Full Metal Racket! - 32 of the Best Compact High Gain Metal Distortion Pedals - 2024 Ultimate Selection

Controls - Frequency Low, Frequency Mid, Frequency High, Low, Mid, High, Volume, Distortion.

A rare orange and black version of the stripped down Evil Ned! There is an even crazier full-fat Evil Ned with nearly twice the controls of this one and in a weird form factor - like 3-4 compacts stacked top to bottom! It's another really great HM-2 variety and a great part of my HM-2 style capsule collection - all those pedals are the best for each size of form factor - and I'm very proud to have such a broad selection. I have so many High Gain Pedals and typically only around 3 or 4 slots in circulation - so some of these don't get as much of an airing as they deserve - this is definitely one of the the compact HM-2 greats - sounds superb!

Controls - Level, Amp Voicing : EL84 > EL34 > 6L6, Drive, Mids, High, Lomids (Lo-Mids), Growl (Bass Boost), Crunch (Mid Boost).

A fairly unique High Gain pedal with a core Variable 3-Amp Voicing Profile control, and really decent guitar volume cleanup. There's actually quite a bit more about this pedal than meets the eye - including a smart modular MDK daughterboard system, and associated MXP-1 Expression Pedal. Great sounding, very amp-like high gain pedal with a lot of added smarts, and fantastic control topology. For my preferences it would ideally have a little more volume on tap, but that's a rather tiny niggle versus everything else that this pedal delivers.

Controls - Gain, Presence, Level, Rectification : [T]ube / [B]ridge / [D]iode, Bass, Mids, Treble.

As I stated in my review of this pedal - it's probably the most authentic sounding Dual Rectifier pedal to-date - it most definitely has that core timbre and texture that I personally associate with being distinctly Dual Rectifier-ish - likely more than any other. This is in large part due to the extraordinary work in trying to capture the distinctive character between each of the 3 main classic dual rectification type circuits. My only tiny niggle here is that I feel it could have done with just a touch more volume. It will be fine when maxed for most - while I always like to have a little more in reserve - so I can crank it up to 11 - which is not quite the case here. There's plenty of range on the other dials - and the 3-way Rectifier selection is properly killer. If and when there is a V2 of this one - I would really like just a little more volume please!

Controls - Gain, Distortion, Clean (Blend), Low, Mid, High, Low Freq, Mid Freq, Clean Blend Post/Pre.

We're really spoilt for choice with full-flavour compact-edition HM-2 types these days - and this is one of the very best. That particular mix of controls takes you into new and interesting areas which others don't always so easily venture. It also can sound nothing like an HM-2 variant if you dial out most of that aggression. This one is particularly easy to dial in and ramp up or down the scale - predictable and even knob tapers throughout - I feel this one is still a little under the radar - but is well worth picking up. Bardic Audio's Tim really makes some interesting pedals - and my original Distortion Trifecta of his - including the HM-Demon, Thunderclap V3, and 2-Stroke Beaver - are just all superb!

Controls - Volume, Mids, Gain, Treble, Bass, Depth.

For the longest time my most outstanding Doom Sludge Fuzz - which now has some really serious competition from the latest edition of Lichtlaerm Audio Altar. The Balrog really does deliver exceptional molten lava like sludge - which is still its specialism, while the Altar now outranks it in granularity and versatility - texturally though each is still pretty distinct. I of course love them both dearly for particular applications. Both are very much top of the pile! This is still my favourite Blackhawk pedal too! While there are some almost equally impressive pedals from that roster,

Controls - Level, Tone, Drive, Mode : Chorus : I / II / Doubler : I / II / III.

The first of the Boss heavy brigade quartet is also the most unusual - combining analog High Gain Circuitry with Digital DSP Manipulation - which greatly expands the richness of the output texture. I've always favoured mixing up High Gain with Modulation, and this box does it superbly all within the same enclosure. Some people feel that the somewhat early version of Boss DSP sounds a little brittle and artificial at times, while for me it just all adds to the flavour. If you dial this one in just right it can sound really amazing. One of Boss's somewhat forgotten gems! Interestingly this pedal has the MZ-2 designation - which I always felt should have accompanied the Metal Zone - but that on is rather MT-2!

Controls - Level, Lows - Color Mix - Highs, Distortion, Mode : Standard / Custom.

Some feel that this one is somehow less brutal than the original - mostly just because Boss cleared up the noise floor somewhat. For me it sounds just as visceral as the original, and the new killer Custom Mode makes it even more special. I'm typically on the Custom Mode side - for a properly thunderous sounding output. This pedal is still pretty legendary, and yes three are still some Blues Heads out there that use this in low gain mode - which is kind of sacrilegious really, but at the same time underlines this pedal's range and versatility! It's far more than a one trick Swedish Death Metal pony!

Controls - Level, Low, High, Distortion.

Supposedly this one is Rob Chapman's favourite High Gain Boss Pedal. Allegedly somewhat based on the MESA/Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp Sound. This one is not quite as well lauded as the Heavy Metal or Metal Zone - but still has a fairly loyal following of Metal Heads. Sounds pretty decent to me, but for some reason has fairly few Modded versions out there, and is generally much less copied than its two high octane siblings. A solid workhorse for sure!

Controls - Level, High / Low, Middle / Mid Frequency, Distortion, Mode : Stock / Ultra Tube (Xtreme) / Triple Diode (Molten-Amp).

I'm always mystified to find how divisive this pedal can be - which is the catalyst to so many viral means, and so many people like to b*tch about, While for me it's truly one of the great Metal Distortion Pedals - particularly in its even more thunderous and higher octane Keeley Twilight Zone Mod Edition. That introduces 3 progressively more heavyweight modes - even the MT-2W cannot keep up with the Twilight Zone one - that one is just Metal Distortion Heaven for me - and still ranks as one of the very best Metal pedals out there The Waza Craft edition is also decent, while the Keeley Modded One is up in magnificent territory. That one is very much my favourite of Boss's Metal Distortion Quadfecta - while I really like all of them. In terms of most pedals featured in the listing - Boss is still at the top of that curve! 

Controls - Distortion, Depth, Level, Low / Low Frequency, Mid / Mid Frequency, High / High Frequency.

The last time I featured this - DigiTech / DOD was very much defunked and out of business. While South Korea's Cor-Tek Corporation has since revived the whole apparatus with Tom Cram rightly at the help once more. All those DigiTech and DOD classics are back on the market, bar a few of the digital ones - for which it is still impossible to source the right types of digital chips. The Boneshaker is as divisive as the Boss Metal Zone - both for the same reason really - ham-fisted amateurs who don't have the patience or aptitude to dial those in correctly. If you get those dials wrong - these can sound pretty horrendous, while a little diligence and perseverance really pays off in spades! A really potent gain machine once you get to grips with it!

Controls - Treble, Mids, Bass, Volume, Boost : New York (Tight Modern), Bay Area (Dark Classic), Gain (Thrasher / Shredder / Nutz).

The second of the new additions, I've been hugely impressed with this one from the starts. Totally covers off the mighty quartet of US West-coast and East-coast Heavy Metal talent - Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Antrhax, I love it for playing those killer Slayer Raining Blood Riffs! Suitably heavy and chunky - and trashy - depending on how you dial it in. A real joy to deploy, and one of the greats for sure - delivers some magnificent textures at exactly the right levels of gain and output!

Controls - Gain, Weight, Output, Low ±15, Mid ±15, High ±15, Gate Threshold, Mid Frequency : 200Hz > 2.5kHz, Channel : Lite(ish) / Heavy / Heavier, Gate Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

Another one of the newer ones - Empress have really pulled out all the stops on this improved and magically shrunk edition of the Empress Heavy. The new one is even more potent - with 3 Modes of play onboard and a really handy Noise Gate. Does everything it needs to do, and is really versatile for sure with a potent active 3-Band EQ section with semi-parametric mids. I felt for a time that it had lost a little of its former low-end heft, but I may just have imagined that. This one is even and predictable on the dial in and delivers a vast range of tones, a worthy successor to the Heavy for sure!

Controls - Active Bass, Active Mids, Active Treble, Volume, MidShift : Scooped / Humped, Grind (Sharpen), Girth (Fatten), Kill Footswitch (Boost / Adds 1 more Gain Stage), On/Bypass Footswitch.

There's something really special about the Natast - it is so poised and precise. Doesn't necessarily have the most gain or low-end heft, while it's incredibly vibrant and well-balanced. My friend Henry Kaiser really loves this one - and I can totally understand why - it's a proper livewire of a distortion - kind of with surgical precision. Not quite as shapable s the Lichtlaerm ones, while the Natas is always totally in control - a really refined high gain pedal for sure, You can definitely hear the benefit of its onboard toroidal transformer!

Controls - Level, Presence, Gain, Bass, Body, Table, Boost Switch, Bright Switch, Crunch Switch.

One of my all-time favourite Keeley pedals, really versatile overall, with a slightly darker profile at its core - a proper High Gain Chameleon, which also does HM-2 style tones really easily. This typifies how different each Metal Distortion pedal can be - as each has a markedly different core profile - in terms of how the default frequencies sit together. Overall this one is slightly cooler and denser by default - but can be turned to many a task. While it still very obviously has that some core character throughout.

Controls - Bass, Mids, Treble, Gain, Boost, Level

This essentially extracts and expands on the Grindstein's Bottomshaker circuit - which pairs so well with the HM-2 style. Here you have a more extended 3-Band EQ, with additional Boost control for even more saturation. A great low-end accentuated distortion - while it could really do with more output volume. Its somewhat moderate output level can let the side down a little, but it's not too far off where it needs to be, and the overall texture of the distortion is excellent!

Controls - Volume, Voicing: HM II / Both / KMA, Terror (Distortion), Highs, Hi-Mids, Low-Mids, Lows, Internal Frequency Trimmers for Lows, Lows Mids, High Mids, and Highs.

Yet another fantastic take on the HM-2 - really expansive, with 3 core voicing Modes at its heart - as well as semi-parametric 3-band EQ. Just hugely potent! Would be nice to see the frequency trimmers externalised in some way in a future edition - possible along the lines of how Vemuram gives external access to trimpots! Using all the different controls can be a touch fiddly - while the resulting tones you're able to pin-point are really top-tier! This is the 4th of 6 HM-2 types in the listing - we've never had so much quality choice!

Controls - Bass (±18dB), Mids (±18dB), High (±18dB), Boost (+36dB), Gain, Level, Grind (Boost EQ / HM-2 Curve), Depth (Input Saturation), Comp (Clipping Style Fuzz/OD/Distortion), Boost Footswitch (+36dB), Bypass Footswitch, Internal Doom Switch (↑ UP).

And so to the first of the Lichtlaerm Trifecta, Lichtlaerm has really stamped its presence on this rundown - with 3 wholly exceptional pedals. The Balrog probably still wins in the overall 'Sludge' category as it does that exceptionally well, while the overall Doom Fuzz category probably has a new champion now in the Altar. It has so much range and shapeability - and it can really punch you in the gut with its output. It's also incredibly poised and somewhat tight most of the time for being a Doom pedal. I found each of the Licthtlaerm pedals to be something of a marvel really. With wholly supreme shaping abilities, and capable of the most brutal of outputs!

Controls - Gain I, Low Cut (Up to 1.5 kHz), Gain II, Active Bass 40-100Hz, Level, Active Treble 4kHz-10kHz, Depth, Active Lo-Mid @ 400Hz, Active Hi-Mid @ 1kHz, Presence, Gain : 1 / II Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

The Gehenna has an extra thundering low-end heft to it. It's the most vintage-capable of the Lichtlaerm trifecta, but it can sound just as modern and mid-range punchy percussive too. I've really been impressed by the 3 Lichtlaerms - they're just so well calibrated now, which is understandable, as some of those are now 3rd or 4th iterations even of those core circuits. The Gehenna is truly a fantastic Metal Distortion All-rounder - with - and like the Natas - amazing poise and precision throughout.

Controls - Gain, Level, Low-Cut (Up to 1.5kHz), Active Low ±16dB @ 90 Hz, Mid ±16dB, Grind ±16dB (Twin Peaks @ c. 1.0kHz & 1.3kHz), Presence : Highs Shelving Filter, Gate (Key & Gate circuit), Mid-Freq : 200-700Hz, FX Loop Blend, Mode / Voicing : Modern, Louder & More Mids / HM-2 Classic, FX Loop Polarity, Send / Return Parallel FX Loop.

A truly magnificent take on the HM-2 format - which is capable of even more brutality, and truly smart shaping of the twin peak death metal distortion. It has such an expansive control topology that you can really turn this pedal to any purpose. I am so spoilt with superior HM-2 pedal choices - and this is surely one of, if not the finest variant out there - extraordinarily immense!

Controls - Volume, Base (Depth / Girth), Gain, Top, Middle, Bottom, Boos : Off / On, Edge : LPF / Bite & Sizzle.

This really punchy Dual Rec take is still somewhat under the radar alas. Probably not quite as authentic sounding as others here in that category, but still a superior choice for how crispy and percussive its output can be. The Middle frequencies on this distortion hit really hard, and you get an incredibly tight and crisp texture as a result - almost fuzz-like at times too - really potent and different!

Controls - Mode : #34 Slash Mod (More Sizzle + Brightness) / JCMII (Rhythm!) / #007 More Gain Mod + Attack, Master Volume, Active Presence, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Internal 'Master Tone' trim-pot.

This one actually pushes out the Friedman BE-OD - where I'm still disappointed that its control topology hasn't yet been updated to the new format as is present on individual channels of the BE-OD DLX. In any case I find the PAL800 much better balanced than the BE-OD, and somewhat better sounding too. It also has a more open texture than the somewhat darker and denser BE-OD. Both PedalPalFX compacts are superb - and the PAL800 is one of the very best JCM800 takes out there!

Controls - Gain, Volume, Bass, Mids, Treble.

Based on Mikey Demus' Orange Rockerverb 100 - but with more extended range - so it can be turned to several different tasks. Has that amazing Orange crunch flavour - which makes it one of my favourite all-rounder Metal Distortion Pedals, not quite so high gain as some of those others, but still has a rather magnificent range of tones onboard - supremely easy to dial in too!

Controls - Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Aggression : Blue (More) / Off / Red (Most), Gain.

This modern-leaning mids-forward take on Revv's Generator Amp Channel 3 - is still many players favourite High Gain Metal Distortion Pedal - particularly if you favour the more modern site of contemporary percussive metal music! It certainly has amazing laser-like cut-through abilities which is why so many like it. For super-precision honed lead tones for sure!

Controls - Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Aggression : Blue (More) / Off / Red (Most), Gain.

And here is the fatter / thicker more vintage leaning take on Revv's Generator Amp's 4th Channel. This is perfect for those slighlty more scooped, and more elastic and saggy style tones. Where the G3 is much tighter and more precise. If you want to bring on the thunder though you need the G4. I personally love both the G3 and G4, but kind of against the norm, I use the G4 as a preference more often than the G3.

Controls - Volume, Top End : Modern / X / Vintage, Low End : Full / Tight / Medium, Gain, Destity / Core EQ : Dark / Poweramp / Bright, Gain Structure : Low / Medium / High, Gold Era Filter : 1987X / 1959SLP + High Gain / 2203 JCM800, Presence, Gain : Green / Orange / Red, Treble, Mid, Orange Saturation : ++ / 0 / +, Red Saturation : ++ / 0 / +, Bass.

I didn't think you could do better than the N5 MGAT-1, but Mr. Wu has amazingly managed to eke even greater tones out of the MGAT-1 Golden Era. Still my most favoured all-rounder MIAB pedal - which delivers the most sublime high gain tones too - in fact right across every classic era of Marshall Amps - absolutely superb and indeed absolutely supreme! We're still waiting for the Pete Thorn demo of this one!

Controls - Depth / Bass, Middle, Presence / Treble, Gate / Output, Gain, Hi Input Gain / Lo Input Gain.

An incredibly high gain pedal - often veering on squealing feedback if you don't tune it right. Even with all those controls, you cannot get away from the core Ola Englund Modern Chug / Djent tone. Rather the controls give you the ultimate shaping ability in tuning Ola's Chug in optimally for your rig - while you can never get a more vintage voicing out of it - it's core character really is nailed on throughout. Not that easy to dial in either - where you have to be careful in the right-hand hemispheres of several of the controls. Takes a while to get used to, and indeed can yield some really great modern tones, but is somehow still an oddity in many ways!

Controls - Volume, Presence, Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Deep Switch : On / Off.

A great take on the legendary Soldano SLO-100 Amp. Really easy to dial in, and its Deep Switch is super useful too. It's not quite as high gain as I expected though - while it delivers superior lead tones for sure. A really smart take on the SLO-100 - probably the finest example of that genre out there, especially in compact enclosure format!

Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain, Punch (Input EQ) : Red / Blue / Dark, Bite : Rectifier / Bogner Red / PV 5150, Volume.

Still one of my very favourite extreme gain pedals. Needs to be run at 18V for you to feel its full potency. A beautifully balanced proper monster high gain pedal with a really Smart Control topology and extended range. At 18V it never fails to impress - another one of those beautifully poised and precise metal distortions!

Controls - Volume, Gain, Bass, Mids, Treble.

Rabea Massaad's signature High Gain Distortion - based on his Victory Amp of the same name, which I understand is largely in turn based on the Peavey 5150 EVH Amp - but with a little darker profile perhaps. Not as high gain as you might expect, but has plenty of range onboard, and easily replicates Rabea's Mids-Forward High Gain Tones. A useful workhorse for sure!

Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Volume, Voicing : Open / Tight, Gain.

Brian Wampler's take on Ola Englund's Chug Sound - possibly a little overshadowed now by Ola's own Chug pedal. The Dracarys though is really well balanced, and much better behaved that the 'Chug' it certainly doesn't have a tendency for feedback squeal. And delivers very pleasant Chug / Djent tones, certainly now s live-wire as the Chug, but possible all the better for it. Not quite so high gain as the Chug either - but much easier for dialling in useful tones in some ways. The Chug's extra granularity slightly counts against it in some ways! It depends really on which voicing you prefer - they are quite distinct different in any case.

Controls - Gain, Presence, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble.

A really potent take on the Dual Rectifier Sound - with plenty of range / shaping abilities. Not quite as aggressive as some Dual Recs while still bold and decently impactful. I feel this one is a little under the radar too, where it's actually a really great sounding option for those kinds of tones. Perhaps not as aggressive as some, while it consistently delivers usable tones.

Controls - Volume, Dry > Wet Blend, Distortion, Low, Mid, High (3-Band EQ).

A distinctively different take on the HM-2 format / Chainsaw sound - which runs not quite so harsh or brutal as is typical. Rather this is more of an all-rounder adaptable High Gain Distortion that can run to several different applications. If you're looking for grinding Death Metal Tones, then this is not your HM-2 variant of choice. While if you're looking for a more refined versatile High Gain all-rounder - then this could very well be the most suitable candidate. I rather like it myself, while it's not quite so aggressively searing as your typical Metal Head would likely be after. I think's it's rather cool to have included 6 quite different takes on the Boss HM-2 format in this listing - all actually quite distinct, and each with a slightly different core texture. This one is extended range and high gain for sure - but it's a more polished and refined take on that circuit!