Hit The Lights by Metallica
Hit the Lights is the opening track on Metallica's 1983 debut Kill 'Em All. The song embodies the band's fledgling thrash chemistry: high-speed riffs, relentless downpicking, and a chant-like vocal hook that would become a Metallica staple in live shows.
Written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, it captures the raw energy of early Metallica and helped ignite the thrash explosion. The recording captures their no-frills approach—tight, aggressive, and ferociously precise—and the track quickly became a crowd favorite, opening gigs and setting the pace for the album’s relentless momentum. Its signature riffing and tempo helped shape Metallica's live energy, influencing countless players who picked up the guitar to chase that electrifying thrash feel.
🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!
What You'll Learn
In this lesson, you'll learn how to play the iconic intro/verse riff built around palm-muted E5 power chords, the fast alternate picking that drives the tempo, and how to lock in the punchy downstrokes that give the track its aggressive feel. We'll break the riff into manageable sections, demonstrate accurate muting of the lower strings to keep it tight, and cue the timing for the chorus-like sections so you can reproduce the energy of the recording. We'll also touch on tone and attack to help you capture that classic Metallica crunch.
Intermediate; prior skills that help include solid palm muting, clean power chords, and comfortable fast alternate picking in standard tuning.
🎸 Techniques Used
Practice Tips
- 💡Break the riffs into small sections and loop them at a slow tempo before ramping up; aim for consistent muting and even attack.
- 💡Keep your picking hand relaxed and use a moderate pick to get a tight, aggressive bite without losing control.
- 💡Use a metronome, start around 60-80 BPM, and gradually increase to the track's tempo to lock in timing and dynamics.
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