Practice Studio

Avenged Sevenfold - Hail to the King - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key C minor
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.

Capo Advisor 0 C minor · Original key

About Hail to the King


Few Heavy Metal tracks from 2013 hit as hard on a single riff as this one does. The main guitar figure sits in C minor and leans heavily on a mid-tempo, deliberate feel at 120 BPM, which might sound easy until you try to lock it in with the same mechanical authority that Avenged Sevenfold bring to the recording. The tuning is Eb Standard, so drop everything down a half step before you start, or the riff will sit in the wrong register and you will lose that thick, low-end weight the song depends on. Most of the picking is alternate picking on single strings with occasional power-chord punctuation, and the challenge is keeping each note tight and evenly spaced rather than rushing the pulse. The solo section demands string bending with good pitch control and fluid legato phrasing. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the solo passages slowed down until the phrasing feels natural at half speed before pushing the tempo back up.

  • The song is in Eb Standard tuning, so tune every string down one half step before playing to match the recorded tone and register.
  • The main riff relies on precise alternate picking at a steady 120 BPM, making clean note separation the primary technique to practise.
  • The lead guitar sections combine string bends and legato runs in C minor, requiring reliable intonation and left-hand strength.

How to Play Hail to the King

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Interlude, Solo 1, Solo 2, Bridge, Outro.

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: C minor · Tempo: 120 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording. The arrangement runs through 9 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

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.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Zacky Vengeance pairs the JCM800 with his Schecter for a grittier, more classic crunch on rhythm duties, cutting through the mix with natural breakup without relying solely on high-gain saturation.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Synyster Gates uses this wah to add expressive dynamics to his lead passages, allowing him to shape the midrange of his high-output bridge pickup for singing, vocal-like solo tones.

ISP Decimator Noise Gate
Pedal

ISP Decimator Noise Gate

The ISP Decimator tames the high-gain hum inherent to Avenged Sevenfold's aggressive drop-tuned rhythms and sustain-heavy leads, keeping the signal clean without sacrificing the thick distortion tone.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

Synyster Gates deploys this analog delay to add ambience and spaciousness to his solos, complementing his Sustainiac-driven feedback passages with lush, tape-like modulation for dynamic lead work.

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)