Holy Roller Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Spiritbox

Tone Character

• Tight low register
• Decisive stops
• Pitch-shifted movement

Playing Technique

Practical suggestions for this riff reconstruction; difficulty reflects the exercise, not an official transcription.

• 🎸Learn the stops without a gate · difficulty 4/5Practice the riff slowly with both-hand damping; a noise gate should tidy the result rather than determine the rhythm.
• 🎸Keep low-string strokes shallow · difficulty 4/5Use a small pick movement to avoid bending a low note sharp on every heavy attack.
• 🎸Change pitch only at the right point · difficulty 4/5Rehearse any chosen pitch-change transition separately so a tracking effect does not smear the first note of the new phrase.
• 🎸Test the gate on sustained notes · difficulty 3/5After tightening the rests, check that longer intentional notes still decay naturally instead of being cut short.

Sources

• 📎Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer on gear and recording Eternal Blue | Guitar World

Tone Story / Why This Tone Works

• 🕰️Modern metal built on impactHoly Roller uses a heavy rhythmic guitar role within Spiritbox’s Eternal Blue period. Precision is central to the effect.
• 🎸Stringer’s changing registersMike Stringer discusses multiple pitch changes in the song. A single static setup represents only a selected practice target.
• 🎛️A short low-end envelopeFor the riff, keep the low note strong but stop it decisively. Long bass decay competes with the next impact.
• 🎯Silence carries weightThe sound becomes larger when attacks and gaps contrast; filling each rest with noise makes the pattern less forceful.