Riff Tone

God of Emptiness (I. The Accuser, II. The Tempter)

Morbid Angel

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarIbanez Universe UV7 (7-string, Steve Vai signature, used by Trey Azagthoth on 'Covenant')

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 (100-watt, EL34 tubes, classic death metal amp for this era/album)

PickupsDiMarzio Blaze (stock pickups in Ibanez Universe UV7, humbucker configuration)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1993. Guitar World and other sources confirm Trey Azagthoth used the Ibanez Universe UV7 and Marshall JCM800 on 'Covenant'. No evidence of alternate guitars/amps for the riff section. No evidence of boost or distortion pedals in the studio signal chain for rhythm/riff. Effects inferred from era and audio.

Tone Character(10)

murky and bass-heavyrich yet hollowbrassy baritonetight and percussivescooped midsdeep, evil, heavy riffingclearer than previous albumsdirgy guitaroctaves with high end rolled offaggressive palm muting

Difficulty

While the tempo is slow, the riff requires precise palm muting, tight rhythm control, and handling of wide intervals on a 7-string guitar, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

The 30 heaviest guitar albums of all time | Guitar World [Discussion] Which "unconventional" guitar tone is your favorite?Morbid Angel - "God of Emptiness" : r/Metal - Reddit Morbid Angel - God of Emptiness [Death Metal] : r/Music - Reddit What specifically makes the octaves in Morbid Angel songs sound ...

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