Riff Tone

Holy Mountains

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarIbanez Iceman IC300

AmpMarshall JCM800 2203

PickupsStock Ibanez humbuckers (likely ceramic, high output)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass5.5

mid5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2005-2006 era. Daron Malakian is known to use the Ibanez Iceman and Marshall JCM800 for System of a Down's 'Mezmerize/Hypnotize' sessions. No direct evidence for pedals or alternate amps for this specific song's riff section. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the studio riff.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingsaturated high-gainchunky low endslightly scooped midsarticulate note separationmodern metal clarityfast attackcompressed dynamicsminimal ambience

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise alternate picking at a medium-fast tempo, with syncopated rhythms that demand good timing and stamina.

Sources

System Of A Down - Holy Mountains - [05:30] (Ambitious ...What amp did Daron use in Radio/Video? : r/systemofadown Daron Malakian's tone : r/guitarpedals

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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