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Metallica - The Day That Never Comes - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - The Day That Never Comes guitar lesson video
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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.
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Metallica Thrash Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Day That Never Comes

Few songs in Metallica's catalog demand as much dynamic range from a guitarist as "The Day That Never Comes." The track opens with a clean, fingerpicked passage in E minor that requires a patient, controlled touch, keeping notes even and unhurried before the song builds into a heavier, riff-driven section. That shift from clean to distorted playing is where most guitarists stumble, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop the transition point slowed down until the timing feels natural under your fingers. The main heavy riff sits comfortably in E minor but relies on precise palm muting and tight rhythmic accuracy, and any sloppiness in the picking hand will stand out immediately. The lead work in the outro is the real test: long, melodic phrases with expressive bends that need consistent intonation and vibrato control. Work through the solo phrases one at a time, looping each slowed down before chaining them together.

  • The song's clean intro section requires fingerpicking or careful hybrid picking in E minor, demanding control that pure rhythm players may not be used to.
  • Palm-muted, downpicked riffing drives the heavy sections, so right-hand stamina and muting consistency are the core technical challenges here.
  • The extended outro lead features long bending phrases in E minor, making vibrato control and accurate pitch on bends the main things to practise.

How to Play The Day That Never Comes

Key: E minor · Tempo: 60 BPM

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 60 BPM.

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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