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Volbeat - The Devil's Bleeding Crown - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Volbeat - The Devil's Bleeding Crown guitar lesson video
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Volbeat Heavy Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Devil's Bleeding Crown

Drop D tuning is doing a lot of work in "The Devil's Bleeding Crown," and that is the first thing to get comfortable with before anything else. The low D string powers the chugging, palm-muted riff that drives the verse, and in E minor it sits in a range that feels genuinely heavy without needing a lot of gain to cut through. At 120 BPM the tempo is steady and medium-fast, which sounds manageable until you realise the right-hand palm muting needs to stay tight and consistent throughout. Sloppy muting exposes itself quickly here, so if the riff is losing definition, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down and focus on where the pick hits relative to the bridge. Volbeat blend Heavy Metal rhythm playing with a rockabilly melodic sense, and the lead work above this riff asks you to phrase with some swagger rather than just running scales. Getting the rhythm part locked in first is the right order of attack.

  • The Drop D tuning lowers the sixth string to D, enabling the one-finger power chords that anchor the main driving riff.
  • Palm muting precision on the low D string is the central technical challenge, as any inconsistency dulls the riff's impact noticeably.
  • At 120 BPM the song sits at a tempo where a metronome or the Practice Toolbar's slow-down feature helps build clean picking before going full speed.

How to Play The Devil's Bleeding Crown

Tuning: Drop D · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While Poulsen primarily favors the Custom model, the Les Paul Standard offers similar weight and sustain for Volbeat's heavy tunings and expressive lead work. Its slightly warmer stock tone complements his neck pickup preference, though aftermarket EMG pickups are typically installed to match his signature tight low-end response.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Poulsen's primary choice for its superior weight, sustain, and hardware quality that handles heavy tunings with clarity. The Les Paul Custom's thick body supports his warm, compressed neck pickup tone while delivering the articulation and note definition essential to Volbeat's syncopated rhythmic style.

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