Krozz Devices' superb RoyalBreaker is a Fiery and Explosive Full-Fat Searing Rat-style Distortion with significant Marshall textures and overtones
Readers should know by now that I’m a huge fan of Rat style Distortion circuits - where I have over 40 of that kind in my reference collection. There have been several recent additions - including the Caroline Wave Cannon Zero and Drunk Beaver LA Metal - both of which are superb!
The RoyalBreaker hits somewhat differently to most - with a fiery and explosive delivery - sizzling with searing sustaining disortion. Most Rat pedals have some flavour of Marshall Crunch within their core texture / sonic profile - but it’s bigger and bolder here. And where there are other fiery Rat Distortions - like indeed the recent excellent Drunk Beaver LA Metal - the RoyalBreaker is still somewhat the Napalm of fiery Rat Distortions!
Controls - Level, Rising (Silicon > LED Clipping), Gain (+68dB), Active Bass, Low End : Fat + Fuzzy / Tight, Active Treble.
I do have Rat pedals with more features and controls which you can see in the below overview, while the RoyalBreaker is particularly well calibrated - to yield maximum impact and range with those 5 knobs and 2-mode toggle-switch. I still like the tighter setting too - which removes the full-on sizzle element - that still sounds very richly textured, but not quite as magical as having the Mode switch set to the UP position.
This may very well be my favourite core sounding Rat Distortion pedal to date - certainly one of the very top tier ones. I actually have several favourites already - but the potency of this one cannot be ignored - it's impact is immediate - I've chosen my words well here - as this pedal is truly texturally magnificent and fiery and explosive with that delivery.
My own ultimate settings have the Level control @ 2 o'c, Rising (Clipping) to Max / Full LED, then Gain @ 3 o'c, Active Bass @ 2 o'c, and Active Treble @ 2 o'c also - so a lot of those set to '2'!
Many thanks to my friends Murilo (Krozz) and Steve (FX Pedal Planet) for organising this one for me - all 3 of my Krozz Devices have come courtesy of Krozz Devices and FX Pedal Planet - all are superb - and will take on any brand for those purposes. I have several really strong Uni-Vibes besides the Krakenheart, while the Airborn Flanger and this RoyalBreaker Rat in particular - are surely up there as the best of the best!
If you get the RoyalBreaker direct from Krozz Devices in Brazil - it is a very reasonable $219, where at FX Pedal Planet in the UK it retails for the equivalent £219. If you don't already have the Airborn - I suggest you get both at the same time - as they pair amazingly well!
In fact the Airborn has gone back on the board to accompany the RoyalBreaker - the excellent Subdecay Starlight MKIII only got a month on the board - I missed the Airborn too much!
The RoyalBreaker looks really gorgeous up close too with those metallic coppery accents - which fairly sparkle in real life. The pictures don't do justice to how good this pedal looks 'in the flesh'. This is such a high quality release - and destined to be a classic!
I feel that the RoyalBreaker is going to have a long and glorious reign!
Demos
