Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
2025 Best New Distortion Pedals of the Year
And so onto the Distortions of the year - the smallest group stage this year! There’s no particular logic as to why there are just 20 Disortions this year. There were a further couple of acquisitions that I was disappointed with - and I deliberately left out of this selection. It’s mostly a case of what appeals each year - and evidently there weren’t that many appealing ones beyond those I acquired. I’m not aware of any particular ones that are still in the wind. The last one in was the Lichtlaerm Thorn - I was just waiting for that to arrive at Joe’s Pedals. And unfortunately it came in a little too late to be included in the Full Metal Racket Rundown - while I’m delighted I managed to complete that set this year - while I still need to get the Mid-size Lichtlaerm Total Distortion Worship MKII - which is not yet in stock at Joe’s. I tend to particularly favour Fortin, Lichtlaerm, and Sinvertek High Gain Distortions!
This includes 7 of the new ones featured in this year’s Full Metal Racket Rundown. That’s often the key catalyst for high gain distortion acquisitions in particular - as I try to add new variants every year - and this year they included the Fortin Kali Plexi + JCM800, Fortin Meshuggah, REVV G3 V2 Anniversary, REVV G4 V2 Anniversary, Sinvertek MGAT-5 SRAA Soldano SLO-100, Solar Chug Lite, and This Heavy Earth Flesh Rot V2.
There are 6 award winners across this selection :
GOLD - Sinvertek MGAT-5 Soldano SRAA
3 x SILVER - Blue Colander Grimrobe, Fortin Meshuggah, and Krozz Devices RoyalBreaker
2 x BRONZE - Muir Audio Silicon Steel Distortion, and Solar Chug Lite
I typically select the fiercest and most versatile ones - which of course also sound the best!
Just 20 Distortion pedals are part of the selection this year :
- Blue Colander Grimrobe Cascaded Dual Gain Stage Super-Rat Distortion [SILVER] - €210 / £195
- Drunk Beaver LA Metal Rat style Distortion - $150
- Electric Eye Audio Cannibal Unicorn Doom Sludge Distortion - $210
- Empty Head Effects King Alex II Obliteration Distortion - €150
- Engl EP635 Fireball IR Dual Channel High Gain Distortion Preamp + Mid Boost - €239 / £209
- Fortin Kali Plexi + JCM800 Marshall style Distortion Preamp - $299
- Fortin Meshuggah Signature Tight and Crushing High Gain Distortion Preamp [SILVER] - $349
- Fuzz Imp Furia Searing High Gain Chainsaw Distortion - $169
- Great Eastern FX Co. D312A Distortion Filter - $249
- Krozz Devices RoyalBreaker Fiery Explosive Searing Full-Fat Rat-style Distortion [SILVER] - $219
- Hello Sailor Effects Dr Boogie Dual Rec Distortion - £300
- Lastgasp Art Laboratories Devil Tail Deathtortion - AUD $388 / $256 USD
- Lichtlaerm Audio Lennart Bossu Signature Thorn High Gain Distortion - €229 / £199
- Muir Audio Silicon Steel Creamy Distortion [BRONZE] - £195
- REVV G3 V2 Anniversary Edition Tight + Focused High Gain Distortion - $229
- REVV G4 V2 Anniversary Edition Thick + Phat High Gain Distortion - $229
- RhPf Electronics Mo(s)ghoul Harmonic Multi-Voice MOSFET Distortion - $179
- Sinvertek MGAT-5 Soldano SLO-100 Real Amp Abstraction [GOLD] - $349
- Solar Ola Englund Chug Lite Versatile High Gain Distortion [BRONZE] - $129
- This Heavy Earth Flesh Rot V2 Death Metal Distortion - $199
I’m aware I probably need to get in more This Heavy Earth variants - but can’t decide on which yet - so it’s not a priority. The Flesh Rot V2 was definitely the best first acquisition from that brand! I’m not yet sure if This Heavy Earth is up with the current leaders of the High Gain Pact - Fortin, Licthlaerm, and Sinvertek!
And yes - I’ve been hugely impressed by my first Blue Colander one - so more of that range will be a target over the coming months - I’ve yet to divide on the next candidate there!
Further details on each below :
Blue Colander Grimrobe Cascaded Dual Gain Stage Super-Rat Distortion [SILVER] - €210 / £195
Controls - OP07 RAT } Volume, Distortion, Limit Hard Clipping : Silicon / Off / LEDs, Comp Soft Clipping : Silicon / Off / LEDs, Right-hand Footswitch; LM386 MORE } More (Distortion), Harmonics : 9 o’c is Octave Fuzz / 10 o’c is Octave Distortion / 11 o’c is Overblown / 12 o’c is Regular Distortion, Voice : Full Range Boost / Lower Gain + Bass Cut / Balanced Upper Midrange Focus, More Left Hand Footswitch.
Fantastic sounding Dual Cascaded Rat with superb high octane playback modes - including Octave Distortion and Octave Fuzz. Totally amazing Rat style pedal - its textures are next level - such a cool character and timbre - one of my favourite all-time Rats for sure!
Drunk Beaver LA Metal Rat style Distortion - $150
Controls - Volume, Tone, Distortion, Mode : Stock LM7 No Diodes / LEDs.
There are 3 Rat Style Pedals in the selection - all exceptional. This one is proper fat and searing - and only just misses out on the awards. My favourite Drunk Beaver Distortion of the year for sure. I've always liked the slightly fatter tonality of the LA Metal - Vitalii has done a superb job here - yearly great sounding and distinct Rat Distortion. There is still not demo video for this pedal - so I'm having to use the source pedal once more for sound sample purposes!
Electric Eye Audio Cannibal Unicorn Doom Sludge Distortion - $210
Controls - Volume, Bass, Main Gain, EBM (Everything But Metal - 550Hz, Treble, Clarity (Bass Cut), Gain 1 (Additional Gain and Saturation).
Actually not really that Doomy and Sludgy - it's not quite high octane enough for those purposes as far as I'm concerned - but still sounds great - while I feel it could have done with a little more volume and gain. Doesn't quite get up to the level of my current Doom trifecta of Blackhawk Balrog, Lichtlaerm Altar, and recent RhPf MOSRAWR. I still really rather like this one - it's a fairly richly textured high gain distortion for sure - but is a little off the current Trifecta!
Empty Head Effects King Alex II Obliteration Distortion - €150
Controls - PRAY (OpAmp Pre-Gain Stage) : ↑ Bypassed / ↓ On, BOW (Volume), BEG (Gain Stucture) : ↑ Lo / ↓ Hi, MORE (Gain Level), ADORE (Engage Footswitch).
A fantastic obliteration distortion which chokes out with the OpAmp stage selected. Slightly reminiscent of the Forbidden Fuzz Mode on the Expandora in terms of its sort of ducking dynamics. Depending on how you deploy it - this is a really versatile distortion - with a much modified Electra Distoriton Circuit at its core. A really distinct and unique distortion!
Engl EP635 Fireball IR Dual Channel High Gain Distortion Preamp + Mid Boost - €239 / £209
Controls - Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, IR : ENGL E212VHB V30 / ENGL E414VSB V30 / ENGL E4122XXL V30, Gain, IR Output : On/Off, Presence, Noise Gaite : Mid Boost / Bypasss, Channel : 1/2, Bypass / Mid Boost.
A pretty cool sounding high gain distortion - a little marred by how tap-dancy the footswitch actions are. I really struggle at times getting to the exact mode combination I require. When all the appropriate selections are engaged it can sound pretty great - while the control and switching side can be a little clunky and fiddly. I originally left it out of the Full Metal Racket for the same reasons - but decided that it can sound pretty great - and thus it warrants a place in this particular selection!
Fortin Kali Plexi + JCM800 Marshall style Distortion Preamp - $299
Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Master - Vintage / Raw / Saturated, Gain 2 - 1 / 0 / 2 (Bright), Gain 1 - 1 / 0 / 2 (Bright), Channel 1/2 Footswitch, On/Bypass Footswitch.
Great Plexi + JCM800 Marshall style Dual Channel Preamp - really tight and expressive. A little trickier to dial in than really necessary - but capable of some great voicings with a little dual diligence. Took me a while to figure ou the most appropriate setting - while when adjusted just right it can sound excpetional.
Fortin Meshuggah Signature Tight and Crushing High Gain Distortion Preamp [SILVER] - $349
Controls - Active Bass, Active Mids, Active Treble, MVC Master Volume, Gain 2 (Low-end Frequencies Distortion), Gain 1 (Bright / High-end Frequencies Distortion, Gain Structure (Saturation & Compression) : Lo / Hi, Zuul (Noise Gate).
Obviously this comes with a superb 3-Band Active EQ, its own built-in Zuul Noise Gate, 2 Channels, and 2 Gain Structure Modes. A super tight and potent focused disorient - one of the tightest and fiercest I have encountered. Superb heavy heavy pedal with such a tight and percussive action - really sounds so formidable.
Fuzz Imp Furia Searing High Gain Chainsaw Distortion - $169
Controls - Loud, Dry Blend, Gain, Bass, High, Gate : HM-2 / Tighter, Voice : HM-2 / Mids-Shift.
A cool Death Metal Distortion, not quite as high octane as some of my others in that category - but with a decent texture for sure - while it doesn't quite go to 11 - and could really do with a little more gain and volume - similar in that sense to the Cannibal Unicorn above. Both of those can sound pretty great - but for me they're slightly underpowered! Actually - turns out that's just the earlier batches, as Justus has already adjusted this in he later batch releases - which have a lot more volume onboard!
Great Eastern FX Co. D312A Distortion Filter - $249
Controls - Gain, Level, Frequency (300Hz > 900Hz), Frequency Depth ± - impact increases with rising Frequency!
A great sounding Filter Distortion enhanced by rare D312A Soviet Germanium Diodes. This is richly textured and highly versatile. Kind of a little based on the DOD250 - but so much more. David really knows how to get the maximum texture out of those special components. If you like the DOD250 flavour but want more out of it - then this is the one for you!
Krozz Devices RoyalBreaker Fiery Explosive Searing Full-Fat Rat-style Distortion [SILVER] - $219
Controls - Level, Rising (Silicon > LED Clipping), Gain (+68dB), Active Bass, Low End : Fat + Fuzzy / Tight, Active Treble.
One of the all-time best sounding Rat style distortions - with a heavy dose of Marshall Flavour - really fiery and fierce sounding - and fat to boot. I love every aspect of this pedal. Krozz has become a brand that I really rely on - its Rat Distortion, Flanger, and Uni-Vibe pedals are all top tier - with the flanger my favourite sounding one of all time - similar to the RoyalBreaker - a really unique and flavourful take on a Rat - it really hits new heights!
Hello Sailor Effects Dr Boogie Dual Rec Distortion - £300
One-off / Retired / Sold Out
Controls - Level, Presence, Gain, Bass, Mids, Treble.
A highly unusual take on the MESA/Boogie Dual Rec - where Joe has somewhat softened and refined the profile to his own preferences. He's kind of smoothed off all the edges and that more typically Dual Rec aggression - that most of us are familiar with. This may be based on the Dual Rec - but it's a much softer and refined take on that circuit - which is sure to annoy the purists. I would personally have liked more of the typical Dual Rec Aggression to feature - while this is a pretty special circuit in a similar way to the Winnipeg Electrical Co Heavy Metal take - which does a similar thing to its Chainsaw Distortiont take. As I said - purists will likely hate those - while those who prefer a slightly milder profile should really like both of those. Some days I really like that somewhat softer flavour - with zero noise floor, and no chance of feedback squeals - but on other days you kind of expect those for those pedals - and miss them - and sub in a more authentic pedal to that type. These are still pretty special high gain distortions in their own right. You know all those Fuzz Pedals for people who hate Fuzzes - well those are kind of the High Gain equivalents - for people who really don't like aggressive and grinding distortion, I usually prefer my metal distortions a little more high octane - but there are some interesting sides to these!
Lastgasp Art Laboratories Devil Tail Deathtortion - AUD $388 / $256 USD
Controls - Level, Gain, EQ Trimers on Rear : Mid, High, Low.
I picked this up in June - and was genuinely surprised by its potency. There are just 2 controls on the front, while there are accessible trim-pots through the back plate - via strategic apertures. So you can adjust the 3-Band EQ with a small screwdriver and without removing the back plate off the pedal. The distortion is really high octane and potent - and the pedal was so well calibrated on arrival - that I initially didn't feel the need to adjust the EQ. But later added a little more Bass into the circuit. This a proper high gain pedal - whose diminutive form factor belies its potent output texture. One of the surprises of the year - I really like this one. While the fact that the 3-Band EQ could not be mini knobs on the front - slightly irks me too. The core output sound is fantastic though!
Lichtlaerm Audio Lennart Bossu Signature Thorn High Gain Distortion - €229 / £199
Controls - Gain, Boost, Level, Treble, Mids, Bass, EQ : Off / On, MODE : SDT-2 / Laerm / SDT-1, Boost Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
Another super potent Lichlaerm High Gain Distortion - distinct form that existing trifecta. I really waned this pedal to come in in time for the Full Metal Racket - while it ended up coming in a couple of weeks later. A really potent High Gain Pedal - different to the Altar, Gehenna, and Medusa - which I arleady have and love. I feel this is a worthy addition- and is every bit as good as its predecessors. Lichtlaerm's Daniel really has a knack for High Gain Distortions - all of his sound superb - and have plenty of range and volume on them - which is exactly what I am after!
Muir Audio Silicon Steel Creamy Distortion [BRONZE] - £195
Controls - Output, Drive, Bass, Treble.
A gorgeously textured sort of smooth and creamy distortion with a complex layering of input gain, diode clipping and transformer action, Sounds very unique and distinct. Almost definitely the best of the already impressive Silicon Steel Series - which has previously delivered a cool boost and warm and textured overdrive. The Silicon Steel Distortion is one of my favourite ever Distortion sounds!
REVV G3 V2 Anniversary Edition Tight + Focused High Gain Distortion - $229
Controls - Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Drive Mode : Blue (more saturation) / Off / Red (most saturation), Gain.
A genuine improvement over its predecessor - this one is even tighter and more focused now - sounds really good, but is somewhat out-muscled by the Fortin equivalent. This one though still has plenty of volume and gain onboard - while I feel it's kind of a generation behind the latest Fortin, Lichtlaerm, and Sinvertek Pedals. The REVV G3 is still a very decent pedal - and sounds better than ever.
REVV G4 V2 Anniversary Edition Thick + Phat High Gain Distortion - $229
Controls - Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Drive Mode : Blue (more saturation) / Off / Red (most saturation), Gain.
So of the G3 / G4 pair - the G4 used to be my favourite - thick and fat and more vintage sounding. Perfect for Diezel and Double Rec sounds - but I'm not entirely sure about the new one. It sounds somewhat tighter than its predecessor and somehow lower output too, This time around I much prefer the G3 like most everyone else he G4 used to be really decent - while the new one is definitely somewhat lacking in the output department. Unlike all my favourite modern high gain devices - his one is somehow far away from reaching '11'. The textured is still somewhat there, but it now definitely sounds inferior to its G3 sibling - and is wholly outmuscled by say the Fortin Meshuggah and Lichtalerm Gehenna. I still kind of like I - but it somehow feeels slightly diminished in this latest iteration.
RhPf Electronics Mo(s)ghoul Harmonic Multi-Voice MOSFET Distortion - $179
Controls - Drive, Level, 3-Band EQ } Low, Mid, Hi.
A really unusual other twin peaks distortion - with very interesting output profile. The acute clipping does result in a little volume loss - particularly when compared to its Mosferatwo sibling. The Mo(s)ghoul still reaches unity levels, but seems a little underpowered especially if you're using the Mosferatwo at the same time. The clipping here is really quite exquisite - while I kind of feel it needs a gain recovery circuit to get the volume up to he levels that I'm comfortable with!
Sinvertek MGAT-5 Soldano SLO-100 Real Amp Abstraction [GOLD] - $349
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.
Whenever there is a Sinvertek pedal under consideration it tends to take the top award in that category. And this one is of course no exception - an amazing full-fat amp abstraction of the Soldano SLO-100 - every ounce of that tube profile recreated as a transistor topology. Here with no less than 15 precision controls. The MGAT-1 GE is the best take of the entire Marshall oeuvre, and this MGAT-5 pretty much does the same thing but with the complete Soldano Amp profile in tow. It's so potent that it puts the official Soldano pedals somewhat in the shade!
Solar Ola Englund Chug Lite Versatile High Gain Distortion [BRONZE]- $129
Controls - Bass, Middle ±, Treble, Output, Mid Frequency, Gain.
Interestingly the original Chug 10-Controls Pedal is actually more 'on-rails' than this one - where those 10 controls give you infinite variations on that core Ola chug sound - but you really can't scoop the mids for that vintage low-end punch. Well you can on the Chug Lite - where its Semi-Parametric Mids actually delivery a wider range of tones than the original. The original has a tiny bit more aggression and saturation - but it's only really minority more potent for that Ola Chug sound. The Mini Chug Lite is a revelation - I get better tones with that than the original - its lower cost, smaller, leaner - and yet more full fat!
This Heavy Earth Flesh Rot V2 Death Metal Distortion - $199
Controls - High, Mid±, Low, Level, Shift (Mids Frequency), Gain, Presence, Tight.
My first This Heavy Earth acquisition - and a perfect introduction to the brand - a really tasty Death Metal Distortion with a hint of the Diezel Herbert also onboard. This one has beautiful searing textures - it sounds really beautifully textured and instant. I bough an Airis 51-Filthy this year also, and that didn't really hit all the markers for me. While this one really sounds fantastic - and is very easy to dial in, A great start to my This Heavy Earth journey!
