Riff Tone

If Darkness Had a Son

Metallica

Guitarmetal2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarESP Snakebyte (James Hetfield signature, 2023 studio recording)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 100-watt head (late-60s/early-70s, José Arredondo modded)

PickupsEMG JH Het Set (active humbuckers, bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain9

bass6

mid3.5

treble7.5

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'If Darkness Had a Son' (2023, 72 Seasons album). Producer Greg Fidelman confirmed Hetfield used his José-modded Marshall Super Lead for almost every track on the album. No evidence of live rig or alternate amps for this riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationarticulate pick attackchunky low endmodern metal claritycompressed and focusedminimal ambiencedry, in-your-face rhythm

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, aggressive palm muting and precise downpicking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms typical of modern Metallica, making it challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Metallica – 72 Seasons - Gear & Equipment Used on the Single | Equipboard What are the Amp settings for a Metallica sound : r/Guitar - Reddit

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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