Homicidal Retribution by Dying Fetus (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Homicidal Retribution by Dying Fetus guitar tone is built on a EVH 5150 III 100-Watt Tube Head, dialed in at gain 9/10, bass 6, mid 4.5, treble 7, presence 6.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 9 sits above the metal average (7.3) — a hotter, more saturated take than most metal tones; mids at 4.5 are right around average (5.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: ESP E-II M-II Neck Thru BLK · Amp: EVH 5150 III 100-Watt Tube Head

Studio recording, 2007 (War of Attrition album). Gear confirmed for Dying Fetus studio use in this era; no evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this track's riff section. No evidence of additional effects or pedals in the studio chain except for possible noise gate/boost.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

ESP E-II M-II Neck Thru BLK → Amptweaker Tight Metal Pro → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor → EVH 5150 III 100-Watt Tube Head

Effects

distortion, overdrive, noise_gate

Tone character

tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, articulate attack, dense and focused, clear note separation, crushing low end, razor-sharp pick attack, minimal ambience

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, fast tempo, aggressive dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Homicidal Retribution sound.

Difficulty

5/5 · Riff

The riff section of 'Homicidal Retribution' is highly technical, requiring expert-level speed, accuracy, and stamina, with complex picking and muting techniques at a very fast tempo.

Worth knowing

• No direct source for exact knob settings; values estimated based on typical 5150 III settings for brutal death metal and genre/era conventions.
• No explicit confirmation of pedals or effects used on the studio recording; only gear lists and genre-typical practices.
• No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; only high-gain and tight rhythm tone is audible.
• Pedal use (e.g., Tube Screamer, noise gate) is common in genre and listed in band gear, but not confirmed for this specific recording.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Dying Fetus's 'Homicidal Retribution' features a very high-gain, tight, modern death metal tone with slightly scooped mids, tight bass, and pronounced upper mids and presence for articulation. The tone is extremely dry with no audible reverb, matching both genre and era production trends.

Homicidal Retribution guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Dying Fetus Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard

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