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METALLICA - CYANIDE - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
METALLICA - CYANIDE guitar tab video
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Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
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Presence5
Master7
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METALLICA Thrash Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About CYANIDE

From the 2008 Death Magnetic era, "Cyanide" finds METALLICA leaning into a slow-burning, heavy groove that sits differently from their faster thrash material. The whole track is played in D Standard tuning, which drops every string a whole step and gives the riffs a noticeably thicker, more ominous weight than E Standard would. At 120 BPM in E minor, the main riff is deceptively approachable in terms of speed, but the challenge lies in locking in the pick attack and palm muting with real consistency so the groove stays tight rather than sluggish. There are also longer note choices and subtle rhythmic pauses that demand patience from the right hand. Players coming from Thrash Metal might expect constant 16th-note fury, but this song rewards control over aggression. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse riff slowed down until the muting pattern feels completely automatic before bringing it back up to full tempo.

  • The song is played in D Standard tuning, dropping every string a full step and adding noticeable low-end heaviness to the riffs.
  • At 120 BPM, the challenge is not speed but maintaining consistent palm muting and right-hand control through the song's slow, heavy groove.
  • The verse riff centres on E minor, making it a practical exercise for building muted, single-string picking accuracy on a lower-tuned guitar.

How to Play CYANIDE

Tuning: D Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Tuned a whole step down to D standard, the lower string tension makes bends feel looser, so keep an eye on your intonation.

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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