Best 7 String Riffs Ever
Once upon a time, 7 string guitars were seen as a short-lived fad. They would have their brief moment (the late 90s) and then return to obscurity when people grew tired of the gimmick.
That didn’t exactly happen though, did it? Culture went the other way, and musicians embraced it, developing a whole new language for the guitar, based around the concept of having an extra low string.
Typically tuned to B, the extra pitches allowed by a 7-string guitar brings extra heaviness to guitars for sure, but it’s actually a whole different headspace. Chords are different, scales can be extended, and the physicality (wider necks, chords shifting about on the neck) of the instrument fundamentally alters.
That’s all fine, but the main bonus is those low notes, isn’t it? It’s all about big, stomping riffs, and I’ve collected a bunch of them for you here today. I want to celebrate the sound of the 7 string! Not 8, not 6: 7 is the magic number here and I reckon I’ve gathered some of the mightiest 7 string hellraisers ever. Get stuck in!
The Riffs, at a Glance
Weeping China Doll - Steve Vai
Suffocate - Knocked Loose Ft Poppy
New Millennium Cyanide Christ - Meshuggah
Sumeria - Devin Townsend Project
Make Total Destroy - Periphery
Here to Stay - Korn
Of COURSE Korn are going to be the first band on this list! Are you kidding? Korn are the band who started it all. 7 string guitars existed before them of course, but nobody demonstrated their potential as well as Head and Munky from Korn. Their debut album Korn virtually rewrote the metal rulebook upon its release in 1994, unwittingly spearheading the entire Nu Metal genre.
They have impressively remained fresh in their approach all these years later, and they’ve stuck with 7-string guitars, too. There are about 200 great Korn riffs to choose from here, but I think this triumphant stomper from 2002’s Untouchables album sums up their sound and attitude perfectly.
Shock - Fear Factory
Fear Factory don’t get the props they deserve. These massively influential innovators changed the game as much as Korn, but their brutal cyber-metal is maybe too hard sounding to reach the same size of audience.
Regardless of that, they’ve still made their mark in the world of metal, and a big part of that reason is down to Dino Cazares’ Tyrannosaurus-sized riffs. I really wanted to include Bodyhammer on here today because it’s a galvanised piledriver of a riff, but I have to stick to the rules: that was played on a 6-string tuned to B Standard!
Instead I’ll go for one of their innumerate 7-string smashers: Shock, the opening track from their masterful Obsolete record.
Minerva - Deftones
There are many ways to be heavy, and Minerva is a great example of this. Guitarist Steph Carpenter goes for ‘epic’ here and achieves it with an enormous sound that fills the song like an orchestra.
Deftones have loads of great riffs, and Carpenter is another player who has since moved onto 8-string guitars, but Minerva stands out as a huge whale of a riff, crashing through an ocean of sound.
Weeping China Doll - Steve Vai
What list of 7-string riffs would be complete without one from the creator of the Ibanez Universe? Before Steve, 7-strings were the domain of jazzers and Uli Jon Roth, whose Sky guitars were not available to the masses. Vai changed the game with his Ibanez Universe guitar, a 7-string take on his signature JEM model Korn played Universes. Enough said, right?
Anyway, Steve is obviously a master guitar wizard. He can knock out huge riffs like these other artists, but I wanted to include an example of a completely different approach to 7-string guitar. Weeping China Doll is operatic and theatrical, a melodic piece that’s built up from beautifully deep chord voices. It’s heavy, but also exotic and mystical.
Here Comes the Pain - Slayer
Slayer? On 7-strings? I’ll take that! This is from their God Hates Us All album and it destroys everything in sight. It’s 100% Slayer with a groove to die for. The addition of the 7-string suited their sound really well, in my opinion. I believe this one is a Kerry King composition. More please!
Suffocate - Knocked Loose Ft Poppy
Knocked Loose have made quite the leap into mainstream metal. From tiny tours in broken-down vans to playing live on Jimmy Kimmell and supporting Metallica, theirs is a classic success story. That story has been built on a fine collection of savage 7-string riffs, of which Suffocate is a perfect example. This tune doesn’t let up for a minute. Special mention to the groove change at 1m 20!
Mainstream metal? Hardly, but popular is popular! Also, note to Ibanez: more 7-string Iceman models, okay?
High Roller - Spiritbox
Talking about popularity, Spirit Box are one of the most hyped bands of recent years. I’d say this hype is pretty justified: they’ve got the melodies, they’ve got the emotions and they’ve got big, bludgeoning riffs.
Given how low their sound can get, it may be a surprise to learn that the majority of the guitar parts are 7-strings, with only a very occasional 8-string part. Guitarist MIke Stringer (good name!) mainly goes for an F# tuning (low to high: F#, C#, F#, B, E, G#, C#), which is like an 8-string tuning on a 7-string guitar. He also gets more depth by utilising a pitch-shifter. Clearly a frustrated bassist!
New Millennium Cyanide Christ - Meshuggah
I’m just going to go ahead and say it: this tune has been the literal blueprint for the last 30 years of extreme metal. This song has everything: polyrhythms, non-standard time signatures, breakdowns, next-level soloing, cutting-edge drums and a handful of the most brutal riffs then-known to the guitar.
Since this defining moment, Meshuggah have continued to innovate and experiment, but I feel like this continues to be a high-watermark for both Meshuggah and for metal in general.
Citizen Erased - Muse
How many bands get actual 7 string riffs into a top 40 album? Not many, especially back in 2001 when people still bought music. No mean feat! Matt Bellamy is a famous noisemaker on the guitar, and seems to have been always trying to guide Muse into a more metal direction. Citizen Erased is a great example of this, with a full-on fuzz and harmonics 7-string belter.
Down From the Sky - Trivium
Trivium have proven to one and all that they are the real deal, a band who can go the distance. From a young age, they displayed full commitment to the cause of metal, and have moments in their songs that stun.
One such moment is about half way through the song Down From the Sky. It’s known as the ‘Elephant Riff’ and once you hear it, you’ll fully understand how it got that name!
Sumeria - Devin Townsend Project
Eccentric Canadian polymath Devin Townsend always has a few tricks up his sleeve. On Sumeria, he manages to fit in a choir, Gojira’s Joe Duplantier and some of his most Meshuggah-inspired 7-string riffing ever.
Devin’s most ferocious stuff is definitely still with Strapping Young Lad, but that was all (I think) performed on a downtuned 6-string, so Sumeria gets the nod today!
Make Total Destroy - Periphery
7-string tapping riffs? Well, it’s Periphery, so yes! Tapping, plus hammer-ons, janky rhythms and unheard-of levels of precision. It’s not the sort of riff you can hum along to really, but it’s a hugely effective and impressive piece nonetheless. If you like your prog frantic and bruised but flecked with melody, this should definitely tick a few boxes for you.
Zombie Autopilot - Unearth
It might just be me, but I feel like Unearth sound like a metal core Iron Maiden. This is not a bad thing! This song is perhaps the most traditional ‘heavy metal’ song on today’s list, but it still makes excellent use of the low B for supreme ‘chug factor’!
Heart Collector - Nevermore
Nevermore’s Jeff Loomis is simultaneously well-regarded and underrated. This classic Nevermore cut from back in 2000 shows Loomis’ taste and execution, blending low-end 7-string chunk with plenty of melodic leads.
I’ve included this song today because we actually don’t often hear just straight-up, regular chord progressions being played on 7-strings. They are magnificent instruments for this: the low B adds some real theatrical depth to a collection of otherwise simple chords.
Sometimes you don’t need more!
Molten Heaviness
Do 7-string guitars make music heavier? The instant response is ‘of course they do’, but it’s maybe not as simple as that. 7-strings certainly add heft and weight to a piece of music, but sometimes heaviness is as much about snarl and bite. Slayer in the 80s played in Eb standard tuning, and nobody can tell me that Seasons in the Abyss isn’t a heavy album!
What 7-strings can do, is add extra depth. You don’t lose any notes at all, so it’s healthy to look beyond the three lowest notes and see that 7-string guitar as a map of notes with extra areas added to explore!
If you haven’t experimented with a 7-string, I absolutely recommend doing so. It’s amazing what can happen when you take yourself out of your comfort zone!
Click to View our Selection of 7-String Guitars
