Death Metal Guitar Tone - Amp Settings, Gear, and Songs
367 iconic Death Metal tones with the exact settings behind them - gain, EQ, pickup, tuning, and pedal chain per song, plus the median amp settings across the whole style. 47 of them are bass tones. Built to be dialled in on whatever gear you own.
Translate any Death Metal tone to the rig you already own
Median knob positions across the 367 catalog tones in this genre, on the amps they were recorded with. A starting point for the sound - then pick a song below for the exact recipe.
- Gain
- 8
- Bass
- 6
- Mid
- 5.5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Presence
- 6
- Volume
- 7
Gear That Defines the Death Metal Sound
- ampMarshall JCM800 2203on 156 Death Metal tones
- pedalIbanez Tube Screamer TS-9on 55 Death Metal tones
- ampMesa Boogie Dual RectifierModern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 52 Death Metal tones
- guitarCharvel Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 Joe Duplantier SignatureModern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 47 Death Metal tones
- guitarESP LTD EC-1000Modern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 40 Death Metal tones
- guitarMockingbirdModern equivalent: B.C. Rich Mockingbird Legacyon 40 Death Metal tones
- ampPeavey 6505+Modern equivalent - the original isn't named hereon 22 Death Metal tones
- pedalBoss HM-2 Heavy Metalon 15 Death Metal tones
- bassPrecision BassModern equivalent: Fender American Ultra Precision Basson 12 Death Metal tones
Artists With the Most Death Metal Tones
Death Metal Tones You Can Dial In
- Holy WarThy Art Is Murder · 2015
- Wolverine BluesEntombed · 1993
- Roswell 47Hypocrisy · 1996
- Where Dead Angels LieDissection · 1995
- Slave MachineNervosa · 2026
- Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)Gojira · 2024 · bass
- Flying WhalesGojira · 2005 · bass
- The Drapery FallsOpeth · 2001 · bass
- Born for One ThingGojira · 2021 · bass
- StrandedGojira · 2016 · bass
- The PhilosopherDeath · 1993 · bass
- L'Enfant SauvageGojira · 2012
- Veil of MayaCynic · 1993 · bass
- AmazoniaGojira · 2021 · bass
- DeliveranceOpeth · 2002 · bass
- Baba YagaSlaughter to Prevail · 2021
- Born for One ThingGojira · 2021
- SilveraGojira · 2005
- DeliveranceOpeth · 2002
- Flattening of EmotionsDeath · 1991 · bass
- Lack of ComprehensionDeath · 1991 · bass
- Zombie RitualDeath · 1987 · bass
- Blackwater ParkOpeth · 2001
- Pull the PlugDeath · 1988
Common Questions About Death Metal Tone
What amp settings do I need for Death Metal?
Across the 367 Death Metal tones in our catalog the median is gain 8 (range 2–10), with bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 6.5 - on a 0–10 scale. That's the window, not a recipe: pick any song below for the exact knob positions it was recorded with, then let ToneMirror re-voice them for your amp.
What gear gives you the Death Metal sound?
In our catalog the Death Metal tones lean most on the Marshall JCM800 2203, the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9, the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (a modern equivalent). You don't need any of it - the match engine translates each recipe onto the gear you already own, compensating for a different EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type.
Which artists best represent Death Metal?
Death, Gojira, Opeth have the most Death Metal tones catalogued here. Each artist page breaks down their full rig and how their tone changed across records.
Can I get these tones without buying vintage gear?
Yes - that's the point of ToneMirror. Every setting on this page was dialled in on the original artist's rig, and the match engine re-voices it for whatever guitar, amp, and pedals you actually have, including modellers like the Helix, Katana, and Kemper.
Related Genres
Browse all 367 Death Metal tones (A–Z)
- §1 - Opeth
- 1,000 Eyes - Death
- 3 Days in Darkness - Testament
- A Fair Judgement - Opeth
- A Moment of Clarity - Death
- A Sight to Behold - Gojira
- A Skeletal Domain - Cannibal Corpse
- A Vulgar Picture - The Black Dahlia Murder
- A Warning - Lamb of God
- Accelerationist - Burner
- Adoration for None - Gojira
- Advent - Opeth
- Adversary - Immolation
- All the Tears - Gojira
- Altered State - Sepultura
- Altering the Future - Death
- Amazonia - Gojira
- Amazonia - Gojira
- Apocalypse Upon Us - Overcast
- April Ethereal - Opeth
- Arise - Sepultura
- Arise - Sepultura
- At War with Reality - At the Gates
- Awaken - Dethklok
- Baba Yaga - Slaughter to Prevail
- Backbone - Gojira
- Backbone - Gojira
- Baptized in Blood - Death
- Beg for Life - Tomb Mold
- Behind the Crooked Cross - Slayer
- Beneath the Remains - Sepultura
- Birthday Dethday - Dethklok
- Bite the Pain - Death
- Bite the Pain - Death
- Black Label - Lamb of God
- Black Label - Lamb of God
- Black Rose Immortal - Opeth
- Black Seeds of Vengeance - Nile
- Blackwater Park - Opeth
- Blackwater Park - Opeth
- Blasphemous Cremation - Incantation
- Bleak - Opeth
- Bleak - Opeth
- Blessed - Decapitated
- Blinded by Fear - At the Gates
- Bloodlines - Dethklok
- Body Bag - Obituary
- Boiled Over - Gatecreeper
- Born Dead - Death
- Born for One Thing - Gojira
- Born for One Thing - Gojira
- Born in Winter - Gojira
- Broken Jade - Chthonic
- By the Pain I See in Others - Opeth
- Carved in Stone - Intoxicated
- Cause of Death - Obituary
- Chapel of Ghouls - Morbid Angel
- Choke on It - Death
- Chopped in Half - Obituary
- Clone - Gojira
- Clone - Gojira
- Code of the Slashers - Cannibal Corpse
- Confessional - Lamb of God
- Conquer All - Behemoth
- Consuming Impulse - Pestilence
- Corporal Jigsore Quandary - Carcass
- Cosmic Sea - Death
- Cosmic Sea - Death
- Crypt of Ice - Frozen Soul
- Crystal Mountain - Death
- Crystal Mountain - Death
- D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate) - Testament
- Dagger - Vildhjarta
- Dead by Dawn - Deicide
- Dead Embryonic Cells - Sepultura
- Dead Embryonic Cells - Sepultura
- Death Metal - Possessed
- Death of Me - Gojira
- Death Walking Terror - Cannibal Corpse
- Deathmask Divine - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Defensive Personalities - Death
- Deliverance - Gojira
- Deliverance - Opeth
- Deliverance - Opeth
- Demanufacture - Fear Factory
- Demon of the Fall - Opeth
- Denial of Life - Death
- Desperate Cry - Sepultura
- Destiny - Death
- Devouring Mortality - Skeletal Remains
- Dirge for November - Opeth
- Don't Care - Obituary
- Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2) - Swallow the Sun
- Down for Life - Testament
- Dying - Obituary
- Edible Autopsy - Cannibal Corpse
- Effigy of the Forgotten - Suffocation
- Embrace the World - Gojira
- Emerald Forest and the Blackbird - Swallow the Sun
- Empty Hands - Necrot
- Empty Words - Death
- Empty Words - Death
- Entombment of a Machine - Job for a Cowboy
- Epilogue - Opeth
- Escape to the Void - Sepultura
- Esoteric Surgery - Gojira
- Evil Dead - Death
- Evil Dead - Death
- Evisceration Plague - Cannibal Corpse
- Exhale the Ash - Ulcerate
- Explosia - Gojira
- Eyes of Wrath - Testament
- Face Fisted - Dethklok
- Fall from Grace - Morbid Angel
- Fansong - Dethklok
- Fear of Napalm - Terrorizer
- Fire Is Everything - Gojira
- Flattening of Emotions - Death
- Flattening of Emotions - Death
- Flesh and the Power It Holds - Death
- Flying Whales - Gojira
- Flying Whales - Gojira
- Forest of October - Opeth
- Forgotten Past - Death
- Frantic Disembowelment - Cannibal Corpse
- From the Sky - Gojira
- From the Sky - Gojira
- Funeral Thirst - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Genetic Reconstruction - Death
- Global Warming - Gojira
- Global Warming - Gojira
- Go Forth and Die - Dethklok
- Go into the Water - Dethklok
- God of Emptiness - Morbid Angel
- Grind - Gojira
- Gutted - Cannibal Corpse
- Hammer Smashed Face - Cannibal Corpse
- Hammer Smashed Face - Cannibal Corpse
- Hard to Kill - LIFESICK
- Heartwork - Carcass
- Hold On - Gojira
- Holy War - Thy Art Is Murder
- Howl From The Coffin - Vampire
- Husk - Portal
- I Am Morbid - Morbid Angel
- I Cum Blood - Cannibal Corpse
- I Cum Blood - Cannibal Corpse
- I Will Return - The Black Dahlia Murder
- I.N.R.I. - Sarcófago
- I'm Charming - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Immortal Rites - Morbid Angel
- In Human Form - Death
- In Mist She Was Standing - Opeth
- In the Absence of the Sacred - Lamb of God
- In the Forest - Gojira
- In the Wilderness - Gojira
- Incarnated Solvent Abuse - Carcass
- Indians - Gojira
- Individual Thought Patterns - Death
- Infected - Obituary
- Infected Voice - Sepultura
- Infernal Death - Death
- Inhumane Harvest - Cannibal Corpse
- Inner Self - Sepultura
- Inquisition Symphony - Sepultura
- Into the Crypts of Rays - Celtic Frost
- Into the Storm - Gojira
- Inward Movement - Gojira
- Jealousy - Death
- Killing Spree - Death
- L'Enfant Sauvage - Gojira
- Lack of Comprehension - Death
- Lack of Comprehension - Death
- Left Hand Path - Entombed
- Left to Die - Death
- Legions of the Dead - Testament
- Leprosy - Death
- Leprosy - Death
- Letter to the Unborn - Lamb of God
- Liquid Fire - Gojira
- Living Monstrosity - Death
- Love - Gojira
- Low Life - Death
- Make Them Suffer - Cannibal Corpse
- Manufactured Extinct - Cattle Decapitation
- Mass Hypnosis - Sepultura
- Master's Apprentices - Opeth
- Master's Apprentices - Opeth
- Matando Güeros - Brujeria
- Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) - Gojira
- Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) - Gojira
- Meaningless Movements - Sepultura
- Mentally Blind - Death
- Misanthrope - Death
- Misanthrope - Death
- Mouth of Kala - Gojira
- Murder - Sepultura
- Murmaider - Dethklok
- Mutilation - Death
- My Last Creation - Gojira
- Necropolis - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Nectar - Opeth
- New Breed - Fear Factory
- New Found - Gojira
- Nightbringer, Lightbringer - Archgoat
- Nightbringers - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Non Serviam - Rotting Christ
- Nothing Is Everything - Death
- Obscura - Gorguts
- Ocean Planet - Gojira
- Once Upon the Cross - Deicide
- Open Casket - Death
- Orgasmatron - Sepultura
- Oroborus - Gojira
- Out of Touch - Death
- Ov Fire and the Void - Behemoth
- Overactive Imagination - Death
- Overactive Imagination - Death
- Overlords of Violence - Cannibal Corpse
- Pain Is a Master - Gojira
- Pain Will Define Their Death - Vitriol
- Pariah - Lamb of God
- Perennial Quest - Death
- Piece of Time - Atheist
- Pierced from Within - Suffocation
- Pisschrist - Fear Factory
- Planned Obsolescence - Gojira
- Planned Obsolescence - Gojira
- Pleasure to Kill - Kreator
- Postmortem - Slayer
- Postmortem - Slayer
- Primitive Future - Sepultura
- Primitive Ways - Death
- Prone Mortal Form - Only Living Witness
- Pull the Plug - Death
- R.I.P. (Rest in Pain) - Sepultura
- Rapture - Morbid Angel
- Rebirth of the Nemesis (Enuma Elish Rewritten) - Melechesh
- Reborn Empowered - Living Sacrifice
- Redneck Stomp - Obituary
- Regurgitated Guts - Death
- Relics of Great Ash - Abyssal Rift
- Remembrance - Gojira
- Ride the Flatline (feat. Jami Morgan & Code Orange) - 200 Stab Wounds
- Riding the Snake - Testament
- Rise from the Grave - Undeath
- Roswell 47 - Hypocrisy
- Sacrificial - Death
- Sarcastic Existence - Sepultura
- Satan Is a Lawyer - Gojira
- Satan Is a Lawyer - Gojira
- Satanas - Sarcófago
- Satanic Lust - Sarcófago
- Scavenger of Human Sorrow - Death
- Scourge of Iron - Cannibal Corpse
- Scream Bloody Gore - Death
- Secret Face - Death
- See Through Dreams - Death
- Self Bias Resistor - Fear Factory
- Serpentskin - Dead Congregation
- Shredded Humans - Cannibal Corpse
- Silvera - Gojira
- Skyhunter - Dethklok
- Slave Machine - Nervosa
- Slaves of Pain - Sepultura
- Slow Death - Obituary
- Slowly We Rot - Obituary
- Sothis - Vader
- Space Time - Gojira
- Sphinx - Gojira
- Spirit Crusher - Death
- Spiritual Healing - Death
- Spiritual Healing - Death
- Staring Through the Eyes of the Dead - Cannibal Corpse
- Story to Tell - Death
- Stranded - Gojira
- Stranded - Gojira
- Stripped, Raped and Strangled - Cannibal Corpse
- Stronger Than Hate - Sepultura
- Subtraction - Sepultura
- Suicide Machine - Death
- Suicide Machine - Death
- Supreme Pain for the Tyrant - Chthonic
- Symbolic - Death
- Symbolic - Death
- Ten Thousand Ways to Die - Obituary
- Terror and Hubris in the House of Frank Pollard - Lamb of God
- The Amen Corner - Opeth
- The Apostle in Triumph - Opeth
- The Art of Dying - Gojira
- The Axe - Gojira
- The Black Dahlia - Lamb of God
- The Bleeding - Cannibal Corpse
- The Chant - Gojira
- The Divine Falsehood - Job for a Cowboy
- The Drapery Falls - Opeth
- The Drapery Falls - Opeth
- The End Complete - Obituary
- The Funeral Portrait - Opeth
- The Gears - Dethklok
- The Gift of Guilt - Gojira
- The Gift of Guilt - Gojira
- The Grand Conjuration - Opeth
- The Grand Descent - Fuming Mouth
- The Heaviest Matter of the Universe - Gojira
- The Insignificants - Cattle Decapitation
- The Leper Affinity - Opeth
- The Leper Affinity - Opeth
- The Link - Gojira
- The Malefice - Pentagram Chile
- The Night and the Silent Water - Opeth
- The Origin Of Disease - Aborted
- The Philosopher - Death
- The Philosopher - Death
- The Silence Beyond Life - Fuming Mouth
- The Silent Life - Rivers of Nihil
- The Silver Cord - Gojira
- The Stargate [Tablet I] - Blood Incantation
- The Trails - Gojira
- The Twilight Is My Robe - Opeth
- The Way of All Flesh - Gojira
- Thumbsucker - Pig Destroyer
- Thunderhorse - Dethklok
- To Forgive Is to Suffer - Death
- To Sirius - Gojira
- To the Wall - Sepultura
- Together as One - Death
- Toxic Garbage Island - Gojira
- Trapped in a Corner - Death
- Trapped in a Corner - Death
- Troops of Doom - Sepultura
- Troops of Doom - Sepultura
- True Believer - Testament
- Turned Inside Out - Obituary
- Unas, Slayer of the Gods - Nile
- Under Siege (Regnum Irae) - Sepultura
- Unfit for Human Consumption - Carcass
- Unicorn - Gojira
- Unleashing the Bloodthirsty - Cannibal Corpse
- Vacant Planets - Death
- Vacuity - Gojira
- Vacuity - Gojira
- Veil of Maya - Cynic
- Veil of Maya - Cynic
- Visions in My Head - Obituary
- Voice of the Soul - Death
- Warborn - The Black Dahlia Murder
- When - Opeth
- Where Dead Angels Lie - Dissection
- Where Dragons Dwell - Gojira
- Widowmaker - The Black Dahlia Murder
- Winds of Creation - Decapitated
- Wisdom Comes - Gojira
- Within the Mind - Death
- Without Judgement - Death
- Without Judgement - Death
- Wolf Down the Earth - Gojira
- Wolverine Blues - Entombed
- World to Come - Gojira
- Wreath - Opeth
- Yama's Messengers - Gojira
- Yama's Messengers - Gojira
- You Only Live Once - Suicide Silence
- Zero Tolerance - Death
- Zero Tolerance - Death
- Zombie Ritual - Death
- Zombie Ritual - Death