gear giveaway

Metal Distortion Pedals

Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter

The Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter, as you may have guessed, is not a pedal for the gentle electric guitarist. Catering to the metal crowd (those who use their 6-string to "melt" stuff), this stompbox is a love letter to the "chainsaw" tone made popular by a string of Swedish Death Metal…Click on the title for more

Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter

Frost Giant Osiris Overdrive

The Frost Giant Osiris is an original overdrive circuit based on a circuit that introduces some innovation in a pedal niche that's been mostly developing around a few established designs, with the specific goal of turning small amps into huge-sounding tone monsters. Running internally at 18v, the Osiris is a…Click on the title for more

Frost Giant Osiris Overdrive

New Pedal: Marshall ShredMaster

As implied by its name, the Marshall ShredMaster is a distortion pedal for guitarists with shredding tendencies, therefore of the high-gain variety. Released in the early '90s, it was one of the first pedals to target metal and hard rock guitarists. Marshall has reissued it in all its glory in…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Marshall ShredMaster

Lichtlaerm Audio Gehenna Metal Distortion/Preamp

The Lichtlaerm Audio Gehenna is an ambitious distortion pedal/preamp with 2 switchable gain stages created with the metal guitarist in mind. It aims at delivering tones ranging "from classic NWOBHM to early 2000s Core-music, from raw Black and Death Metal to super tight and modern Djent." It does so through…Click on the title for more

Lichtlaerm Audio Gehenna Metal Distortion/Preamp

DSM Humboldt Black Clouds Distortion

The DSM Humboldt Black Clouds is a new pedal by the collaborative Chilean company that rose to prominence through the Simplifier, an analog amp/cab simulator. It's their own take on the flexible high-gain distortion pedal (read: this is not a clone of an existing circuit). The flexibility here is delivered…Click on the title for more

DSM Humboldt Black Clouds Distortion

REVV Northern Mauler Distortion

Although it's white and made in peaceful Canada, the REVV Northern Mauler is a pedal for guitarists who are after the "Swedish Chainsaw" tone pioneered by metal acts with vicious names like Entombed, Dismember, Repugnant, Bloodbath, and Fuming Mouth, just to mention a few. Designed in collaboration with (also) Canadian…Click on the title for more

REVV Northern Mauler Distortion

KMA Machines Wurm 2 Distortion

The KMA Machines Wurm 2 is an update of the Berlin-based company's high-gain flagship distortion pedal, featuring a circuit based on the BOSS HM-2 but with lots of extra features - or, in the words of the builder, "taking it much further and pushing the envelope of how destructive it…Click on the title for more

KMA Machines Wurm 2 Distortion

Black Mass Electronics The First Herald

The folks at Black Mass Effects, out of Salem, MA, describe their debut pedal, named The First Herald and recently redesigned to fit in a compact case, as a device that "does not reinvent the wheel, but reinforces it" and also "not death itself, but a definitive statement reminding you…Click on the title for more

Black Mass Electronics The First Herald

New Pedal: Westminster Piper Drive V3

The Westminster Piper Drive V3 is a high-gain pedal inspired by the Fulltone OCD but optimized for metallic musical genres. The simple control layout allows to dial in tones ranging from open and transparent to fully distorted with a mid-push. A two-voice toggle switch delivers two different tone flavors, one…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Westminster Piper Drive V3

Lauren Audio Mustang V2 Preamp

Run by a recording engineer, Lauren Audio is a one-man builder based in California that offers custom amplifiers and preamps and, also a bunch of pedals, among which a preamp stompbox emulating the most legendary channel strip, the Neve 1073: enter the Lauren Audio Mustang V2. The Mustang has a…Click on the title for more

Lauren Audio Mustang V2 Preamp

Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz

Notwithstanding its innocuous appearance, the Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz is, in a word, evil. Hailing from Australia, this baby feeds a fuzz into another fuzz, with demonic results, in particular if you stack the two pedals together. It's a dual-channel version of the company's Doom Fuzz, which is already…Click on the title for more

Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz

Westminster Effects 2716

Westminster Effects have collaborated with Seth Morrison of Christian Hard Rock band Skillet to create the 2716 signature distortion pedal. Meant to emulate Morrison's live setup, the 2716 takes cues from classic high gain tube amps such as the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Rev F, creating professional tight high gain…Click on the title for more

Westminster Effects 2716