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Metallica - Holier Than Thou - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - Holier Than Thou - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - Holier Than Thou guitar lesson video
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Metallica (Remastered) album cover
Metallica (Remastered)
1991 3:48
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1991 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Holier Than Thou

"Holier Than Thou" is a track by Metallica that confronts self-righteousness and moral hypocrisy, drawing its title concept from a phrase rooted in the King James Bible's Book of Isaiah. The song delivers the aggressive, fast-paced thrash metal energy Metallica is known for, making it a rewarding challenge for electric guitarists looking to sharpen their rhythm precision and picking speed. Its driving riff structure and tight ensemble feel make it a practical study in thrash technique.

  • The song's title references Isaiah 65:5 from the King James Bible, giving the aggressive track a literary and historical dimension.
  • "Holier Than Thou" is a strong exercise for mastering tight, palm-muted downpicking, a signature technique of Metallica's thrash style.
  • The track challenges guitarists with rapid tempo changes and precise synchronization between rhythm guitar and drums throughout.
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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