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Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be guitar lesson video
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Master of Puppets (Remastered) album cover
Master of Puppets (Remastered)
1986 6:36
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1986 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

The Thing That Should Not Be

"The Thing That Should Not Be" by Metallica is a slow, crushing track from the 1986 album Master of Puppets. Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's mythology, the song is built around a heavy, down-tuned riff that makes it a rewarding study in dark, mid-paced groove rather than speed. For electric guitarists, it offers a masterclass in using tension, dynamics, and palm-muted heaviness to create atmosphere.

  • The song's slow, sludgy riff is a useful exercise in controlled palm muting and precise down-picking technique.
  • Master of Puppets was recorded at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, with producer Flemming Rasmussen.
  • The album is the final Metallica record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who died during the subsequent tour in 1986.
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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