Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country - Guitar Lesson

City of Evil

2005 5:12

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About Bat Country

Few songs from 2005 pack as much guitar work into one track as "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold. Tuned down to Eb Standard and sitting in F# minor at 120 BPM, the song demands both precision rhythm playing and fluid lead technique across its runtime. The opening lead melody is the first real test: it needs a clean, singing tone and accurate bends that lock tightly to the pulse before the full band crashes in. Synyster Gates layers intricate heavy metal lead lines over crunching rhythm work, so if you are tackling both parts, expect to spend serious time separating them and drilling each one independently. The solo sections are where most players will hit a wall, combining sweep picking ideas with fast alternate-picked runs. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate any of those passages, loop them slowed down until the picking hand and fretting hand are genuinely in sync, then gradually raise the tempo back to 120 BPM.

• The song is tuned to Eb Standard, so drop all six strings one semitone before you start or the bends and unison lines will sit in the wrong place.
• The solo sections combine sweep-picked arpeggios with alternate-picked scalar runs, making them a good targeted workout for right-hand pick control.
• Rhythm parts rely on tight palm-muted chugging in F# minor, so locking your picking hand to a metronome at 120 BPM is the essential first step.