Riffage: Immolation - "Passion Kill"
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Immolation are one of death metal’s most interesting bands musically. Their sound is instantly recognizable, a seesaw battle between dissonance and melody; the title of their 2007 album Shadows in the Light is apt. When I saw them live recently, they opened with “Passion Kill.” The song contains their most memorable riff, in my opinion. It first occurs at 0:45. (You can stream the song above). In the middle and ending of the song, guitarist Bob Vigna transposes the riff up one and two octaves. This hammers home the melody and creates a feeling of escalation.
Like most memorable riffs, this one is simple and easy to play. I’ve tabbed it out below. Immolation tune down from standard tuning by two whole steps, to C. If you stick with this tuning, you’ll want heavier gauge strings to take up the slack. Immolation’s tones are on the fuzzy side, so I’m not 100% sure of the correctness of the transcription. (I am 90% sure, however.) Vigna’s trademark whipping his guitar around means that live videos are no help. If anyone has a correction, please offer it in the comments. (After slowing the riff down, I am 100% sure of the transcription’s accuracy.)
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Immolation’s new album Majesty and Decay comes out March 9 on Nuclear Blast. You can pre-order it at Amazon
