Who would win in a riff contest, James Hetfield, or Dave Mustaine? In this post Metallica and Megadeth go head to head in the ultimate face off muhahaha!
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🎸LEVEL ONE: TASTE
The first level of comparison between Hetfield and Mustaine is TASTE. What's taste? It's basically your sense of what sounds good. Good taste comes from experience, analyzing hit songs, musical education and a range of other things. It's no secret James Hetfield has written more songs that aline with the world's taste. His lyrics are more relatable than Dave Mustaine's, and his riffs resonate more deeply with metalheads. This is evidenced by the fact Metallica has sold 88 million more records than Megadeth!
⚡️LEVEL TWO: TONE
Tone plays a critical role in how we perceive musical quality. Tone is basically your presence in the frequency spectrum. Metallica became known for the "scooped" guitar sound in their early records. This means you SCOOP out the middle range and emphasize the low and high ranges. The scooped guitar tone became a blueprint for "good" metal tone, adopted by countless metal bands. James Hetfield's live tone is also absolutely GLORIOUS, which is why I give this battle to papa Het
⚡️LEVEL THREE: TECHNIQUE
Technique is your ability to play your instrument. How fast and accurate can you handle your hardwood? Do you have a command of gallop and speed picking? How's your fretting hand agility? Can you sweep pick, or finger tap in your solos? Even though James Hetfield is no slouch when it comes to technique, I'm giving this one to Dave Mustaine. His riffs are often very intricate and demanding. His soloing skills are quite advanced, demonstrating a high level of guitar mastery. Disagree with my assessment, tell me who you think wins this riff war!
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