Metallica – Holier Than Thou

TG and Rockschool crank up the pace with this searing cut from Metallica’s legendary ‘Black Album’

Produced by Bob Rock, Metallica’s self-titled ‘Black Album’ materialised from notoriously tense sessions and was both emotionally and financially costly in its creation. The band were perfectionist in their approach and had the record mixed three times before they were satisfied.

Holier Than Thou features aggressive powerchords with a low, menacing riff that requires efficient picking, particularly when alternating between palm-muting and ‘natural’ techniques.

Kirk Hammett recently gave TG a tip on the subject of effective fret-hand positioning in the song’s riffs: “The best way to play [ Holier Than Thou] is in position at the 1st fret, and you want to

Bb hammer on the A# [ in our tab] from the A, on the fifth string, and then play the G on the sixth string on the 3rd position, so if your hand is in that position, and you play those notes, then that is the best way to play that one. Then you don’t have to move your hand so much.” Thanks for the advice, Kirk!