Metallica - Enter Sandman Pt.2 - Verse, PreChorus & Chorus - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - Enter Sandman Pt.2 - Verse, PreChorus & Chorus - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
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Metallica Heavy Metal E minor
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Enter Sandman Pt.2 - Verse, PreChorus & Chorus


"Enter Sandman" by Metallica is one of the most recognized heavy metal songs ever recorded, appearing on the band's self-titled fifth studio album released on August 12, 1991. The album marked a deliberate shift away from thrash metal toward a slower, heavier, and more accessible sound. For electric guitarists, learning the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus sections of this track offers essential practice in palm muting, power chord transitions, and the kind of tight, groove-driven riffing that defines Metallica's landmark 1991 era.

  • The riff-focused structure makes this section ideal for building palm muting control and right-hand picking consistency.
  • Metallica recorded the self-titled album over eight months at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
  • The album's production, handled by Bob Rock, pushed the band toward a cleaner, more deliberate guitar tone.
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.