Riff Tone

Back in the Village (2015 Remaster)

Iron Maiden

Guitarmetal1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (Dave Murray's 1957/62 Stratocaster with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup)

AmpGallien-Krueger 250ML

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge), Fender single coils (middle/neck)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1984 (Powerslave era). Both Dave Murray and Adrian Smith used Gallien-Krueger 250ML amps for the Powerslave album, including 'Back in the Village.' Guitar is Dave Murray's Stratocaster with DiMarzio Super Distortion in bridge. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; chorus and delay are not audible in the riff. Settings estimated based on typical usage for this amp and genre.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivearticulate and cuttingaggressive bridge pickup attackminimal ambiencedry, focused rhythmhigh-output humbucker clarityclear note separationclassic 80s metal crunchfast, palm-muted riffingslightly scooped but present mids

Difficulty

The riff requires fast alternate picking and precise palm muting at a high tempo, with complex rhythm patterns and tight synchronization with the rhythm section, making it challenging for most players.