Am I Evil?

“Am I Evil?” is a song by Diamond Head

Diamond Head was a British Heavy Metal band that was a big influence on Metallica, who recorded this song in 1984. Anger and paranoia are common themes for both Metallica and Diamond Head, and this song has plenty of both: it’s about a guy who seeks revenge and wonders if he is evil after his mother is burned for witchcraft. While Metallica got all the fame from covering this song when they released it as a B-Side to their “Creeping Death” single (and later on their Garage, Inc. album), Diamond Head has stated that they’re flattered by the cover and the money they’ve earned from royalties paid by Metallica has played a role in keeping the band going.

The intro is based on a piece by British composer Gustav Holst called “The Planets.” The piece has 7 movements, each named for a planet, and the intro to “Am I Evil?” comes from the “Mars,” which is the first movement.

Walkthrough

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This song features a great deal of ascending triplets that can be tapped. From solos 2C to 2E, every note aside from the final YB chord can be tapped, and they go up in ascending triplets. Solo 1 features the same concept. The first few choruses and verses are very easy due to their repetitive nature. The only part that could break a full combo for an unprepared player is Solo 2F, where the notes cannot be tapped and must me hammered-on/pulled off, meaning this part is much less forgiving should you mess up.