Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Metallica - The Call of Ktulu - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

SECTIONS

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Metallica - The Call of Ktulu guitar tab video
Mr. Tabs
Mr. Tabs Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.1Msubs 501Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

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.
Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster) album cover
Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster)
1984 8:53
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal 1984 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Call of Ktulu

Few Metallica tracks demand as much patience and stamina from a guitarist as "The Call of Ktulu." This nearly nine-minute instrumental from 1984 builds from a delicate, clean fingerpicked intro in E minor into one of the heaviest crescendos the band ever recorded, so the range of technique required is genuinely wide. The clean opening passage alone can trip up players who are used to relying on a pick for everything: the arpeggiated figure needs a relaxed right hand and consistent tone across the strings, so isolate those bars and loop them slowed down using the Practice Toolbar until each note rings cleanly. Once the riff-driven sections arrive, the challenge shifts to tight palm-muting and synchronising the pick hand precisely with Kirk Hammett's lead lines. E minor gives the low open strings a lot of natural weight, and Metallica leans hard into that heaviness. Work the song in sections rather than running it top to bottom, because the stamina needed for the full piece will only come after the individual parts are solid.

  • The intro requires clean fingerpicked arpeggios, a technique that contrasts sharply with the heavy palm-muted riffing that dominates the later sections.
  • At nearly nine minutes long, building endurance across the full piece is as important a practice goal as nailing any single riff.
  • The key of E minor lets the open low E string anchor the heaviest riffs, so proper palm-muting control is essential for the right tone.

How to Play The Call of Ktulu

The song moves through: A, B, C, D, E, F - Solo, G, H, I, J, K, L, and more.

Key: E minor · Tempo: 122 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

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, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 122 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.

Recommended for You

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)