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Anthrax - Madhouse - Guitar Lesson

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Anthrax - Madhouse - Guitar Lesson

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Anthrax - Madhouse guitar lesson video
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Spreading The Disease album cover
Spreading The Disease
1985 4:20
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Anthrax Thrash Metal 1985 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Madhouse

"Madhouse" is a thrash metal track by Anthrax, released in 1985 on Megaforce Records and Island Records. It stands as one of the band's defining early songs, showcasing the tight, aggressive riffing style that helped establish the New York thrash sound. For electric guitarists, it offers an excellent introduction to palm-muted rhythm work, fast alternate picking, and the kind of precise, punchy chord patterns central to classic thrash metal.

  • Released in 1985, "Madhouse" is one of Anthrax's earliest and most recognizable thrash metal compositions.
  • The track runs approximately 4 minutes and 20 seconds, giving guitarists a full workout of rhythm and lead phrasing.
  • Learning this song builds core thrash technique: tight palm muting, aggressive downpicking, and synchronised left-right hand coordination.
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While not Anthrax's primary choice, the Les Paul's thick body and warm humbuckers could deliver the sustain and body needed for heavy riffing, though it lacks the aggressive edge Scott Ian seeks from his pointy Jacksons.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom's premium construction offers sustain and resonance, but Anthrax's thrash style demands the aggressive aesthetics and bolt-on speed of Jacksons and ESPs rather than traditional Les Paul designs.

ESP Eclipse
Guitar

ESP Eclipse

Rob Caggiano uses the ESP Eclipse's Les Paul-style body with its set-neck construction to achieve a thicker, more modern tone while maintaining the high-gain clarity essential for Anthrax's fast palm-muted rhythms.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 defined Anthrax's classic era sound, delivering natural tube saturation and scooped aggression when cranked hard, allowing Scott Ian's tight palm-muting to cut through with perfect note definition.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Scott Ian's signature pickup delivers the hot, compressed output needed for aggressive palm-muted chugging at extreme gain, keeping every note audible and tight without noise even under brutal distortion.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Dan Spitz and Scott Ian use the Cry Baby for occasional lead solos, adding expression and character to their shred passages while maintaining the direct, minimal-effects philosophy that defines Anthrax's raw tone.

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