The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is a Boss distortion pedal, currently around $99.99. Close alternatives include the MXR M104 Distortion+ and the Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion. It pairs well with the Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head 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.
- death metal
- metal
- distortion
- full
- shoegaze
- saturation
- pleasant overdriven tones
- durable
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
37% matchThe JTM45's warm, classic British clean tone gives the HM-2's full, death-metal distortion a genuinely vintage amp voice to push into.
Mesa Boogie Mark I
Mesa Boogie
35% matchAt 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. — also used together by 1 artist
Phil Jones C2 RED
Phil Jones
10% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal's full voice suits Phil Jones C2 RED's own tight character
Boss Dual Cube Bass LX
Boss
9% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal leans toward full, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchAmpeg V-4 takes that scooped character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Harmony H650
Harmony
tonal matchFeed a scooped signal into Harmony H650 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchFeed a scooped signal into Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchFeed a scooped signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ibanez
34% matchThe Screamer's mid-forward boost pushes the HM-2's already-massive metal distortion into a tighter, more focused version of itself.
Suhr Shiba Drive
Suhr
32% matchPush the HM-2's saturated buzzsaw distortion with the Shiba Drive's articulate midrange gain for extra sustain up front.
Behringer ADI21 V-Tone Acoustic
Behringer
30% matchRun Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright
Catalinbread Fuzzrite GE
Catalinbread
27% matchBoss HM-2 Heavy Metal leans full right where the thin tone needs it
Orange Series Phaser
Orange
23% matchThe Orange Phaser's transparent sweep rides on top of the HM-2's chainsaw distortion without softening any of that gain.
Xotic SP Compressor
Xotic
20% matchThe SP Compressor's subtle, sparkling midrange squash evens out the attack before it ever reaches the HM-2's own massive metal distortion.
Catalinbread Epoch-Set
Catalinbread
15% matchThe Epoch-Set's warm, lower-mid tape echo trails the HM-2's full, shoegaze-adjacent metal distortion with real saturation to decay. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb
pedal
12% matchThe RV-5's spring-voiced stereo reverb trails the HM-2's full, shoegaze-adjacent metal distortion with a huge, saturated signal to decay. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Cheaper alternatives
Behringer HM300
Behringer
72% similarityShared character: noise, full, thickness
Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion
Boss
70% similarityShared character: metal, noise, durable_construction
Boss HM-3 Hyper Metal
Boss
70% similarity“Look for serious distortion in the HM-2, RAT or even a modded DS-1”
ProCo RAT 2
Proco
69% similarityShared character: warm_tones, noise, full
Boss DS-1 Distortion
Boss
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Demon FX Gladiator
Demon Fx
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
71% similarityShared character: noise, aggressive_playing, amp
Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal Waza
Boss
71% similarityShared character: noise, studio, mix
A/DA MP-1
A Da
71% similarityShared character: amp, noise, mix
Universal Audio UAFX Anti 1992 High Gain Amp
Universal Audio
70% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, pedal, amp
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
70% similarityShared character: noise, mix, pedal
Horizon Devices Precision Drive
Horizon Devices
70% similarityShared character: metal, durable_construction, pedal
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
MXR M104 Distortion+
MXR
71% similarityShared character: metal, guitar_tone, durable_construction
Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion
pedal
69% similarityShared character: metal, noise, aggressive_playing
Revv Northern Mauler
Revv
69% similarityShared character: pedal, full, mix
Catalinbread Sabbra Traditional Ink
Catalinbread
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Dean Markley Overlord
Dean Markley
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Joyo British metal
Joyo
94% similaritysimilar tone character
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 MXR M104 Distortion+, the Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, the Revv Northern Mauler. Budget picks: Behringer HM300, Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion, Boss HM-3 Hyper Metal. Boutique upgrades: Wampler Dracarys, Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal Waza, A/DA MP-1.
What pairs well with the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall JTM45 45W Tube Guitar Amp Head, Mesa Boogie Mark I, Phil Jones C2 RED — The JTM45's warm, classic British clean tone gives the HM-2's full, death-metal distortion a genuinely vintage amp voice to push into..
How much does the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal cost?+
Around $99.99 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).