Slayer - Raining Blood - Guitar Lesson

Practice Studio

Slayer - Raining Blood - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.

Slayer Thrash Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Raining Blood


"Raining Blood" is a thrash metal classic by Slayer, written by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King for the 1986 album Reign in Blood. Built around one of the most recognizable riffs in heavy metal, the song explores themes of overthrowing Heaven. It is a benchmark track for electric guitarists looking to develop speed, precision, and aggressive palm-muted picking technique within the thrash metal genre.

  • The riff was co-written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, showcasing the dual-guitar chemistry that defined Slayer's sound.
  • Released in 1986 on Reign in Blood, the track is considered one of the most influential songs in thrash metal history.
  • The song's down-tuned, heavily palm-muted riffing makes it an essential study piece for guitarists pursuing aggressive metal technique.
Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman relied on the JCM800's raw, scooped-mid aggression cranked to extreme volumes to achieve Slayer's signature saturated tone without overdrive pedals. The amp's natural power tube saturation is essential to their pure, unprocessed rhythm and lead attacks.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

The EMG 81's high-output, compressed tone with cutting highs delivers the tight, aggressive attack that defines Slayer's palm-muted riffs and solos. Its hot signal keeps the cranked Marshall in full saturation while eliminating noise at extreme gain levels.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Kerry King uses the Cry Baby wah as his only regular effect pedal, adding expressive chaos and intensity to his trademark chaotic solos over otherwise unprocessed, pure Marshall saturation.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

Not part of Slayer's core tone. King's whammy effects come from intentionally detuning non-locking tremolo systems on his B.C. Rich guitars, not digital pedal-based pitch shifting.