Story to Tell by Death (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Story to Tell by Death guitar tone is built on a Marshall Valvestate 8100, dialed in at gain 8.5/10, bass 6, mid 4, treble 7.5, 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 8.5 sits above the metal average (7.3) — a hotter, more saturated take than most metal tones; mids at 4 are below average (5.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Stealth B.C. Rich Chuck Schuldiner Custom · Amp: Marshall Valvestate 8100

Studio recording, 1997, confirmed for 'The Sound of Perseverance' era. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the riff section. Settings and gear based on era, interviews, and forum consensus for this album's rhythm tone.

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

Stealth B.C. Rich Chuck Schuldiner Custom → Marshall Valvestate 8100

Effects

Guitar → Marshall Valvestate 8100 (no pedals, no effects loop)

Tone character

tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, articulate attack, razor-sharp riffing, focused low end, crisp treble bite, minimal ambience, dry, immediate response

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 Story to Tell sound.

Difficulty

4.5/5 · Riff

The riff section requires advanced right-hand technique, tight synchronization, and stamina at high tempos, making it challenging for most players.

Worth knowing

• No direct source lists exact knob settings for 'Story to Tell' riff; settings estimated based on genre, era, and forum consensus for Death's 'The Sound of Perseverance' rhythm tone.
• No evidence of pedals or effects used in the riff section; all effects fields left empty except amp settings.
• Pickup and amp model confirmed for this album/era, but not for this specific song in isolation.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Death's 'Story to Tell' (from 'The Sound of Perseverance', 1998) features a tight, aggressive high-gain tone with moderate bass, slightly scooped but not hollow mids, and pronounced treble/presence for clarity. Chuck Schuldiner typically used high-gain amps (Marshall Valvestate or ENGL), with minimal reverb for a dry, articulate modern death metal sound.

Story to Tell guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• [QUESTION] How can I get Death band tone on my gear? - Reddit
• What are death amp setting on human/individual thought patterns?

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🎯 Easy guitar songs to play (with settings) →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

More like this

🎸 more Metal guitar tones →  ·  🎛️ best metal amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar riffs →  ·  🎯 more scooped mids tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones