Riff Tone

Blow Me Away

Breaking Benjamin

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarPRS Tremonti SE (likely, based on era and band interviews, but not confirmed for this exact recording)

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (likely, based on era and genre, but not confirmed for this exact recording)

PickupsPRS Tremonti humbuckers (high-output, ceramic magnet, likely stock for era)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4.5

treble6.5

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

distortionUnknown Distortion pedal (model unknown, possibly Boss Metal Zone MT-2 or amp gain only)

noise_gateUnknown Noise gate (model unknown, inferred from tightness and genre)

Notes

Studio recording, released 2004 for the Halo 2 soundtrack and later on 'Shallow Bay'. No direct source confirms exact gear for this track, but PRS Tremonti and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier are widely cited as Ben Burnley's main studio rig for this era. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this song's riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate low endcompressed and focusedminimal ambiencemodern nu-metal/alt-metalhigh-output humbucker claritychunky rhythm attack

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, typical of modern metal rhythm guitar. While not technically advanced, it demands accuracy and control for a clean, percussive sound.