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rhythm guitar from “are you dead yet” by children of bodom | ToneDB

are you dead yet

children of bodom

rhythm guitar

From The Benchv2.0

SOURCES 2 · DOCUMENTED 0 · REPORTED 4 · INFERRED 1 · VERIFIED SEP 2026

Tone Profile

A tight, scooped, high-gain rhythm tone with a hard percussive edge, palm-muted and double-tracked wide, with the bass frequencies handed to the bass guitar. Dry and modern, no reverb, built for down-tuned riffing.

Gear

ESP Alexi Laiho signatureinstrument
Reverb$999Sweetwater
Lee Jackson GP-1000amp
ReverbSweetwater
Marshall 1960Bcabinet
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

Are You Dead Yet? was recorded between April and May 2005 at Finnvox and Hästfittan Studios in Helsinki, with one track from a 2004 session at Astia-Studios, and came out in Finland on 14 September 2005 with Century Media releasing it internationally in October. Mikko Karmila produced, recorded and mixed most of it. Alexi Laiho played lead guitar and sang, and Roope Latvala played rhythm guitar. A gear archive without album dates places Laiho's rig on ESP and LTD Alexi signature guitars with EMG humbuckers, a 1980s Lee Jackson GP-1000 preamp and Marshall 1960B cabinets. No fetched source describes the 2005 tracking, so the exact studio chain for the rhythm guitars is unconfirmed.

Production Credits

Producer: Mikko Karmila

Engineer: Mikko Karmila

Recorded at: Finnvox and Hästfittan Studios, Helsinki

Signal Chain

Instrument: ESP Alexi Laiho signature

Amp: Lee Jackson GP-1000

Other: Marshall 1960B

Recreation Tips

  • Use a guitar with active or hot humbuckers and tune down to match the record; a standard-tuned guitar will fight the riffs.
  • Start from a high-gain preamp with the bass pulled back and the mids slightly scooped, then let the cabinet and mic add the low end rather than the amp.
  • Track the rhythm at least twice, once per side, playing as identically as you can; hard-pan the two takes and do not add stereo effects.
  • Palm-mute hard and close to the bridge, and lift the mute cleanly for accents; the tightness is in the right hand.
  • Put a dynamic mic close to the speaker cone, slightly off centre, and keep the room out of it.
  • High-pass the guitars around 80 to 100 Hz in the mix so the bass guitar owns the bottom; the chug comes from the bass, not the guitars.

Original Gear

  • ESP Alexi Laiho signature(guitar)
  • Lee Jackson GP-1000(preamp)
  • Marshall 1960B(cabinet)

Substitutions & Recommendations

LTD Alexi-200$500-$600

Alternative to: ESP Alexi Laiho signature

The entry version of the same signature shape with a hot bridge humbucker.

ReverbSweetwater
ENGL E530 preamp$500-$600

Alternative to: Lee Jackson GP-1000

A tight, high-gain rack preamp in the same family of sound and one Laiho also owned.

ReverbSweetwater
Peavey 6505 MH$600-$700

Alternative to: Lee Jackson GP-1000

Tight modern high gain at a bedroom-friendly wattage.

ReverbSweetwater
Neural DSP Archetype Gojira or Fortin Nameless$100-$150

Alternative to: Marshall 1960B

Modern high-gain amp and cab models that get the scooped, tight chug in the box.

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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