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Metallica - Frantic - Guitar Tab

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Tools

BPM
Key C# minor
Metallica - Frantic guitar tab video
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Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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St. Anger
2003 5:50
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Metallica Groove Metal 2003 C# minor
Capo Advisor 0 C# minor · Original key

About Frantic

Drop D tuning and a key of C# minor give "Frantic" a low, grinding character that rewards players who are comfortable shifting between open-string power chords and fretted shapes on the sixth string. At 120 BPM the riff sits at a mid-tempo groove that feels deceptively manageable until you try to keep the picking aggressive and locked-in for an extended run. The main riff relies on heavy, percussive downpicking, which is very much the Metallica approach, and your right-hand stamina will be tested well before the song is over. The challenge is not the individual notes but sustaining that tightness without letting the pick attack go soft. This is exactly the kind of passage where the Practice Toolbar earns its keep: loop the opening riff slowed down until the downpicking feels mechanical, then creep the tempo back up. "Frantic" fits squarely in the Groove Metal tradition of riff-first songwriting, so learning to lock in with the kick drum is as important as any left-hand fingering here.

  • Drop D tuning lets you hammer the low open D string for extra weight on the core riff, so check your tuning carefully before you start.
  • The main riff is built on downpicking at 120 BPM, and keeping that attack consistent across the full song is the real stamina test.
  • Shifting between open Drop D power chords and fretted chord shapes on the lower strings is a key technique to isolate and practise slowly.

How to Play Frantic

Tuning: Drop D · Key: C# minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

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.

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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