The Empress Heavy Menace is an Empress distortion pedal, currently around $249. Close alternatives include the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe and the MXR M104 Distortion+. It pairs well with the Vox MV50-CE Rock and the Peavey VTM-120.
Empress Heavy Menace
Empress · pedal
The Empress Heavy Menace is a high-gain distortion pedal from Canadian manufacturer Empress Effects, delivering aggressive distortion with Low, High, and Level controls for heavy rock and metal applications. The Heavy Menace produces high-gain distortion character suited for heavy rhythm and lead playing. Empress Effects Canadian boutique construction with the quality build standard of all Empress pedals.
- distortion
- high gain
- heavy rock
- metal
- boutique
- rhythm
- aggressive
- basic tone
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Empress Heavy Menace is commonly used in
- Metal
- Rock
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Nu Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Djent
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Empress Heavy Menace
Vox MV50-CE Rock
Vox
19% matchVox MV50-CE Rock pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Peavey VTM-120
Peavey
19% matchStack Peavey VTM-120 on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
Traynor BB115
Traynor
tonal matchTraynor BB115 pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger Legacy 212 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Phil Jones X4C NanoBass 35W 1x4 Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchFeed a high gain signal into Phil Jones X4C NanoBass 35W 1x4 Combo and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Egnater Renegade 65 4x10 Combo
Egnater
tonal matchStack Egnater Renegade 65 4x10 Combo on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
Phil Jones BG-75 Double Four Bass Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchFeed a high gain signal into Phil Jones BG-75 Double Four Bass Combo and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger Legacy 410 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Pedals that stack with the Empress Heavy Menace
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress
Electro-Harmonix
18% matchPut Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress after Empress Heavy Menace in the signal chain, clear of Empress Heavy Menace's own gain stage
Suhr Shiba Drive
Suhr
18% matchFeed a high gain signal into Suhr Shiba Drive and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
18% matchBrowne Amplification Gritador pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2
Hungry Robot
15% matchKeep Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2 after Empress Heavy Menace in the signal chain, clear of Empress Heavy Menace's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Walrus Audio Fathom
Walrus Audio
15% matchPut Walrus Audio Fathom after Empress Heavy Menace in the signal chain, clear of Empress Heavy Menace's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Warm Audio Pedal 76 Compressor
Warm Audio
13% matchWhat Warm Audio Pedal 76 Compressor brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around
Wampler Cory Wong
Wampler
tonal matchWampler Cory Wong takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost
Spaceman Effects Atlas IV
Spaceman
tonal matchSpaceman Effects Atlas IV pushes a high gain tone toward clean boost
Cheaper alternatives
MXR Fullbore Metal
MXR
70% similarityShared character: hard_rock, high_gain_settings, distortion
Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal
Boss
69% similarityShared character: aggressive_playing, amp, distortion
Demon FX Gladiator
Demon Fx
68% similarityShared character: tone, hard_rock, high_gain_settings
JHS Pedals Hard Drive Distortion
JHS Pedals
65% similarityShared character: hard_rock, aggressive_playing, high_gain_settings
Electro-Harmonix Hellmaster Distortion
Electro-Harmonix
64% similarityShared character: lead_playing, hard_rock, aggressive_playing
Lovepedal MK12 Super High Gain Dirt Box
Lovepedal
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
69% similarityShared character: tone, hard_rock, high_gain_settings
MXR M104 Distortion+
MXR
68% similarityShared character: hard_rock, amp, distortion
Joyo British metal
Joyo
64% similarityShared character: hard_rock, high_gain_settings, distortion
Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition
Fender
96% similaritysimilar tone character
ENO EX-Inferno
Eno
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Malekko Fetish MKII
Malekko
96% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Empress Heavy Menace (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Empress Heavy Menace?+
The closest matches in character are the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe, the MXR M104 Distortion+, the Joyo British metal. Budget picks: MXR Fullbore Metal, Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, Demon FX Gladiator.
What pairs well with the Empress Heavy Menace?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Vox MV50-CE Rock, Peavey VTM-120, Traynor BB115 — Vox MV50-CE Rock pushes a high gain tone toward tight.
How much does the Empress Heavy Menace cost?+
Around $249 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
- vs Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition
- vs Lovepedal MK12 Super High Gain Dirt Box
- vs NuX Metal Core