Full Metal Racket! - 32 of the Best Compact High Gain Metal Distortion Pedals - 2022 Ultimate Selection

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

This one was actually quite tricky to come by - and ended up being a pristine second-hand one, as Patrick Emmons doesn't like repeating himself - and I missed out on the original Black and Orange run - which colourway I really wanted. Patrick would not consent to make any more Black and Orange ones - while I actually didn't have to wait too long to get my hands on one - it took a few month - actually maybe as much as 6-8 months of continuously scouring Reverb.com until I spotted one! There is an even crazier 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 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 - Low, Mid, High, Volume, Tone : Aggressive / Softer, Gain.

A lovely chunky and crunchy textured distortion which doesn't really represent any particular genre, but is very much its own thing. Has a really cool 'bark' to the distortion as I feel best describes its core texture. It's not the most brutal or sizzling of high gain - but has a really satisfying texture - slightly dry edge, not as dry as the Abasi Pathos - but slightly in that direction. It's one of the most conventional of Aleks K's pedals as they mainly feature dual gain controls. There's plenty of range on every dial - and this one is particularly easy to dial in - I sometimes feel I could do with just a fraction more volume, but there is more than enough for most really - I just like having a little spare in the tank - and being able to 'go to 11' on occasion if I really need it. This is an oft overlooked high gain districts - which I feel many would really love if but they gave it a chance. It's not the most searing or brutal - but has a lot of range - and you can very easily dial it down to softer styles.

Controls - Volume, Tone, Gain, Character : Plexi / Stock / Smooth, Gate, Low End : Fat / Stock / Tight.

I've long wanted one of these, and several have recommended it to me over the years, while I was a touch disappointed with it initially - as it came through slightly mushy and muddy on first attempt. You get plenty of saturation - but it doesn't quite have the tight definition and articulation of some of the newer ones in this selection. It's actually fairly tricky to dial in - but due diligence and perseverance does yield pretty satisfactory tones eventually. I still find this slightly underpowered - with not quite enough volume, gain or definition onboard. You can get a pretty decent output - while I got my best tones using additional boosts to push this into the territory I expected it to inhabit. I feel it's the nature of a few of these pedals in how they do their clipping - as to how they can suffer a sort of below-unity output. The Tight Metal would most definitely be improved with a little more gain and volume onboard. It's kind of satisfactory as is, but features in this selection by the skin of its teeth!

Controls - High, Middle, Bass, Clean Boost Button, OD Level, Clan Level, OD Gain.

For a long time if you were in the market for a Compact Dual Rectifier variety this was about as good as it got. And while I still feel it performs admirably as that variety - with sufficient range on all the rails - while I never use the Clean Channel on these Preamp Pedals really. That said some of the newer variants are a touch more authentic sounding, and have a little more range to them. While you can still dial in some great Dual Rec tones on the R2 with the minimum of fuss or effort. AMT's Legend Amps pedals are a really cool selection of some of the most classic of those high gain amps - I've always been meaning to add a few more - but never quite got around to it - and like I said there is a lot more competition out there nowadays with some incredibly potent performers in this category. I'm always intrigues by how district each variant sounds - I probably have around 50 Marshall style pedals by now - and no two sound exactly alike - each does something quite different with those chewy mids! Some are more dense, some more electrically-charged and buzzy - while others are really open and organic! The AMT R2 is kind of in the middle of its genre profile - and is still a decent performer - while I dare say there are a few even more formidable ones nowadays!

Controls - Fuzz, Master Level, Active Lows ±, Active Highs ±.

This one remains enduringly popular for me - and I place this has very much being HM-2 adjacent - like a more fuzzy take on that classic Twin Peaks Distortion. This imparts a very similar sort of flavour - but much more from the fuzz side of things than conventional distortion. It doesn't quite have the low end potency of the more typical HM-2 variants - but it still has all the attitude and core texture. At one stage I was thinking of bringing the Anarchy Reignmaker in in place of this - but that never really hit the spot for me - and overall had both insufficient gain and volume output. While the Deadwoods has plenty of both - alongside a really powerful 2-Band Active EQ. If you were being churlish you might say this was more of a Fuzz or Fuzzstortion really - white it's most definitely High Gain!

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

As I stated in my recent 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 tasty 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 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 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 Trifecta of his - including the HM-Demon, Thunderclap V3, and 2-Stroke Beaver - are just superb!

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

Brooks prefers to describe this as a more conventional High Gain Distortion - while for me this has always been my favourite Doom / Sludge pedal - which seems to combine the best of distortion with a huge sustaining / percolating saturated sort of fuzzy edge. There are lots of pedals that purport to do the Doom Sludge thing - but none do it anywhere near as weel as the Balrog - that Depth knob really is essential for properly extracting that full fat texture. I always use the same demo for this - which is really what won me over in the very first place. This is a very distinctive distortion, and my absolute favourite of this type - I always say everyone should have one of these!

 

 

 

 

 

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Controls - Volume, Valhalla Gain, Treble, Valkyrie Gain, Gate, Mids.

Blackhawk's Uruk-hai is a really intriguing distortion composed of their Valkyrie Saturated OpAmp Drive cascaded into their Valhalla Sludgy Fuzz circuit. You get a most beautifully textured distortion output with lots of cool artefacts and harmonics. The nature of the clipping is such though that the output volume is not quite like where I would want it to be. Brooks has made various attempts to solve this - but each time he tries is compromises the nature of this distortion's glorious output texture - so that element remains on the drawing board. I of course have lots of incidental boosts in my chain that I can call in to assist with such an eventuality - and in situ I can raise the level to where I need it to be. With both Gains and  Volume at Max the output is satisfactory - while you can't really satisfactorily deploy lower mixes of gains. Even so it still sounds great with everything Maxed - but I would want more volume eventually so I could use this in a more versatile manner - it of course sounds amazing - just a touch under-powered!

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

One of Boss's under-the-radar distortions for sure - where the distortion component is wholly analog, but you can add in different degrees of Chorus or Doubler Delay - to further crunch up the distortion. The use of Chorus and Double Delay have long been secret tools for juicing up and adding to your distortion texture - and in the heyday of Chorus in the 80's - it was quite common for some metal players to frequently use Chorus in particular to give them a juicier texture. You could say that this is very much an 80's flavour of high gain distortion - but it's also kind of timeless - for sure it's of a type, but there is a huge degree of flexibility in how you dial in this pedal - and it can truly sound pretty incredible at time. There's quite a lot of Boss fans who have this down as their favourite distortion, while for me it's one of many. I think it sounds pretty amazing - and I should really have it more in rotation!

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

And so to the Twin Peaks / Chainsaw / Swedish Death Metal Distortion - better than ever now in its latest Waza Craft incarnation. Everything on Max still renders that distinct and classic almost fuzz-like flavour, while the new Custom Mode delivers an even beefier and more thunderous voicing. There are all manner of demos showing how this pedal can be used lower down the gain scale - while surely you need to play this to its strengths. I of course love the classic Chainsaw Grind - but I actually like the Custom Mode even more - and that's where I mostly live. There are so many competing HM-2 types nowadays - and a lot of those come with vastly extended range with far more controls than on the actual original HM-2. If you're a fan of the genre I say that the classic Boss is a must-have too - that with everything fully cranked is still the benchmark for this sounds. For sure an acquired taste to a large degree - but ever so satisfying and uniquely distinct nonetheless!

Controls - Level, Low, High, Distortion.

My understanding is that the ML-2 Metal Core is somewhat inspired by the Dual Rectifier - it certainly has a flavour of that, while not really a full-on replica. There are certainly other Dual Rec types which sound closer still to the original amps. The Metal Core though sounds superb, and is many player's favourite Boss Distortion. I believe Boss designed it to have the most gain of its High Gain Distortions, while for me the Keeley-Modded Metal Zone is the one with the most powder. I really like all 4 of Boss's Distortions featured here and use each somewhat differently. Possibly the Metal Core doesn't get utilised quite as much as the others - it's definitely an unsung gem though.

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

This is my favourite and most used Boss High Gain Distortion - Robert Keeley has done a superb job of making the pedal fatter, thicker and beefier all-round - for a really well-rounded and punishing distortion should you want that. Several players don't get on with the Parametric Tone controls here - and for sure you need to apply them delicately. But with a little patience and due diligence the Twilight Zone MT-2 can really delivery the most balanced high gain crushing tones. I always love what Robert does to the low end profile of a pedal - and where some feel that the standard MT-2 can sound a little thin - that is most definitely not the case with the Keeley-Modded version. I can quite happily get into Dual Rec and Diezel VH4 / Herbert territory.

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

This is yet another unsung and under-appreciated high gain distortion - where much like with the Boss MT-2 and HardWire TL-2 - lots of players seem to struggle with the deployment of parametric controls - setting the frequency focus and then boosting or attenuating it. There is certainly a knack to that which requires some delicacy of movement - you probably need some degree of dexterity and patience to use those kinds of controls successfully. I've always likened it a touch to safe-cracking - gentle manipulation of the dials until you hear each sweet-spot snap in. This is actually made in collaboration with Black Arts Toneworks and really is a superbly capable distortion - I guest just too many people don't get along with it. I always group the Boneshaker with the MT-2 and TL-2 - they are all of a kind sort of - while their core voicings are all very different.

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

Most of Dave Friedman's amps are inspired by Classic Marshalls - in this case the BE-OD is the gainiest of the Friedman pedals - where the Dirty Shirley more covers JTM45 and Plexi varieties. The one thing I'm slightly disappointed with here is that I've always felt that this pedal was missing a Mids Control - in fact Dave realises that on the Dirty Shirley variant, adds the Mid control and renders the Tight control as a side-mounted switch, this is also the case for the BE-OD Deluxe pedal which has a fully granular Mids control, and 3-way Tightness switch. I had kind of expected Dave to release an updated version of the standard BE-OD - but that has not happened yet. What has happened though is a newer Smallpox pedal which has granular Mids, and straddles and sits between Dirty Shirley and BE-OD voicings. I quite like the Smallbox for its lighter touch and tend to reach for that one the most of that trio - while I do still really like the greater heft and density of the BE-OD - someone needs to hurry up with the inevitable V2 model! I feel the reason this may not have happened yet is that Friedman is still trying to incentivise the purchasing of its larger Deluxe pedal. Lots of people really like the BE-OD - myself included - I still think it would be infinitely better with a granular Mids Control.

Controls - Level, High / Low, Mid / Mid Frequency, Gain, Voicing : Tight / Loose.

Some say this was the equivalent of a Boss MT-2 Waza Craft - long before that ever existed - considering the near identical controls - but with an additional Voicing switch (similar in a way to the Standard / Custom switch on a Waza pedal). In fact this TL-2 is actually voiced quite differently to the Meal Zone - it is sharper and more Mids / Upper Mids Focused by default. I actually found the TL-2 slightly trickier to dial in than the MT-2 - but as with that and the DOD Boneshaker - a little patience and perseverance goes a long way - and after some extensive tweaking I was able to hit a few preferred sweet-spots. There's plenty of range on these dials too and somehow this comes across a touch more modern sounding than the MT-2. I've had a much longer relationship with the Boss equivalent and find that one slightly easier to dial in - I'm just more used to it - this is still a pretty decent variant as long as you have patience for it!

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

When I first got my hands on this way back when - I somehow landed on a setting very similar to HM-2 - where this has just the right sort of density and core voicing to easily render that tonality. It's slightly Dark and Dense by default - more Upper Mids really - while there is enough controls to take you into other territories - but you never wholly quite loose that core timbre - which as I say renders as somewhat more cooler, darker and denser than the Boss MT-2 - which has naturally more lows and low-mids, and a slightly more open and warmer core tonality. I'm always fascinated by how EQ controls render - where some are warmer and softer, and others like this one as cooler and darker generally. This is a great sounding pedal - but it takes a little getting used to - particularly how to make the most of the various switches. I really like this pedal - but it remains somewhat under-utilised in my rig to this date.

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

Notably this is the BottomShaker half of the immense original Grindstein Pedal - where it combines beautifully with that Chainsaw Distortion voicing - giving that more depth and heft - courtesy of its lower frequency range delivery. For the standalone edition of that circuit - as we don't have the Upper Mids and Highs Profile of the Chainsaw element to fill in the overall frequency profile - we therefore need a few extra EQ dials to balance out the frequency response for the OMG. IN that respect it performs really brilliantly with a really potent lows-focused profile. This only minor niggle here is that I find myself a little short on volume - not massively, but enough to note here. I went back and forth between the Grindstein and this Oh My Goat - and the original seems to have much more volume on-tap overall. This is a tremendous sounding thunderous distortion which really lives up to its original 'BottomShaker' moniker - yet feels just a touch short on output volume for me - I always have the volume fully maxed out, and feel I really need another notch or two to expand into.

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.

KMA is the only brand for which I own 3 HM-2 variants - all at different sizes - first the limited edition BB-sized WurHM2, next the super-sized Guardian of the Wurm, and finally the superbly miniaturised latest MK2 Wurm - which shrinks down the former mid-sized offering and still manages to include the Voicing / Mode switch on the pedal's exterior. Meaning it's actually an improvement over that larger size predecessor - with all the extended internal timers onboard. This is every bit as potent as the former mid-size box just more practical in every aspect. So you now have the option of the compact Wurm or the extended features super-size Guardian edition. I really love both - but the smaller pedal is much more practically usable for me - and therefore the one that gets slotted in more often. I have a number of essential compact-size HM-2 style boxes and this is certainly one of that number - just really potent and handy!

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

I already had the formidable V2 predecessor to this new and improved edition - which benefits from added controls and a second Boost Footswitch. That was already a potent and modern / really punchy and percussive take on the Mesa Dual Rec - and this is even more so - where the newer edition extends the prowess of its former self in pretty much all directions - more range, more volume and gain - yet maintaining that somewhat modern voicing. I've noted before that the there are other somewhat more authentic sounding Dual Rec variants - but this certainly captures the overall flavour of that distortion and spins it slightly in its own direction. I really like the Peaks - it has such a formidable percussive component to its sound - while all my Dual Rec types sound somewhat distinct. This is priced particularly keenly at the moment to - and it's well worth exploring if you want a cool punchy take on the dual rec!

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

This Mikey Demus and Thorpy collaboration is probably my most used high gain distortion over these last couple of years. It's based on Mikey's signature Oranger Rockerverb 100 Amp but goes a lot further than that. Thorpy had a Diezel D-Moll and Mesa MKV in the studio too and the Red Mist was matched to their output also. So at its core it is a superb crunchy rendering of the Rockerverb but extends into even heavier territory. I've often said that Thorpy has a real knack with tone stacks - and you can feel the benefit of this touch on both the Red Mist and Victory Kraken in this selection. This is a really great sounding and versatile high gain distortion with plenty of range - and a gorgeous crips and punchy character - while there are others in this selection which go a touch more brutal - if that's what you need. This has been one of my proper go-to high gain distortions right from the very point of its introduction.

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

The two REVV Distoritons - G3 and G4 were quite the revelation when they materialised all of a sudden. Genuine modern masterpieces of the genre which really advanced the development of high gain distortion pedals. The G3 is the more Modern Mids-forward variant, with slightly tighter bottom end, while the G4 is fatter and juicier and leans more towards Vintage styles of distortion. The G3 being best for more modern and contemporaneous Metal styles - whales the G4 is more at home in the recordings of the 80's and 90's. For several players the G3 is their absolute favourite Distortion pedal - and the Voicing switch allows you work up through the gears from the stock middle position, stronger Blue position and the most brutal Red position. There's a huge degree of range on every dial here - and with the switch-up this is just a perfect take on the format in so many ways - and is wholly effortless to dial in - REVV certainly created some classics here!

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

And this is the fatter juicier counterpart to the G3 - which is actually my own favourite of the pair - while most seem to prefer the G3. I guess because I'm a home-player the extra depth and low-end heft makes the G4 particularly impressive in a domestic situation, while in a band-mix - you would probably prefer the slightly tighter and mids-forward take of the G3. That said this is one of the few pedals that has the versatility to hit those classic European Diezel and Engl sounding distortions. I have for a long time used this for Diezel and Engl tones VH4 and Herbert  styles in particular - and this is a much more impressive pedal than Engl's own relatively weak sauce Powerball. You also get a really decent Mesa Dual Rec voicing out of the G4. Before the Redbeard Red Mist came around - I was mostly alternating the G4 and Twilight Zone edition of Boss MT-2. There aren't that many truly great high gain distortion pedals that do the fat and juicy thing this well - this will certainly remain a favourite of mine - despite all the incredible recent additions to the collection.

Controls - Volume, Top End : Modern / Off / Vintage, Low End : Full / Tight / Medium, Gain, Destity : Dark Clear / Power Amp / Bright Clear, Gain Structure : Low / Medium / High, Presence, Mid Range : High / Low / Mid, Gain Stage : Crunch / OD1 / OD2, Treble, Mid, OD1 Gain Saturation, OD2 Gain Saturation, Bass.

You're surely aware of how much I was blown away by the new Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 all-rounder MIAB - which for the purposes of this article does superb JCM800 and JVM voicing and well beyond. It's easily one of the most brutal here - and you can finely control its degree of saturation attack - meaning you can retain as much articulation and clarity as you like. Nothing has the range of this pedal - from proper Clean through to the most crushing and extreme Brutal Metal Voicing - and where once you get used to it - tall those switches and knobs are very logical - and really help you hone your output in a straightforward and incremental fashion. You pretty much have the full history of Marshall Amps onboard here - with particular relevance for us for those harder JCM800 and JVM flavours. In my opinion this is the greatest Marshall style preamp ever created - so authentic sounding and versatile. While I will still be retaining my Pettyhogn Gold II in the chain - as my default Plexi flavour. I traditionally have at least a couple of Marshall style pedals in my chain - one more of a Plexi style voicing and the other on EVH Brown Sound duties!

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

So - 5 years after Brian Wampler's Dracarys homage to Ola's signature Chug sound - we get Ola's own signature pedal take on his sound - supposedly 2 years in the making with a superb engraved looking enclosure - but alas extremely low visibility knobs - their tiny indented knob markers are all but invisible really - so I daubed a paint-pen on them to give me something to aim at. It's also quite an unusual sounding distortion - which sounds like it has some voltage doubling going on as there is a totally searing saturation which the aggressive Noise Gate then slices in half. Definitely a very modern sounding pedal with razor sharp gate - would have been nice to have been able to apply that a touch smoother - but that's obviously not what Ola is going for her. Note also that there is so much unusable range on the various High Frequency controls - you definitely need to play those down somewhat otherwise the pedal is prone to squealing. In fact my experience of this pedal is that it's quite a live-wire - sort of wild stallion kind of pedal that you're forever trying to tame! If you want that Ola Tight and Defined Chug sound - then this pedal does that perfectly - while even that can be challenging to dial in. Obviously there's a lot of controls here - 4 dual-concentric ones and 2 regular ones for 10 controls overall. Yet the engineers could probably have done with putting some of the parameters a little more 'on-rails' as you can get some weird oscillation and feedback all too easily. I still really like it - it's very distinct, and it's not exactly what I was expecting. In fact it's nothing like the Dracarys - albeit you could argue they're in a similar ballpark. The Solar Guitar Chug is an odd combination of sizzling and tight with a slightly cool edge. Not necessarily as versatile as imagines with all those controls - but properly notable. I feel some just won't get along with it - it doesn't have the easiness of some of these others!

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

I had literally just been speaking to one of my readers about the lack of Compact Soldano SLO-100 type pedals. On the Soldano trail I can only really freely recall the AMT S2, and Wampler's discontinued SLOstortion - and hey presto all of a sudden we have Mike Soldano's own Super Lead Overdrive take on his classic amp sound. This came out pretty much at the exact same time as Ola's Chug - but they're quite different pedals. The Soldano SLO is a lot more conventional in its makeup - and recalls classic distortion sounds of the 90's in particular as expected. I noted that the recent Victory The Jack does a sort of Super Smooth Liquid Distortion take on the Soldano - while that is really quite unique and distinct from this. Andertons got into trouble for a slightly substandard demo which is not particularly rare for them these days - for as a rule they don't typically scan the manual or do the research. And I feel most of the interest in the Soldano SLO would be for more conventional high gain distortion tones - which is really what it excels at. It sounds great down-range - but really comes into its own at higher levels of gain. I have the side-bar Deep switch permanently applied for a slightly more vintgage leaning bass-heavy flavour - but still with cutting mids! This one is really very easy to dial in, and while it's not quite as versatile as some of thee others it's still plenty versatile enough - I feel Mike Soldano and team can pat themselves on the back for a job well done. Just a really easy distortion pedal to deploy! 

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

I've said a few times that this was the most surprising pedal of this selection - I wasn't quite sure exactly what to expect, but in navigating the pedal you really get a sense of how Emanuel Dantas designs his circuits. Each of his main pedal designs contain 2 different 3-way voicing toggle with significantly adjust the character and feel of the pedal. I would imagine a series of mental flow-charts with different inline components - caps, resistors and the like elegantly shaping the output - which you then further tweak with the gain stack. On the Raven you get 3 different Metal voicings as core - Dual Rec, Bogner Ecstasy Red, and Peavey 5150 - which you can then further shape via Input Gain / EQ tweaks - which mostly impact the bottom end, but also the mids. On 18V power supply this pedal is a revelation and really lives up to its 'Brute & High Gain' descriptor. You can argue that the Aura Diamond's Dual Rec voicing is slightly more authentic in being closer to the original source - but the Tone Ink one is more potent - with significantly more gain and volume onboard - and you can shape that voicing more finely. I mostly live on the B.Red Mod - with the Punch switch either on Blue or Dark Mode - in fact I use all those different Punch Modes for different applications - where you can freely switch them in whatever Bite Mode your are in - but changing Bite typically means adjusting the EQ's too! This has just the right amount of smarts and versatility to appeal to most, while I fear many will be overawed and put off the many controls of the Sinvertek MGAT-1.

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

I keep coming back to the Kraken and tweaking it some more - seems I tend to prefer different settings on different days. Generally Volume and Gain are near but not @ Max, and the EQ's tend to hover around the 3 o'c mark - the Mids pretty much exactly on 3 o'c, while right now I have Bass @ 2 o'c, and Treble somewhere between 3 and 4 o'c sometimes nearer the one digit and sometimes the other - deepening on mood evidently. Once more a magic Thorpy tone stack with huge amounts of range - if you fully crank the Volume and Gain it can choke out the signal a touch - so I kind of crank and notch back a touch! You get really beefy but articulate tones, and it doesn't sound nearly as dark as Rabea seems to like it - so evidently plenty of versatility onboard. This is a great sounding 5150 adjacent high gain distortion with plenty of flavour and one that's very easy to dial into other territories. This is that special signature style pedal (Rabea Massaad) that is versatile enough to have universal appeal - really satisfying to deploy. 

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

Created by Brian Wampler circa 5 years ago in homage to Ola Englund's Chug sound. I guess this is a little moot now as Ola has his own official variety out. While I would say they're quite different. The overlap a little - but not actually a whole lot - as Brian is really just doing his appreciation of - or how he prefers Ola to sound - versuse possibly how Ola would prefer to sound - and the parameters necessary to fully capture that tonality. I bought this one back in the day at launch - and I both really liked it, but was also a touch disappointed as it didn't seem to go quite as chunky and potent as Ola like it. It's still a really decent high gain distortion - which I always but in the same sort of camp as the Abasi Pathos - which Brian made at around the same time. I seem to take it in turns as to whether I prefer the Pathos or the Dracarys - different days get different sways. Possibly this take is a little old-fashioned now in light of the more sizzle and dynamic pedals in the recent wave. While I still have a soft spot on it - it's not been out for a significant spin for quite a while though - which bust say something. I wonder if Brian will retire it now that Ola has one of this own, or perhaps and it is really sufficiently different to stay on - as it will for sure appeal to different types of players!

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

The Westminster Effects 2716 Distortion is a real grower - much like with the Victory V1 Kraken I seem to be returning to the 2716 time and time again. It has the most superb tone-stack - which is highly interactive and where you need to touch up several dials in tandem - while the pedal really has a vast amount of range and is a joy to dial in. I keep tweaking this pedal to different preferences - meaning I've covered off numerous sweet-spots by now. There's so much to this pedal - which is at its heart a fairly modern take on the Dual Rec format. It's actually somewhat different to the MidValleyFX Peaks which is though a similarly modern punchy take on the dual rec. Each of those sounds really distinct - and benefits from plenty of gain and volume. Right now it's set to Gain @ 3 o'c, Presence @ 12 o'c, Volume @ 4 o'c, Bass @ 3 o'c, Middle @ 9 o'c, and Treble @ 3 o'c, and has plenty more still in reserve. It's beautifully calibrated from the outset - starts strong with everything at noon - and just gets better and better! Very well priced too!

Controls - Low, Mid, High, Level, Focus (Twin Peaks Shift), Gain.

And last by virtue of the alphabet we get my very first compact extended range HM-2 type with 3 Band EQ - but also a really cool 'Focus' control which allows you to shift the Twin Peaks distortion signature - which spikes at Upper Mids and Highs - up and down the frequency scale - really clever. Since then we've had all manner of extended editions with even more controls - while I still hold this a classic because of that unique Focus control - which does really cool things with the output profile that no other pedal does. It's somewhat tricky to get hold of nowadays - being as it's Russian, and only made in very small infrequent batches - a kind of hidden gem - which is well worth it if you can get your hands on one. One of the essential compact HM-2 types for sure.