompressed and controlledminimal ambiencefocused low endmodern metal clarityaggressive palm muting

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, consistent palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, but does not involve advanced techniques or complex timing.

Sources

100(ish) Days Of Nightwish - Day 98 - Amaranth (Dark Passion Play)Evolving tastes? : r/nightwish - Reddit

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