The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is a Boss distortion pedal, currently around $95. Close alternatives include the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion and the Catalinbread Sabbra Traditional Ink. It pairs well with the Roland Cube Street and the Mesa Boogie Mark I.
Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Boss · pedal
The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is a distortion pedal known for a scooped, sizzling, buzzsaw-like saturation that, with all four knobs maxed, became the defining chainsaw tone of Swedish death metal. Entombed's 1990 debut Left Hand Path popularized this dimed HM-2 sound, and producer Tomas Skogsberg championed it at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm, where it also shaped the guitar tone of Dismember, Carnage, and Grotesque. At more moderate settings it can deliver milder, more usable distortion for mainstream rock and even shoegaze, but its real character and cult reputation come from the aggressive, harmonically dense, buzzing wall of gain at full saturation. It suits death metal and extreme metal players chasing that specific, instantly recognizable Sunlight Studios buzzsaw sound.
What stands out
“The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is a distortion pedal known for a scooped, sizzling, buzzsaw-like saturation that, with all four knobs maxed, became the defining chainsaw tone of Swedish death metal”
— from the listing
“At more moderate settings it can deliver milder, more usable distortion for mainstream rock and even shoegaze, but its real character and cult reputation come from the aggressive, harmonically dense, buzzing wall of gain at full saturation”
— from the listing
“[Pros] ✓ Iconic "chainsaw" and Swedish death metal tones ✓ Surprisingly versatile: from 80s rock to shoegaze ✓ Cuts through any mix powerfully ✓ Interactive EQ controls for wide tonal range ✓ Extremely durable, even survives floods ✓ Can ac…”
— from the reviews
“Entombed's 1990 debut Left Hand Path popularized this dimed HM-2 sound, and producer Tomas Skogsberg championed it at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm, where it also shaped the guitar tone of Dismember, Carnage, and Grotesque”
— from the listing
“It suits death metal and extreme metal players chasing that specific, instantly recognizable Sunlight Studios buzzsaw sound”
— from the listing
- death metal
- distortion
- full
- rock
- shoegaze
- saturation
- pleasant overdriven tones
- durable
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Roland Cube Street
Roland
33% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
A busking combo like the Cube Street still gives the HM-2's massive death-metal distortion a surprisingly portable outlet.
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa Boogie Mark I
Mesa Boogie
33% matchUsed together by 1 artist
fills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
At least one documented rig runs the HM-2's chainsaw-dense distortion straight into a Mark I's creamy, honky midrange for that wall-of-buzzsaw sound.
Comes later in the signal chain
Supro Keeley Combo
Supro
12% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal leans toward full, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Komet Ambikab 80W 3-Way Wet/Dry/Wet Cabinet
Komet
11% matchKomet Ambikab 80W 3-Way Wet/Dry/Wet Cabinet's full character and Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal's full voice sit in the same lane rather than fighting each other
Comes later in the signal chain
Traynor BB115
Traynor
10% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal's full voice suits Traynor BB115's own full character
Comes later in the signal chain
Peavey 112-6 1x12
Peavey
10% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal's full voice suits Peavey 112-6 1x12's own full character
Comes later in the signal chain
Blackstar Acoustic Core 30
Blackstar
10% matchWhat Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Synergy SYN-20IR 3-Channel 20W Modular Head
Synergy
9% matchWhat Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
Pedals that stack with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ibanez
37% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
The Screamer's mid-forward boost pushes the HM-2's already-massive metal distortion into a tighter, more focused version of itself.
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Cusack Music Screamer
Cusack Music
31% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
Cusack Music Screamer takes that scooped character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Orange Series Phaser
Orange
25% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
The Orange Phaser's transparent sweep rides on top of the HM-2's chainsaw distortion without softening any of that gain.
Comes later in the signal chain
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro
Pigtronix
22% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (scooped → mid-forward)
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro's own mid-forward character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Fable
Walrus Audio
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Walrus Audio Fable after Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal in the signal chain, clear of Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal in the signal chain, clear of Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah goes in front of Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Vox WAH-V845
Vox
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Vox WAH-V845 in front of Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal: a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
57% similarityShared character: noise, mix, thickness
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
56% similarityShared character: metal, noise, distortion
Revv Northern Mauler
Revv
52% similarityShared character: metal, mix, distortion
Shin's Music Dumbloid B
Shins Music
51% similaritySimilar role and voicing
A/DA MP-1
A Da
50% similarityShared character: noise, metal, mix
Catalinbread Sabbra Cadabra 10 Red
Catalinbread
49% similaritySimilar voicing: bright, harmonically rich
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Boss
58% similarityShared character: noise, durable construction, mix
Catalinbread Sabbra Traditional Ink
Catalinbread
57% similarityShared character: noise, gain
Friedman Box of Doom Distortion
Friedman
56% similarityShared character: distortion
MXR M104 Distortion+
MXR
53% similarityShared character: metal, durable construction, gain
MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion
Mxl
51% similarityShared character: metal, distortion
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
51% similarityShared character: warm tones, noise, thickness
See all alternatives to the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal?+
The closest matches in character are the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion, the Catalinbread Sabbra Traditional Ink, the Friedman Box of Doom Distortion. Budget picks: Boss DS-1 Distortion, Behringer HM300, Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive. Boutique upgrades: Friedman BE-OD Deluxe, Wampler Dracarys, Revv Northern Mauler.
What pairs well with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Roland Cube Street, Mesa Boogie Mark I, Supro Keeley Combo — A busking combo like the Cube Street still gives the HM-2's massive death-metal distortion a surprisingly portable outlet..
How much does the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal cost?+
Around $95 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).