You’ve probably been there. You're sitting with your guitar, feeling pretty good about your downpicking, and you decide it's time to tackle ...And Justice for All. You open up an eye of the beholder tab, look at that opening riff, and realize things are about to get weird. It’s not just the speed. It’s the swing.
Metallica’s 1988 masterpiece is famous for a lot of things—the lack of bass, the dry-as-bone production, and the sheer complexity of the arrangements. But "Eye of the Beholder" stands out because it messes with your internal clock. If you’re looking at a tab and trying to play it like a straight-ahead thrasher, you’re going to sound "off."
The song is built on a shifting rhythmic foundation.
Most people think of Metallica as a 4/4 band. While James Hetfield is the undisputed king of the downstroke, this specific track highlights his ability to weave through time signature changes that feel like a kick to the ribs. When you pull up an eye of the beholder tab, you aren't just looking at notes; you're looking at a blueprint for 12/8 time that occasionally decides it wants to be something else entirely.
The Problem with Most Online Tabs
Let's be real for a second. Most free tabs you find on the internet are, frankly, a mess. They capture the notes but miss the soul. Or worse, they miss the tuning.
Back in the late 80s, Metallica wasn't always tuning to a perfect 440Hz pitch. If you try to play along to the studio recording using a standard eye of the beholder tab, you’ll notice you sound slightly sharp or flat. The record is actually pitched slightly sharp—roughly a quarter-step. This is a nightmare for beginners. You think your fingers are in the right spot (and the tab says they are), but the dissonance makes you want to throw your guitar out the window.
Then there's the fingering.
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A lot of digital tabs suggest playing the main riff with awkward stretches on the A and D strings. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield usually found the most "efficient" way to play these things, which often involved using the open E string as a pedal tone. If your tab doesn't show that constant chugging on the low E, it’s wrong. Period.
Understanding the 12/8 Groove
The intro isn't a gallop. It’s a shuffle. Well, a very heavy, aggressive, "get-off-my-lawn" kind of shuffle.
When you look at the eye of the beholder tab for the intro, you’ll see groups of three notes. This is 12/8 time. Think of it like a heavy blues beat but played with the intensity of a sledgehammer. The mistake most guitarists make is playing these triplets too "stiffly."
You have to feel the "swing."
- Listen to Lars Ulrich’s snare. It’s landing in places you don't expect.
- The main riff (the 1-2-3, 1-2-3 pulse) needs a heavy emphasis on the first note of every triplet.
- Don't rush the transitions. The song breathes more than "Blackened" or "Dyers Eve."
Honestly, the hardest part of the eye of the beholder tab isn't the left hand. It’s the right-hand stamina. While it’s not as fast as "Master of Puppets," the constant triplets require a different kind of muscular control. You aren't just alternate picking; you’re maintaining a rhythmic bounce for nearly six minutes.
Decoding the Chorus and the "Clean" Section
The chorus of "Eye of the Beholder" is where the melody actually shows up. It’s a jarring contrast to the chromatic, muddy feeling of the verses. In a good eye of the beholder tab, you’ll see power chords moving in a descending pattern: Bb, A, G, then sliding down.
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But wait. There’s a clean guitar part buried in the mix.
Most people ignore this. If you want to play the song accurately, you need to acknowledge the layered textures. The clean section uses a lot of chorus and delay. It’s haunting. It provides that "justice" atmosphere that defines the whole album. If your tab just shows the distorted rhythm and skips the clean overdubs, you’re missing about 30% of the song’s sonic identity.
Common Fingerings You Should Fix
Let's talk about the "Spider Riff."
During the bridge, there’s a chromatic climb. A lot of tabs will have you jumping your hand all over the neck. Stop doing that. The "spider chord" technique—something Dave Mustaine (who wasn't on this album but influenced the style) and James Hetfield popularized—is the key here. You use your index and ring finger for one set of notes, then your middle and pinky for the next. It minimizes hand movement.
If the eye of the beholder tab you’re using doesn't imply this economy of motion, it’s probably written by someone who doesn't play thrash.
The Solo: Kirk Hammett's Wah-Drenched Chaos
Kirk's solo in this song is... polarizing. Some people love the frantic energy; others think it’s a bit of a wah-pedal mess. If you’re looking at a solo tab for "Eye of the Beholder," prepare for a lot of scale runs in E minor and B minor.
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- The Wah Pedal: You can’t play this solo without one. It hides a lot of the "noise" and provides the vocal-like quality Kirk was obsessed with during this era.
- The Tapping: There are some quick tapping sequences toward the end of the solo. Make sure your tab specifies the "fretted" note vs the "tapped" note clearly.
- The Vibrato: Kirk uses a very wide, fast vibrato. If you play it too slow, it sounds like Eric Clapton playing thrash. That’s not what we want.
Gear Settings for the "Justice" Tone
No eye of the beholder tab is complete without talking about the "Scooped Mids."
To make these notes sound right, you need to turn your "Middle" knob on your amp down to about 2 or 3. Crank the "Treble" to 8 and the "Bass" to 7. This creates that hollow, aggressive "clank" that defines the record. If you have too much midrange, the triplets in the tab will sound muddy and lose their definition.
James used Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amps (acting as a preamp) into Marshall power amps back then. You don't need a $10,000 vintage rig, but a high-gain distortion pedal with an EQ is basically mandatory.
Why This Song Is Still Relevant
"Eye of the Beholder" is a lyrical critique of censorship and the loss of individual perspective. "Independence limited / Freedom of choice is made for you, my friend." It’s ironic that a song about limited freedom is so technically demanding and "free" in its rhythmic structure.
Learning the eye of the beholder tab makes you a better rhythm player. It forces you to stop thinking in 4/4. It forces you to deal with weird, non-linear song structures. It’s a bridge between the straightforward aggression of Kill 'Em All and the stadium-rock precision of the Black Album.
Step-by-Step Mastery Plan
- Slow it down. Use a metronome set to a triplet feel (12/8 time) at about 90 BPM before trying to hit the full 130ish BPM of the track.
- Focus on the "Chug." The palm muting on the low E string needs to be tight. If your palm is too far forward, the notes die. Too far back, and it's just noise. Find the sweet spot right on the bridge.
- Check your tuning. If you're playing along to the record, tune your guitar to standard E, then nudge every string up by about 15-20 cents. Or, just find a "remastered" version on YouTube that has been pitch-corrected to 440Hz.
- Isolate the Bridge. The "Spider Riff" section is usually where people's hands cramp up. Practice that chromatic movement for 5 minutes a day until the muscle memory kicks in.
- Record yourself. You might think you're nailing the 12/8 swing, but listen back. Are you dragging? Are you rushing the chorus? The tape doesn't lie.
Once you’ve got the rhythm down, the rest of the eye of the beholder tab falls into place. It’s a masterclass in "uncomfortable" metal—the kind of song that feels like it's constantly pushing against the listener. That’s exactly why it’s so much fun to play. Stop looking at the numbers on the screen and start feeling the "push-pull" of the riff. That is the only way to actually play this song like Metallica intended.