Practice Studio

Dissection - Unhallowed - Guitar Tab

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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.

Storm Of The Light's Bane album cover
Storm Of The Light's Bane
2006 7:29
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Unhallowed


At 180 BPM in E minor, "Unhallowed" demands both speed and precision from the very first bar. Dissection built their sound on the tension between icy, melodic riffing and raw aggression, and this track is a sharp example of that balance in action. The right hand is the first real test: keeping alternate picking clean and consistent at this tempo without letting the attack get muddy is harder than it looks. The fretting hand has to stay relaxed through sustained tremolo passages and fast chord changes, or fatigue will kill your accuracy long before the track is done. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the most demanding riff sections and loop them slowed down until the picking motion feels automatic rather than forced. The key of E minor keeps the open strings working in your favour, but do not let that lull you into sloppy technique. Work the Black Metal articulation carefully: every note should cut, not smear.

  • At 180 BPM in E Standard tuning, the alternate picking demands a very controlled, low-motion pick stroke to stay clean at full speed.
  • Tremolo picking passages are central to the texture, so building right-hand endurance at reduced tempo is the most productive way to approach practice.
  • The melodic riff writing sits in E minor, making use of open strings frequently, which rewards learning each position carefully before linking them together.

How to Play Unhallowed

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 180 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 180 BPM.

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)