New builder Skyshatter Audio's first pedal is the dedicated down-tuned guitar and Metal oriented Shatter Drive

The Shatter Drive Overdrive has been specifically designed to get the most out of down-tuned guitars and Metal style amps. This in itself is not unique, as brands like Airis Effects, Fortin and Horizon Devices among a few such - have long since made a variety of metal and high-gain oriented overdrives aiming to get more control over heavier tones.

Controls - Level, Driving, Clipping : Symmetrical / Asymmetrical / Cross-Symmetrical

The new Shatter Drive though has at least one major innovation - in terms of its Cross-Asymmetrical Clipping mode - which supposedly lands half-way between those 2 classic clipping styles.

Furthermore the circuit is specially engineered for optimal clarity and tightness. With the 2-Band EQ supposedly also honed to that purpose - while no details are given as to the nature of those controls - i.e. which frequency clusters are targeted - where usually when not mentioned - then the EQ controls tend to be of a passive nature.

My only concern here is that the overall aesthetic impact of the pedal may not be sufficient to make it stand out in an already crowded marketplace. Its skirtless Boss-style knobs (DM-1360) are fairly ubiquitous nowadays - and there is nothing particularly stand-out about the branding or graphics of the pedal - so it may struggle to gain a signficant foothold. I actually really like their circular ident which is not used on the pedal facia for whatever reason - that would  certainly be a stronger brand marker.

While I’m always excited to see new entrants and new ideas in this marketplace, and the $150 price point makes it attainable to most. As a Metal specialist overdrive, it is presumable somewhat mid-humped at its core (possibly hinted at by its green LED and accents) - and would take on those near infinite Tube Screamer style overdrives which are often the first point of call for this particular application.

It will be interesting to watch this brand evolve, it is based in Tulsa Oklahoma, and its mission doesn’t seem to expand beyond the vision for their first pedal. These are available for pre-orders now from the Skyshatter Audio webstore. For me it is often the second pedal released by a company which is most important in defining that builder’s position in the marketplace - so it will of course be interesting to see where Skyshatter Audio go next!

The one current demo - as below - sounds pretty impressive in any case!