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Metallica - Seek and Destroy - Main Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - Seek and Destroy - Main Riffs guitar lesson video
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Metallica Thrash Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Seek and Destroy - Main Riffs

"Seek and Destroy" by Metallica is the ninth track on the band's 1983 debut album, Kill 'Em All, and holds the distinction of being the first song the band ever recorded in a studio. A cornerstone of thrash metal, it has been performed live over 1,600 times, making it the third-most played song in Metallica's history. For electric guitarists, its main riffs offer an essential introduction to the driving, palm-muted picking patterns and aggressive low-string work that define early Metallica and the thrash metal genre.

  • "Seek and Destroy" was first performed live in 1982, even before Metallica's debut album was released.
  • The riff relies heavily on palm muting on low strings, a fundamental technique for any aspiring metal guitarist to master.
  • The song appeared on Metallica's early demo, No Life 'Til Leather, before its official studio release on Kill 'Em All in 1983.

How to Play Seek and Destroy - Main Riffs

Key: E minor · Tempo: 140 BPM

The main riff is built around heavily palm-muted single-note lines on the low E string in E minor, and the biggest challenge for most players is maintaining consistent pick attack while keeping the palm mute tight and even at 140 bpm. Start by isolating the muted picking pattern at a reduced speed before adding any movement along the string, since sloppy muting is the most common issue beginners encounter here. The riff also includes rhythmic breaks where the mute releases for accented open notes, and nailing the contrast between those muted and open sounds is what gives the riff its characteristic punch. Use the speed control to build from around 100 bpm before pushing toward the full tempo.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 140 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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