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Metallica - Sleepwalk My Life Away - Guitar Tab

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Metallica - Sleepwalk My Life Away guitar tab video
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72 Seasons album cover
72 Seasons
2023 6:56
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 2023

About Sleepwalk My Life Away

"Sleepwalk My Life Away" from Metallica's 2023 album 72 Seasons sits firmly in the Heavy Metal territory the band has owned for decades, but it rewards a close look at how the parts are constructed rather than just how loud they hit. The song leans on the kind of mid-tempo, groove-locked riffing that demands your picking hand stays disciplined and locked in with the kick drum, which is often where players slip up. Getting the palm muting to feel controlled rather than sloppy is the real challenge here, since the heaviness lives in those muted notes more than in open-string aggression. Transitions between the verse riff and the chorus are worth isolating with the Practice Toolbar, looping them slowed down until the chord changes feel automatic. The lead guitar moments call for confident bends and a clean sense of phrasing rather than pure shred speed, so focus on tone and accuracy before you push the tempo.

  • The song's heaviness relies heavily on tight palm muting, so a consistent right-hand technique close to the bridge is essential for the correct tone.
  • Lead guitar phrases in the song reward players who focus on accurate bends and clean vibrato rather than high-speed runs.
  • Locking the rhythm guitar riff to the kick drum pattern is the key to making the groove feel convincing at performance tempo.

How to Play Sleepwalk My Life Away

The song moves through: • Intro, • The Riff, • Verse, • Pré Chorus, • Chorus, • F# Bridge, • Guitar Solo, • Interlude, • Pré Chorus 3, • Chorus 3, • The Riff (after chorus 3), • Outro.

The arrangement runs through 12 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

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