Winnipeg Electrical Co's Homework Series Metal Distortion delivers a rather more refined take on the HM-2 format
I’m a huge fan of the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Circuit - and its classic all-knobs-dimed output - somewhat harsh and searing Swedish Death Metal / Buzzsaw / Chainsaw / Twin Peaks Extreme Distortion tonality. While actually this Homework Series Metal pedal is not really that - you don’t ever fully get up to those levels of harshness - so this is not the pedal for those that want to exactly replicate those more extreme classic metal sounds.
Rather - what we have here is more of an Extended Range High Gain Machine - which takes you well up and into proper High Gain, while the jagged, sharp and shard-like edges have been somewhat smoothed off. This pedal is all about being able to dial in thick and heavy gain and having that expansive gain range fully at your disposal. So kind of more intended for those in-between sounds than melt-down dissonance and destruction. There’s a degree of guitar volume cleanup here too - which can further take the edge off if you need to.
There’s plenty of range on each of the 6 dials - and you have the Dry Blend - to further soften or accentuate the output. It goes proper high gain - just not particularly harsh!
As soon as I get an HM-2 style pedal - the first thing I do is max out the classic 4 dials included on the Boss original (and equivalent settings) - and see where that gets me to. On this Homework Series Metal - with all dials maxed out - you end up with a slightly more rounded output - as if the Strymon engineers were at work here with their usual Low Pass and High Pass filters on either end of the output - curbing the excesses of the twin peaks distortion profile. It gets you right up into the high rafters of gain range - but you don’t get that typical overtly grinding and edgy HM-2 sound.
This is the 13th pedal to go in to the official HM-2 capsule collection roster - while I have a few more on the sideline of the reference collection too - those featured varieties as below are the mainstay of that. It’s handy that the others are mostly Black with an Orange Accent - while this is the inverse - with mostly orange and then Black accents - a very apt symbolism in how this one stands out as being somewhat different from the rest.
So if you're looking for that classic dissonant twin-peak distortion profile - then you're looking in the wrong place for this particular variant - there are plenty of other HM-2 style pedals (as above) that will give you those nastier Metal Tones - the Homework Series Metal is really more anchored in more early and vintage Heavy Metal sounds at its extremes, but where I feel the ideal player for this pedal will be using the EQ dials rather more freely / liberally - and not just for those scooped vintage tones or more modern punchy Mids-leading variations.
There's several examples of celebrated players like David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, and even Prince using the original HM-2 in a non-Metal fashion. The HM-2 has also found quite an audience in the Shoegaze and Stoner Rock genres. Moreover it kind of has a rather distinctive fuzz-y side to it - somewhat adjacent to the Shin-ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz - not quite as obvious as on the original HM-2's which are a little fizzier on the top-end!
Think of the Homework Series Metal as the 'gentleman' of Heavy Metal - somewhat better behaved and mannered. There's obviously myriad usage scenarios here - so broad is this one's canvas - it just can't exactly do the full-on buzzsaw!
Controls - Volume, Dry > Wet Blend, Distortion, Low, Mid, High (3-Band EQ).
This is part of a limited batch release - where currently there are just around 15 of these remaining. Really well priced at $199 CAD - which amounts to around $150 USD or circa £120. If you're looking for a well-mannered extended-range high gain pedal - then this one is exactly right for you! Sounds great on Bass too - where the 'Dry > Wet' blend really comes into its own! Available for order right now on the Winnipeg Electrical Co Webstore.
Don't get me wrong - with all the dials dimed out - this gets you really very close to the original buzzsaw sound - but it's rather more really quite angry than seething with furious rage! It's by no means mild-mannered as such - just not quite as aggressive as the more typical Death Metal -leaning ones!
Demos
12 Degrees of Saturation 2023 Compact Edition
