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Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls - Guitar Cover

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Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls - Guitar Cover

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Key E minor
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls guitar cover video
Kfir Ochaion
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Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster) album cover
Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster)
1984 5:10
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal 1984 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

For Whom the Bell Tolls

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a thrash metal track by Metallica, appearing on their second studio album, Ride the Lightning, released in 1984. Known for its crushing mid-tempo riff and heavy, deliberate feel, the song stands apart from faster Metallica material, making its guitar parts highly accessible for players developing rhythm precision and palm muting technique. Ranked among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time, it remains a cornerstone of Metallica's live catalog and an essential study piece for electric guitarists exploring heavy metal fundamentals.

  • The main riff relies on heavy palm muting and a slow, deliberate tempo, ideal for building right-hand control and rhythmic accuracy.
  • Metallica has performed this song live more than almost any other in their catalog, ranking fifth in their all-time live performance count as of March 2018.
  • Rolling Stone ranked "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at number 39 on their 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time list in March 2023.
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett's vintage 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard delivers warmer, more dynamic PAF-style tones that contrast his EMG-equipped ESP guitars, adding organic sustain to his lead work. This guitar's traditional construction gives his solos a thicker, less compressed character than his signature models.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Hammett's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the Les Paul's warm PAF pickup character and thick body resonance, offering heavier players an alternative to Strat-style designs for achieving Metallica's crushing rhythm tones.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

James Hetfield's early Gibson Explorer established his signature angular shape and thick body tone, delivering the aggressive midrange attack essential to Metallica's crushing rhythm style before his ESP signature models became his primary tool.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Kirk Hammett's Dual Rectifier heads provide the high-gain, midrange-forward aggression that lets his solos cut through Hetfield's scooped rhythm tone, creating definition and clarity in Metallica's dense wall of distortion.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Hetfield's bridge EMG 81 delivers the hot, compressed output with tight low-end that defines Metallica's palm-muted riffs, the ceramic magnet and active preamp cutting through heavy arrangements with focused, aggressive attack.

EMG 60
Pickup

EMG 60

Both guitarists use the neck EMG 60 for warmer, more articulate rhythm tones and smoother lead voicings, balancing the 81's aggression with clearer note definition across Metallica's dense arrangements.

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