Riff Tone

Nemo (Remastered)

Nightwish

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarESP Custom Shop Horizon NT

AmpHughes & Kettner TriAmp MKII

PickupsSeymour Duncan SH-4 JB (bridge), Seymour Duncan '59 (neck), Hot Rails (middle)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid5

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2004 (Remastered version released later, but original tracking from Once album sessions). Guitarist Emppu Vuorinen is known to use ESP Horizon with Seymour Duncan pickups and Hughes & Kettner amps for this era. No direct evidence of pedal use for the riff section; distortion is primarily amp-based.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivemodern high-gain saturationarticulate attackclear note separationcompressed and focusedaggressive rhythm tonescooped but present midsslight amp reverb for spaceno audible modulationpalm-muted chugs

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, consistent palm muting and precise rhythm playing at a moderate tempo, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

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