Favorite metal guitar sounds of all time!

[van hellion]

when it comes to metal tones i know its played out but my vote goes to the last 2 Killswitch Engage records. them tonez are just HUGE!!

A Wood

 

[moltenmetalburn]

The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor
Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion

Ironically, all three albums were pretty much done with the same amp.

Nocturnal was a Bogner Uberschall . Im not sure on the others but i don't think Archenemy ever used a Bogner.

They used mostly 5150/6505s (or 5150 II/6505+s). No clue where you got the Uberschall information from.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/prod ... sound.html

I got my information from Eric Rachel the engineer who tracked the album.

It seems by reading your posted link that Jason reamped the DI tracks. Not sure if it was then blended or he replaced the tracks entirely. Ill get the info from Brian (TBDM) and let you know, now I'm intrigued as I like the tones on that one alot...

 

[moltenmetalburn]

when it comes to metal tones i know its played out but my vote goes to the last 2 Killswitch Engage records. them tonez are just HUGE!!

A Wood

Joel told me the Rythym tracks on the newest self titled album were the Diezel VH4 and the solos were the Splawn Nitro with overdubs on an orange tiny terror among others. Def great sounding guitars, big and fat without any mud!

 

[van hellion]

when it comes to metal tones i know its played out but my vote goes to the last 2 Killswitch Engage records. them tonez are just HUGE!!

A Wood

Joel told me the Rythym tracks on the newest self titled album were the Diezel VH4 and the solos were the Splawn Nitro with overdubs on an orange tiny terror among others. Def great sounding guitars, big and fat without any mud!

you dont have those diezel and splawn settings by chance do you? i just happen to own both of those amps (herbie not vh 4 but yeah its close enough) and would love to try my hand on their settings!

A Wood

 

[moltenmetalburn]

I don't know the setting s but ill see if he remembers them the next time we speak.

 

[van hellion]

I don't know the setting s but ill see if he remembers them the next time we speak.

i would owe you one!

A Wood

 

[liamlw]

In Flames - Clayman

The whole mix is great. Fucking amazing guitar tone. 5150 + Savage 120.

Lots of other great stuff already mentioned so i won't bother repeating.

 

[Motorpud]

Yeah, Dime had some vicious tones alright. I prefer Vulgar's sound to Cowboy's. I thought it was warmer and less "transistor" sounding. But I also love "Cowboy's." That sounded pretty gay. Let me re-phrase that. Ah fuck it, you know what I meant!

suuure we know what you mean yeah vulgar was great too, there's just something about a less warm, filthy metal tone that I enjoy. I think his lead tone on cowboys was the best he ever had consistently. The solo tone (and playing) on "The Sleep" is one of my favorite lead parts of any song, it ranks right up there with the solo tone on "to live is to die" for me from AJFA. Those are my 2 favorite lead tones.

Let's not forget his tone on "Trendkill." Absolutely vicious. He was great. May he R.I.P. I've got a cousin who partied with Pantera a few times. Said Dime was the coolest MF'er you could ever meet. We've all heard that already, but it doesn't hurt to confirm it one more time.

oh dude, yeah trendkill was sweet, punishing rhythm tone. The best lead on that cd IMO is floods, especially that outro man, just makes me warm in spots metal shouldn't

 

[EvilBatman]

Favorite and benchmark tones for me in metal would be...

Metallica-Mercyful Fate Medley
Metallica-Leper Messiah
Metallica-For Whom The Bell Tolls
John Sykes-Bad Boys
John Sykes-Cold Sweat
Jon Schaffer-Something Wicked This Way Comes (album)
Kamelot-The Black Halo (album)
Kamelot-Ghost Opera (album)
Devin Townsend-Deadhead
Shadows Fall-Enlightened by the Cold
Soilwork-A Predator's Portrait (album)
Bullet for my Valentine-The Poison (album)
Scar Symmetry-Holographic Universe (album)
Zakk Wylde-Mr. Tinkertrain
Zakk Wylde-Desire

 

[ke2]

Check out OVERKILL in the song COMA off of the album Horrorscope.
That has got to be the MEANEST tone when that guitar riff kicks in after the slow intro.

"Stuck here in this COMAAAAAAAAA" *bark bark*
Blitz had the quintessential thrash voice, and the guitar sound on all of Horrorscope is thick, aggressive and cutting. It`s a little like AJFA- Sounds scooped, but isn`t that mid-sucked anyway.

 

[Mailman1971]

Check out OVERKILL in the song COMA off of the album Horrorscope.
That has got to be the MEANEST tone when that guitar riff kicks in after the slow intro.

"Stuck here in this COMAAAAAAAAA" *bark bark*
Blitz had the quintessential thrash voice, and the guitar sound on all of Horrorscope is thick, aggressive and cutting. It`s a little like AJFA- Sounds scooped, but isn`t that mid-sucked anyway.

What was he using on that album??
So damn Heavy and brutal!
Love to have that tone!

 

[gbsmusic]

Yeah, Dime had some vicious tones alright. I prefer Vulgar's sound to Cowboy's. I thought it was warmer and less "transistor" sounding. But I also love "Cowboy's." That sounded pretty gay. Let me re-phrase that. Ah fuck it, you know what I meant!

YEHH HAW!! Lets hook up cowboy!!!!! Kidding!! Dime had some vicious screaming tone!!!! RIP

 

[thegame]

Fear Factory - 1st 3 CDs
Carcass - Heartwork
Metallica - Justice era Live
Iced Earth - Most of it !
Believer - 1st two CDs. Super Thick chugfest !
Exodus - Impact is Imminent
S.O.D./Anthrax - Anything from the 80's.
Prong - Cleansing

Dude! My male soulmate! Believers first two cd's! Great call! That sound was thicker than frozen molasses! Great fucking band. Saw them live twice and they killed both times. Highly overlooked band. Heartwork was huge! Sounded like six guitars. S.O.D! I got that album in "85" when I was 15. I didn't believe that it was an actual guitar amp. Sounded like some sort of nuclear generator puking waste into a mike. Definitely one of the most brutal sounds of all time.! I dig all your choices bro.

Cool, haha. Not many know of Believer. I think this is the densest distortion I've ever heard & it crushes what passes for most modern metal tones today :

[/YouTube]ooZOxVMdKRQ&feature=PlayList&p=D6E0D264933F9E40&index=38

Here's how to get that tone :

KB guitar discussion
Category: Music
Over the years I have received several questions regarding the equipment I use for Believer recordings. I do NOT claim to be a guitar expert and that the gear I use or the recording techniques are what everyone should try.

I have listed both old and new gear and tried to be as thorough as possible, even listing my pick choice. As many guitar players realize, both playing and recording techniques used are as important than the actual gear, if not more important. This is why I have also listed the microphones I use for recording and I will try to explain my mic placement.

Let's start with my guitar choice for the heavy sound. I have used Charvel/Jackson guitars from the beginning. I love the sound of the EMG 81 bridge pickups and the bridge configs work well for my muting and picking technique. I have scalloped fretboards on a few and just jumbo frets on others. I've always had a light-touch left hand, so never any problems with detuning. My Fender strat is an Yngwie signature model, but I only use this for some clean parts and some leads.

Now onto amplification. Basically, for the heavy sound, I overdrive the heads with EQ's. My vintage JMP Marshall is a tube setup (Groove Tubes 6550's I believe) and my newer B-52 has a great sounding solid state configuration also. The B-52 gives me a tad more flexibility due to the nice clean channel. I have been able to achieve my sound using both Celestion and Jensen speakers and as you know, the Behringers come with a very affordable price tag and directional speaker placement for greater mic'ing possibilities, especially with the slant cabs.

As I mentioned, I use my EQ's to really shape my heavy sound. I use the 31 band EQ in all situations and use the DOD FX40 pedal EQ with my Marshall head because it needs a bit more "thrust". The BBE sonic maximizer enables me to further shape my lows and mids, which works well for my staccato picking passages. The dbx compressor/gate is great to ensure that the bottom end doesn't get out of control and again works well for the fast rhythm sections. The Midiverb III along with the Electro Harmonix pedals are used for the cleaner parts, leads and other oddities.

To round out this nonsense are the mics and recording techniques. I use the Sure SM58 and/or the AKG D9000 mics for the studio and have primarily used the Sure SM57s for live performance. The 58s and D9000s seem to have a dynamic range that captures and enhances my sound. I usually record multiple guitar tracks (up to 4) and use slightly different mic placement for each one to help thicken the sound. I tend to place the mics about an inch from the cabinet and about a half inch off the center cone. I will then move the mic slightly (quarter of and inch) in different directions for different tracks. I would suggest taking your time with mic placement as it really makes a huge difference. To further thicken the heavy sound, I will record one or two tracks with standard tuning and then very slightly detune or slow the recording by milliseconds and use the same tuning for the subsequent tracks.

Cheers,
KB?wmode=opaque" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true">

[Atropos_Project]

So many to choose from.... and it's tough at times for me to discern "tone" from just what I think of how the guitarists are playing.

Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry ... articulate, awesome cleans, just a very "fitting" sound for what was being played on that disc. (also a fantastic drum sound)

Pantera - Far Beyond Driven... amazing!

Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine... huge rhythm tones ( I know, they suck, etc )

As for a live sound, it has to be Adam Jones.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Well this week it has to be..
Studio:
The Absence-ROTP
Scar Symmetry- Holographic Universe
Gojira- The Way of All Flesh
Overkill- Under The Influence
Judas Priest- Screaming For Vengence
Van Halen- II/WACF
Slayer-RIB

Live:
Exodus- Another Lesson in Violence Tour
Cannibal Corpse- This years Mayhem Fest
Skeletonwitch- This Tour
Sacred Reich- Surf Nicaragua Tour

A ton others

Note: Slayer had the worst guitar tone i think I have ever heard, on this years Mayhem Fest.IMO

 

[bravedude2]

OVERKILLL
damn that band fookin' rules! great music for 25 yrs.

 

[Rob Tahan]

Sevendust- Rythym tone
Dokken-Lynch has great tone
Extreme-awesome 80's metal
Skid Row- also awesome 80's metal!

 

[Bronco]

Not all of these are really "metal", but...
Jason Bieler (Saigon Kick The Lizard, Water
Warren DeMartini: Invasion
Metallica: MOP, Black Album
Skid Row: STTG
Nuno: most of III Sides (Peacemaker Die, etc.)...some really crappy tones on that one as well though.
AC/DC: Highway to Hell (opening A/D chord for Night Prowler in particular)
Jake E. Lee (Badlands first Badlands album
EVH: VH1 through 1984

 

[DET1973]

Check out OVERKILL in the song COMA off of the album Horrorscope.
That has got to be the MEANEST tone when that guitar riff kicks in after the slow intro. [/quote


"Stuck here in this COMAAAAAAAAA" *bark bark*
Blitz had the quintessential thrash voice, and the guitar sound on all of Horrorscope is thick, aggressive and cutting. It`s a little like AJFA- Sounds scooped, but isn`t that mid-sucked anyway.

What was he using on that album??
So damn Heavy and brutal!
Love to have that tone!

when i saw them live for that touring cycle, one guitarist was using a Mesa 2:90 and a Triaxsis and the other was using a mesa 2:90 with a ADA MP-1 with a Triaxsis as the back up

 

[MisterBulbous]

So many to choose from.... and it's tough at times for me to discern "tone" from just what I think of how the guitarists are playing.

Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry ... articulate, awesome cleans, just a very "fitting" sound for what was being played on that disc. (also a fantastic drum sound)

As for a live sound, it has to be Adam Jones.

Good call on Fates Warning. I had completely forgotten about Parallels, but the sound on that CD is so three-dimensional and the guitar sound is phenomenal. I have the CD here somewhere, but I remember the liner notes specifying that the CD was recorded with some sort of "Q processing" or something. The guitars sound like they are in absolute perfect tune and some of the minor and non-5th chords sound completely incredible.