Recording the intro to one of my favourite Metallica songs with a looper / reverse function on Line 6 Helix - jump to 4 minutes in for the final result!
It was definitely a stroke of genius of them to reverse the whole thing, it's one of the most iconic intros they've created not to mention in thrash metal in general.
I don't really know, but my theory: The guys played that intro as a little 'piece' -- perhaps they didn't even know where they were going to use it. Then one day, some sound engineer told them, "hey, you guys know this equipment can also run the recording backwards, right?" The guys played it backwards as a joke, realized it sounded even BETTER, and metal history was made. Personally, I think they should have put the 'forward' version at the end of the album (after Dyer's Eve) so that it seamlessly blends into Blackened.
loved your video!, no talk! direct to the point and you resolved the life of 80 -90s teenagers... iam 46 and today i discovered something beatiful... regards from Mexico!
Thanks! I remember when I first tried it I was surprised how well it came out - I’ll be honest though there were quite a few out takes that didn’t go so well :)
Thanks very much! Took a few attempts but was fun to do. Just need to try and learn the rhythm part that kicks in after this - Hetfield’s down picking is just too quick for me :)
Fuuuuuck! This intro is some of the most awesome stuff Metallica has ever done. Whenever I find it for the first time in a while, I just listen to it at loop. Had no idea it was reverse, but it all makes sense now. Great performance man! ... and that walk out was smooth!
Agreed! And Justice For All... is my favourite album of theirs, this is my favourite song from it and the intro is a big part of that. It sounds so malevolent - you just know some kick ass riff is coming up :)
Ha ha, I know - always leave them wanting more :) Glad you liked it though. The plan was to do a cover of the whole track, I did this intro first, then did the solo as thought that would be the hardest and finally had a go at the rhythm part and it’s beyond me - Hetfield’s down picking is just too quick for me!
@@eyelidjidthat's how it be. My wife has heard me play Master of Puppets hundreds of times so it was a surprise to her that Blackened is my favorite Metallica song. I had to explain...I just can't play it!
Agreed - it’s got everything, cool reverse intro, awesome insanely quick downpicked riff, great lyrics, breakdown, epic solo and ends back on that great riff - no bullshit fade out :)
Back in 88 when this came out I just got my first guitar and it came with 5 free lessons. I saw some guys playing around with an ebow that's how I thought they got it to sound like that. Then I was trying to learn the main riff with the impossible to figure out tail. (Just in the last few years finally figured out)I knew my tab book was wrong and I was trying to figure out the 7 or 8 notes between the intro and the main riff also. So I asked my teacher to try and figure out those two things and he mentioned it sounds backwards. I thought he meant the 7 or 8 notes was the tail of the main riff was backwards. But 10 years later I learned the intro was reversed. And I thought immediately to that. He figured out the intro was playing backwards back in 88 when no one knew. I wish he had elaborated what he was referring to. He also had no idea what the tail of the main riff was. I never learned the chord part of the intro or else I probably would have figured out it was reversed cause it's the rhythm during the solo only played at a different timing
Thanks! I’d seen a few videos done with separate recordings all played simultaneously but thought it would be cool to try it in one go with a looper - plus I’m only using iMovie so I can only combine two videos at once :)
You just blew my mind man! Now I gotta get a loop pedal. Does the one you have playback in reverse? Also such a epic move to walk out as the finished product played, like Clint Eastwood walking off into the sunset after he done shot the whole town up
Ha ha, great comment - thanks! I used the looper in my Line 6 Helix. It’s not as versatile as a dedicated loop station but it has a reverse and half speed function so was good enough for this. That’s what I’m doing just before it starts playing - stopping recording, switching to reverse then hitting play again. The walkout wasn’t planned, I just felt a bit silly just sitting there :)
@@eyelidjid Keep up with the vids. I been having trouble staying inspired- in a hump while collecting and building my gear collection for my band room with no one in MS to jam Metallica- Thrash- old school Punk with. Vids like yours remind me of how much I've loved this music for 30 yrs.
why am i just seeing this now? this was amazing work. ps: just saw that walk out everyone in the comment section was talking about, that was straight out of a western lol.
Thanks! It’s about the only use I’ve ever found for the looper :) The walk out wasn’t planned - someone said I should’ve walked out backwards…wish I’d thought of that!
Ha ha, thanks, pretty much the only time I’ve used it :) I was just having a nosy round your channel, you’ve got some skills - and a nice selection of guitars and amps!
@@eyelidjid it was just so cool watching you build up all the layers hitting reverse and just leaving it to play back perfectly! Honestly I’m blown away by it.
@@eyelidjid I knew it was reversed when I first heard it because I had recorded with Tascam 4-track back in the 80s?... and I knew how to track 3 and 4 would play in Reverse if you fast-forward to the end of the tape when you had it flipped to the opposite side?... I just figured out how to do it with a couple double deck cassette decks. I had a Kenwood and a dead-end and I did it that way with a whole bunch of blank tapes and using a 4-track to play the original song backwards. Tons of fun my friend glad to see you doing it justice( no pun intended🤣🤣)
Love the guitarist's version of a 'mic drop' there at the end - the 'stand set' maybe? The 'walk out'? Regardless; Nicely done all around, @JD Buxton, and really interesting to see how they did it. TFS
Nailed it! Sounded better than the original due that Justice album midscoop :) Now I know why they didn't do the intro live on the Justice tour! Blackened was the first song of the set...
They did some shows in 89 where blackened was the 1st song of the encores, they just launched into the riff that comes after the intro, although I think they might have done it with the intro-tape as well.
10 months on but thanks! Yeah makes sense they just launched into the track when doing it live, although with today’s tech and a couple of spare guitarists hidden off stage I reckon they could carry it off :)
My all time Favorit Song from the N'tallica Boys. I was 10 when my neighbour showed me the Seattle 89 tape (yes Tape!!!). And it was almost like a religious experience... My mouth was dryed out at the end cause it stayed open from start till end. Seattle 89 change my live in music. Thing that should not be Puppets Whiplash They where never ever soooo damn tight and in Testosteron overdose like in this tour cycle. Its a piece of Art and history in my eyes. God bless the 4 horsemen James - Kirk - Lars - and JASON (sorry Robert but he kicks way much more ass) And of course RIP Cliff
Glad I’m not the only one that first listened to it on tape :) Agree with you on Jason too. I’ve only seen them live once and it was a weird show. It was at Download in 2004 and Lars couldn’t play so Dave Lombardo, Joey Jordison and Lars’ drum tech filled in for him - they only played for about an hour but it was awesome!
Same here. I’d listened to this for 20 years before I saw a video of it played the other way but with each part recorded separately. I thought it would be fun to try and do it in one go with a looper :)
I agree :) I was thinking they should have started with the normal version then gone into the reversed version - wonder if that’s what they do when they play it live?
Thanks, glad you liked it! Pick ups are definitely standard, had the guitar almost 30 years so whatever was stock in the early 90’s. Most of the time is coming from the Line6 Helix. I’ve been really impressed at how versatile it is. I’ll stick a couple of links to other tracks I’ve done (shameless self promotion😀) where I used a telecaster with a preset to simulate a steel string acoustic for Pearl Jam’s alive and one where I use an Ibanez Jem with another preset to simulate a nylon string acoustic for the solo to Don’t Speak by No Doubt. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
