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Metallica - The God That Failed - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - The God That Failed guitar lesson video
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Metallica (Remastered) album cover
Metallica (Remastered)
1991 5:09
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1991 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The God That Failed

Few tracks on the 1991 Black Album reward close study the way "The God That Failed" does. Written in Eb Standard tuning, the song sits in E minor and moves at a deliberate 92 BPM, which gives every riff room to breathe and hit hard. The core work here is in the right hand: Metallica build the song around heavy, syncopated palm-muted picking patterns that demand clean muting technique and consistent pick attack, not speed. The main riff has a lurching, off-kilter feel that is easy to rush, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the rhythmic placement feels natural before bringing it back up to tempo. Chord stabs and single-note lines layer on top, and getting the dynamics right between the muted passages and the open, ringing hits is where most players need work. Drop the tuning a half step to Eb before you start, or everything will feel and sound wrong against the recording.

  • The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, so every string is tuned down a half step from standard before you begin.
  • At 92 BPM the riffs are mid-tempo, making tight palm muting and rhythmic precision the main technical challenge rather than speed.
  • The main riff relies on syncopated picking with accented open hits breaking up the muted pattern, so focus practice on consistent dynamics between those two textures.

How to Play The God That Failed

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 92 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 92 BPM to build it up to tempo.

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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