Slayer - War Ensemble - Guitar Lesson

Seasons In the Abyss

1990 4:52

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About War Ensemble

Few thrash metal tracks put your picking hand under pressure quite like "War Ensemble." The song opens with a grinding, palm-muted riff that sits in Eb Standard tuning, a half-step down from concert pitch, which gives the low end a slightly heavier, darker feel without changing your fingering. At 180 BPM, the right-hand work is the real challenge: the main riff demands tight, consistent alternate picking with clean palm muting that has to stay locked in even as the tempo pushes hard. Fretting-hand accuracy matters too, because sloppy chord changes will immediately expose themselves at this speed. Slayer wrote the song in E minor, so the scale patterns are approachable, but controlling the aggression and keeping the muting precise is where the work is. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening riff slowed down until your pick attack is even on every note, then gradually bring the tempo up. The lead sections add a further layer of difficulty, with fast, chaotic phrasing that rewards patient, isolated repetition. Thrash Metal technique is on full display throughout.

• The main riff relies on aggressive palm-muted alternate picking at 180 BPM, making consistent right-hand control the primary technical hurdle.
• The song is tuned to Eb Standard, dropping all six strings a half-step, which slightly loosens string tension and thickens the overall tone.
• Looping the verse riff slowed down via the Practice Toolbar is the most effective way to build the stamina and muting precision the song demands.