Riff Tone

The Killchain

Bolt Thrower

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarBC Rich Warlock (likely 1990s/early 2000s, as used by Gavin Ward and Barry Thomson in studio)

AmpMarshall 8100 Valvestate (studio recording, Those Once Loyal era)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge, as per era-correct Bolt Thrower setups)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid4.5

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

noise_gateBoss Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor (likely, genre-standard for tight metal rhythm)

Notes

Studio recording, 2005 (Those Once Loyal album). Gear inferred from era, band interviews, and genre conventions. No direct studio photo or interview for this song, but Marshall 8100 Valvestate is widely cited as the core Bolt Thrower rhythm amp for this period.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutinghigh-gain saturationchunky low endrazor-sharp pick attackarticulate note separationminimal ambiencedense, wall-of-sound rhythmfocused, modern death metal tone

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and palm muting at high speed, demanding precision and stamina, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Reddit - Recommendations for tone settings and pedals That one Bolt Thrower riff - anyone else do something similar?Bolt Thrower, you say? Which guitar do you reach for?Changing tunings to learn new songs

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