Fender Play Live: A Very Metal Halloween Playlist

Fender Play Live is a weekly studio show that dives deep into the Fender's legendary gear and the iconic music that was made by it over the year.s

This edition of the program dives deep into metal. Hosted by Aquabats guitarist Ian Fowlers and Sebastien Betley of the band New Language, the broadcast goes full-on Halloween with tips and tricks about how to play metal music, complete with dive-bombs and gain for days, and some of the biggest names in the genre. In case you miss the show, you can watch it on Fender’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.

For fans of White Zombie, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and other metal heavyweights, this is the show for you. And to go along with it, we've compile special lesson lists for every level of player through Fender Play. If you're not a Fender Play subscriber, you can start your free trial here.

Metal Playlist: Level 1

Exercise: Dialing in Metal Tone

To play metal leads, you'll want to take a look at not just your gutiar, but also your amp and effect. Some of the effects that contribute to killer metal tone include gain, delay, boost, fuzz, overdrive and phasers.

Learn how you can get great metal tone in this video.

Exercise: Play a Riff with Saturated Metal Tone

Once you've dialed in your metal tone, it's time to take on a riff. And in the metal vein, saturation is your friend. In this lesson, you'll learn about testing the limits of saturation with a basic E minor riff.

Exercise: Playing Chords with a Metal Tone

Explore another riff that moves between arpeggios and power chords in this lesson. In the video, you'll cover palm muting, arpeggio picking and how to change channels in your amp with a footswitch.

Helloween – "I Want Out"

Using the skills tracked above, you are ready to tackle the classic metal track "I Want Out" by Helloween. Perfect for the holiday!

Marilyn Manson – "Killing Strangers"

And if that wasn't heavy enough for you, try Marilyn Manson's "Killing Strangers," which utilizes single-note down picking and string muting.

Metal Playlist: Level 2

Course: The Gallup Strum

This course introduces the gallup strum, which is a classic rhythm technique commonly used in metal and rock. The combination of 8th and 16th notes has a rhythm that is similar to a galloping horse.

Ministry – "Stigmata"

Get ready to work on string bending and power chords with Ministry's late-'80s hit "Stigmata" in this lesson. The industrial metal pioneers leaned heavy on the distorttion with this one, earning it regular play on MTV and in movie soundtracks.

Motorhead – "Ace of Spades"

Motorhead is regarded as one of the greatest bands in heavy metal history, and their "Ace of Spades" is a heavy metal anthem. Its popularity vaulted the group into worldwide stardom, as NME even ranked it No. 155 in its 2014 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Learn how to play "Ace of Spades" here.

Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”

Judas Priest released "Breaking the Law" in 1980 as the single on their album British Steel. This song became one of the bands biggest hits, with VH1 even declaring it the 12th greatest hard rock song of all time in 2009.

Learn how to play "Breaking the Law" here.

Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”

"Crazy Train" was the highest charting single off of Ozzy Osbourne's debut release Blizzard of Ozz. The song features the songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing of Randy Rhoads, who would record only two albums with Osbourne before his untimely death in 1982.

Learn how to play "Crazy Train" here.

Metal Playlist: Level 3

White Zombie – “Thunder Kiss '65”

Third time's the charm. "Thunder Kiss '65" was released as a single three times before it gained any real attention or popularity. It wasn't until the show Beavis and Butthead aired the video on the program in 1993 that it started to gain some traction. The resulting popularity of the single garnered White Zombie's first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance later that year.

Learn how to play "Thunder Kiss '65" here.

Pantera – “Cowboys from Hell”

"Cowboys From Hell" is a song by American heavy metal band Pantera. The song first appearing on the band's 1989 demo album and functioned as their first single. It was released later as the title track on their major label debut album. When you play it, you'll utilize techniques like alternate picking, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and 16th note strumming.

Learn how to play "Cowboys from Hell" here.

White Zombie – “More Human than Human”

"More Human than Human" by White Zombie was the first single from their album, Astro-Creep: 2000. The song earned a Grammy nomination in 1995 and is their most successful record to date. The title is a reference to the Philip K. Dick novel that would be adapted to film, known as Blade Runner. Get your slide ready when playing this one!

Learn how to play "More Human than Human" here.

Ozzy Osbourne – "Mr. Crowley”

Rhoads appears in this playlist again for his singular fretwork on Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley." Released as a single in 1980, the song contains one of the most famous guitar solos of all time.

Learn how to play "Mr. Crowley" here.

Lamb of God – “Laid to Rest”

Finally, now that your metal chops are all up to speed, dive into a grooving metal jam from Lamb of God in "Laid to Rest." Coming from the 2004 album Ashes of the Wake, "Laid to Rest" represents a modern take on the metal genre.

Learn how to play "Laid to Rest" here.

For more Fender Play Live, go to Fender’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels. And if you're not a member of Fender Play yet, click here for a free trial.