Practice Studio

Dissection - Black Horizons - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E 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.

Dissection Black Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Black Horizons


Dropped down to D Standard, "Black Horizons" puts you immediately in cold, dark territory that demands both precision and stamina. The song sits in E minor and leans heavily on tremolo-picked riffs, so your picking hand needs to stay loose and consistent across extended runs without tensing up. The lower string tension that D Standard provides gives the riffs a slightly heavier, looser feel, which means your fretting hand has to stay deliberate to keep the notes from blurring together at speed. Dissection built their early sound on the aggressive edge of Death Metal, and this track is a solid entry point into that style of riffing. If the tremolo passages are tripping you up, set up a loop on the Practice Toolbar and bring the tempo down until your pick attack is even across every note. Focus on keeping your fretting hand anchored and relaxed before pushing the speed back up.

  • The song is tuned to D Standard, dropping every string a whole step and giving the riffs a heavier, darker character than standard tuning.
  • Tremolo picking is central to this track, so even, controlled picking-hand movement at sustained speed is the main technical challenge to work through.
  • Playing in E minor over D Standard means some chord shapes shift by two frets, so double-check your fingering against the tab before drilling at tempo.

How to Play Black Horizons

Tuning: D Standard · Key: E minor

Tuned a whole step down to D standard, the lower string tension makes bends feel looser, so keep an eye on your intonation.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage and drop the speed to build each section up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Dissection's primary studio choice for tremolo-picked passages, with single-coil pickups delivering clarity that humbuckers muddy in dense black metal layers. The treble-forward response cuts through at 180+ BPM, making each 16th-note articulate and defined.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Used occasionally in Dissection's later live performances as an alternative to the Stratocaster, though its humbucker compression sacrifices the picking clarity essential to their tremolo technique. The thicker tone trades precision for warmth, making it less ideal for their intricate fretwork.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

A secondary live option for Dissection, offering humbucker darkness but compromising the note definition required for their fast, articulate picking passages. Better suited to sustained tones than the rapid-fire clarity their signature sound demands.

ISP Decimator Noise Gate
Pedal

ISP Decimator Noise Gate

Dissection employed this noise gate to manage feedback during high-gain sustained passages without relying on heavy-handed gating that would choke their tremolo picking dynamics. It maintains the raw, aggressive tone while keeping unwanted noise controlled.

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)