Death Metal Review

The legendary Death Metal pedal is by far the most extreme distortion you will ever hear. Simply put, we have turned the gain up to "eleven" and ripped the knob off. Level, low, mid, and high tone controls provide flexible tone shaping, so even though this distortion is over the top, your guitar is guaranteed to cut through.

Ease of Use:	9.3
Sound:	8.4
Reliability:	9.1
Impression:	8.7
Overall rating:	8.9
Users rating:	7.5
Comments:	127

Featured review by: unregistered, on august 08, 2005

Price paid: $ 39.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This pedal is awesome. You don't need to read anything to use this pedal. I was kind of skeptical about buying it because it is kind of wierd to adjust the settings in the middle of using it, but it is no big deal. // 10

Sound: I am using an ESP M-100 FM through a Fender Frontman 25 watt amp. The distortion is so much better than my amp's normal distortion. For a while I was using the wrong AC adapter, but it still worked, only with alot of buzz. When I switched to batteries though, it setteled down. I usually play Metallica stuff and it sounds as like I'm using James' or Kirk's setup. It's also really good for any other metal bands. Since there is no distortion control, you can adjust the amount of distortion by turning the volume knob on your guitar down to control it. I can get a normal semi dirty distortion from it and play a clean riff, then crank up the volume knob and go into crashing riffs. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The pedal is encased in metal, so it holds up. I dropped it on asphalt once on my way down to my friends house. I was kind of worried when I got there, but I plogged it in and it was fine. I would definetly use this without a backup. // 10

Impression: I play metal and in line with its name it does a good job. When I first got the pedal, it was eating through batteries like crazy. My friend had the Bad Monkey pedal and I told him about the problem. He told me to unplug the cable from the input jack after I was done using it because the pedal still thinks you are playing, so it drains the battery. All in all it is a good pedal to use. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: KVX10 KING V, on january 02, 2006

Price paid: $ 75.05

Purchased from: Prom Music

Ease of Use: This pedal I believe is the easiest pedal to use, and buy the sound the most powerful one too. The settings speak for themselves, the level controls the output power of the sound and volume, the low controls the bass practically, the mid is basically middle if you have a middle knob on your amp, and the high is more of a contour control, but with a lot more depth. You can have from a Death Scoop sound, to a Smooth Sustain, right up to a Knife's Edge blasting distortion. The manual shows you four different sound settings and tells you what each knob does. But since the pedal is so easy to use they don't tell you anything else, because they don't expect you to be retarded with it. // 10

Sound: The setup I am using is a Hyburn strat currently (expecting to recieve a KVX10 King V Jackson soon), with a Rodam and Planet Wave patch cords. Along with a Marshall G80RCD which is a 100watt amp, or my Fender Sidekick 10 watt, or my MS-2 Marshall pocket amp. The pedal is never noisy, it is as quiet as the guitar on a clean setting. This pedal's effects are the most powerful there are, if u think you have mad distortion, think again and try out this pedal. If you ever listen to any Children Of Bodom, In Flames, Lamb Of God, Iced Earth, you know what killer metal sounds like. This pedal can allow you to obtain metal like the bands I just listed, without any problems. One thing I suggest not doing, is to turn down you Low knob because it make the sound, sound like there is no bass, other than that this pedal is perfect for any distortion, and since it is only one type of distortion, to control how much distortion you want just turn down your volume knob on your guitar, trust me it works. // 10

Reliability & Durability: If you can't depend on this pedal then don't even think about depending on other pedals in a gig. The recessed knobs prevent accidental foot "adjustments." The pedal is three times heavier as the competition thanks to a cast metal body with a rubber bottom so it won't slide around on stage. There is a six-year warranty to prove that DigiTech built the pedal to last. It features an extra cabinet modeling output which allows you to go direct-to-mixing board. If you don't have a 9v power supply the pedal has a Super-easy battery access chamber to change during a song (drum solo's are good for something). Just use a 1/4" guitar plug to push the release button instead of having to hunt for a screw driver. And is is colour coded for easy identification. If you come across a problem with the pedal (other than the fact you have attempted to blow it up, or shoot it into oncoming traffic) then you are the first to find one thing wrong with it. So by the description it have just provided, yes I would gig with it without backup. // 10

Impression: It suits my style of music perfectly, if you can guess I am a metal head, and I play every type of metal there is, but I also play blues, jazz, classical, and acoustic. So duh, its a good match to my style. I have been playing for 3 years, and I currently own a G80RCD Marshall, a Fender Sidekick, a MS-2 pocket amp, and a Hyburn Strat, which I have already mentioned. If it were lost I would ripped my house and neibourhood apart to find it. If it were stolen I would track the bastard down, and tie him to a chair and make him listen to my amp with the pedal, on 10 volume till his ears began to bleed (so yeah its a good pedal). I bascially love the hole thing, the look, the feel, and most of all the Death Metal, there is nothing is dislike about it. I didn't compare it to any other pedal becuase this is the only pedal with the heaviest metal out there, and if you find one that compares to this one, contact me. The only other thing I wish it had was the power adapter had come with the pedal, but no it didn't so I had to go buy that separate. So basically this is the most leathal distortion out there, so go ahead and see if you can find any heavier than this. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: LoudMF, on january 03, 2006

Purchased from: Mountain Music

Ease of Use: This pedal is amazing. The disortion on it is so easy to use. Plug and play basicly, the manual that came with it shows you the different settings that you can get on it. The manual shows 4 different distortions but you can tweak with it and find a bunch more. // 10

Sound: I use a Washburn Chicago Pro Series and a Marshall MG100 with it. The effect on the pedal is nice and strong. Doesn't have the warm sound like the Marshall distortion but its not supposed to, its a Death Metal pedal right? I found that the pedals good for using in a wide variety of situations. It works awesome with Pantera, good with Slipknot and damn good with Nevermore. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Reliability, its a truck. You can drop it and it'll still give you the same sound that it did when you bought, day and day out. I would use it at a gig with a back up, with confidence. Although it eats through batterys like a MF. Buy the adapter it'll pay for itself time and time again. // 9

Impression: I play a lot of metal, it's a really good match with it. Hence the name Death Metal. I've been playing for about a year and a half now. This was my first pedal, I'm definatly going back to get the DigiTech Metal Master. If it were lost or stolen I'd kill somebody, then check his wallet for the cash to get a new one. I love the easy to use dials on it. It's retard proof for kids like me. // 10

overall: 8

Reviewed by: jsmetalrose, on november 04, 2005

Price paid: $ 82.3317

Purchased from: www.theplanetofsound.co.uk

Ease of Use: The ease of use is pritty simple, you got your "level," "low," "mid" and "high" knobs to fiddle with. Thats about it, just twist for your sound, simple as! // 10

Sound: Hmm, this is pritty awkward to explain, when you plug this into your amp and of course your guitar, it sounds amazing as the distortion is different to what you used to use. I like the distortion, it goes from simple over drive to over the top distortion. When you listen a bit more carefully and if your like me, you want the perfect tight palm muting sound, nice warm rythm work, possibly squeels at some point on top and bottom strings of your guitar and nice clear treble picking. This pedal does have the capabilities, but the treble picking can be a bit damp and if you want your heavy palm muting, its pritty hard to get a decent squeel from this pedal. The palm muting can get very low for a dark feel to create some furious creative work. But what I did find, when you're not playing and you just want some silence, there's a nasty buzzing sound coming from the amp (to be as blunt as I can) which didnt make me happy. But bare in mind this, I do use a digital amp and this is a analogue pedal! But everything else seems fine. All in all, this is a good pedal and worth buying, but if you're very fussy and picky like me, I wouldnt get it. But it doesnt harm going to your local store and give it a try. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is rather heavy for what it is, construction is tight and this thing is durable. But I wouldn't trust dropping it on a carpet floor. But as a pedal, it is well built. // 8

Impression: All in all, I play anything from heavy metal (new wave: Chimaira), black metal (Devildriver, Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth), Death Metal (Zyklon) and alternative/experimental (don't know what exactly to class this band but I love them: Tool). I own a Line 6 Spider II head (150watt) and cab (4x12) with a ESP LTD MH400, which consists of 81/5 EMGs (that's the important part) look it up if you want more specs. Boss Metal Zone did not work with my amp, bit dissapointing, but I'm really interested in the Korg AX3000G, Line 6 PODXT Live and the Boss GT8. I've gone around and still searching for the best pedal for my needs, anyone got any ideas, please let me know. But the Death Metal pedal matches my type of playing, but shame about the small things. // 7

overall: 10

Reviewed by: metallica4evr, on may 09, 2006

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: amazon

Ease of Use: Easy to use. Simple analog controls: level, low, mid, high. Just plug in, set your equalizer settings, match your level with your amp gain (this is very important. You have to match the level on the pedal to the gain on your amp so that when you switch from distortion to clean you won't disappear) and then you just start playing! Make sure and do not leave the input jack in because the battery will run down. I recommend getting the power supply since it lets you play for longer and there is a very slight difference in sound. The manual is straight forward but you don't really need it. It is really easy to get a good sound from it. // 10

Sound: This pedal just sounds great, that is if you know how to use the tone settings. I receommend not using a scooped by turning low and high to max and putting very little mid. This sound great when you're by yourself playing but when other instrument (even other guitars) are introduced you can barely make out what you are playing. My setup is a Robson Strat, factory amp (10 watt), factory pickups (single coil) and the DigiTech Death Metal pedal. I also play am ESP Kirk Hammett signature. If you are using a single coil guitar don't only use one pickup. Use two at once. If you just use the single brige Pick-up for example you will hear a constant buzzing sound so use the brigde pickup and the middle pickup simultaneously. It's sounds great when playing Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Children Of Bodom, A7X and bands like that and also Black Sabbath and Nirvana. The distortion is amazing. Everything sounds crisp if you are muting properly. I do not recommend a beginner using this pedal as a poor technique will make horrible noises. To lessen the distortion simply use the volume control on your guitar. You get 4 different tone settings with the pedal. My favourite of these is the rectifier. The 3 band EQ allows for much experientation to find your own sound. If you are into metal then I highly recommend this pedal. Even if you're into styles like Led Zeppelin it works. This distortion is perfect for lead playing. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's a tank. I dropped it on my aunt's tiled floor and it cracked the tile and it's still workin like new. The casing is metal and really tough. I would defintely use this during a gig. The battery only lasts a week or two if you play everyday, that is, it won't die completely but the drop in the distortion is noticeable. However is will last through a gig without problems. Get the power supply. // 10

Impression: I play mostly metal. Not much death metal but this pedal works well for anything metal. People have told me that they think that I use too much distortion when playing to which I reply "Well I think you use too little." I'll admit the Metal Master pedal is probably a little better than this one but it cost more and you won't get this kinda distortion anywhere else. Easy to use, great sound, very reliable, what more can you ask for? I will definitely buy it again if it were lost of stolen. I'm planning to add a multi-effect pedal to my setup and I'm anxious to see how it sounds in combination with the Death Metal pedal. I love the distortion on a pedal. I don't like when guitarists pile on effect onto more effect. I like when metal sounds raw with just distortion. That's why the first pdeal I bought was a simple distortion pdeal unlike my friends who bought multi-effect pedals. This is a great buy for any heavy metal guitarist. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: ctdguyiam, on june 11, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Pretty basic. I used my friend's pedal because I just have an acoustic guitar. It's awesome though. I don't know much about it. I just turned the knobs to different levels and experimented with it. When I got to where I wanted it to be, I'd just start playing, kick the Switch and turn on the distortion. My friend has a couple of pedals but iw ould have to say that it is his coolest, best, heaviest, etc. etc. // 8

Sound: We used a Paul Stanley guitar. I'm not sure exactly what kind. We used a little amp. I think it was like 8x8 or something. It was a Kustom amp. It always sounded great no matter what setting he changed it to. He messed around with the pedal, amp and guitar and put them on different settings. It always sounded great. I'm not sure if we could get the sound of some great artists out of it. We basicly just made up some patterns using hammer-ons and pull-offs and slides. Later on, he did something to it while we were on the phone. He played the solo from one of Ozzy's songs-Gets Me Through. So I'm sure that if you know what you're doing you can make anything work, I guess. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Yes I could depend on it. It's reliable. I would use it anytime, anywhere. Though I wouldn't use only it to play for people. I mean, I like different effects and sometimes even no effects. SO I'd always have something else for backup. Durability-wise, well it is durable. We accidently droped it down a 10 foot plus hill on asphault while skating to his house. If that's not durable I don't know what is. // 9

Impression: Overall, of the distortion pedals I've heard, it's the best for me. Some are just too soft. I need something that can do it heavy, but can also tone down a little bit. It's just so great. I'm getting a Fender Strat in July and this is what I'm buying to go with it. Johnathan(my friend Who owns it) taught me a little riff he made up by accident before he got the pedal. He was just bored and playing around. I've tried that riff clean on both an electric and acoustic guitar. I've tried it with an amp's distortion and other pedals. But this makes it work. Once you've experienced it, you get really attached to it really fast. // 9

overall: 4.3

Reviewed by: musicfreak003, on august 24, 2007

Ease of Use: First of all I didn't buy this. I played it long enough to know that it was a piece of shit. there's no distortion knob so you are stuck with heavy heavy Death Metal distortion forever. The low, middle, and high knobs don't do anything other than change the tone at an unnoticable amount. It is very easy to use though, because you don't have to do anything other than set the volume 'cause there's no use tweaking the other knobs, this pedal only has one sound. // 10

Sound: This is the perfect distortion pedal, if you like distortion with so much gain and so little life that it sounds like a digital cow getting raped. The sound is digital, feedbacky, and retarted. Yes, it is noisy and there's nothing you can do about it because you can't control the pedal's gain at all. I played it with a Epiphone Zack Wylde guitar and a Marshall TSL. Again there is only one sound: super Death Metal that sounds like cow getting raped. If you are not human and like the sound of a cow getting raped, then get this! // 2

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't even bring it to a gig because I wouldnt've bought it in the first place, it's way to heavy to be lugging around, and it sounds like pure shit. No musician who wants a good tone will rely on this at all. I can't write anymore on this topic because I didn't buy it. But it weighed a lot for such a small pedal, a lot more than the Boss Mega Distortion (better than this too). // 2

Impression: I already told you, don't even look at this anymore unless you like the sound of cows getting raped (maybe you like animal masturbation music, I don't know). If it was stolen, I'd find the thief and tell him he has no sense of tone. My favorite feature is that it works perfectly in movies where cows get raped. If you're not gonna save up and get a new amp, get the Boss Mega distortion which still isn't as good as a good amp but is a lot better than this. I also have a review on the Boss Mega Distortion. // 3

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 08, 2005

Price paid: $ 40

Ease of Use: I don't really like this model. The only thing that sounds good on it are power chords. For solos it sounds loud and whiny. The manual is very clear. // 6

Sound: I'm playing a Jackson and using a 10 watt amp. It's very noisy if you do high bends and a lot of lead parts. I play power chords alot so I was very happy when I brought it home. When I tried some lead parts I was really disapointed on how it sounded. If you play full chords it sounds really bad. It's probaly just my setup, because the other reviews for this pedal are really good. This pedal for me, only is good for Green Day, Ramones, and Fall Out Boy. I also like a small variety of metal, but I haven't tried this pedal with that genre. When I use it, it is really fuzzy and doesn't sound good. I'm getting a new amp soon, so maybe it'll sound better. // 4

Reliability & Durability: It's pretty reliable and built pretty sturdy. I would use it at a gig without backup. // 10

Impression: I play alternative, it's a good match for some songs. I've been playing for a year. I don't own any other pedals. I wish I would've asked the people that worked there to leave me alone so I could test it properly. I would definatly not buy it again. // 6

overall: 3.8

Reviewed by: hippie_punk, on may 15, 2006

Price paid: $ 59.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This pedal is incredibly easy to use, just too bad the sound absolutley sucks. // 7

Sound: I use this pedal with my Ibanez Gio or Stratocaster knockoff, into a Crate GT212. I've also tried using it with a Gibson LP, SG, and a B.C. Rich Beast. It sounds the same on everything, like crap. It is some of the worst distortion I've ever come across. If I turn the Low up more than halfway I get signal breakup, and if I turn the High up more than a third of the way everything is so incredibly screechy and annoying. Plus, the hum and feedback that comes with this thing makes it unplayable. This thing should come packeged with a noise reducer, but that wouldn't help because the tone is still terrible! // 1

Reliability & Durability: Possibly the only highlight. It's built well, enough to hold up for quite a damn long time. Only the battaries die within one half hour of constant use. It's strong enough for gigs, but I'd never use it because it sounds so bad. // 6

Impression: I play hardcore, death metal, punk, noise, and heavy metal. It's sounds good for only one, noise, because of all the feedback you get. The only time I ever find It halfway useful Is when I need lots of feedback. I'll be honest, I bought it because it was cheap. It sounds like it's cheap too. If it was stolen, I'd track the guy down and warn him just to destroy it because it's so bad. This has completly set me off from everything DigiTech. Honestly, just go by a Boss distortion pedal. That's what I did and I've never used the death metal pedal since. // 1

overall: 10

Reviewed by: xSlayerBorgirx, on october 16, 2006

Price paid: $ 79.99

Purchased from: Ebay

Ease of Use: One word. Simple. A lil kid can use this and jam the hell out of his amp if he wanted. What I love about this pedal is that I don't have to mess with the low, mid, and high ranges on my amps to get a good tone, I can leave my amp alone, and mess with the pedal itself and get the sound I need. Manual is very understanding and to the point, in my opinion. You have any question about the pedal, it's in the manual for sure. // 10

Sound: I use a BC Rich KKV Signature, Ibanez SA series and RG series. Different guitars for different tones and styles. What's remarkable about this pedal, it gives you the death crunch you want and need with any guitar you use. Same with amps. I use an Ibanez 50 Watt Toneblaster and a small Peavey 15 watt. Great tone, out of any amp, big or small. I've never had a problem. There's no, or hardly any, feedback, which is a plus. I play to the likes of Killswitch Engage, Unearth, and Trivium, and this pedal has yet to let me down. It's awesome! // 10

Reliability & Durability: I put my guitar playing career on this pedal. I love it, and there is nothing like it. I would definately use this pedal at any gig without a backup. Only problem I have is that I use it way too much, so I need to have a good supply of back up batteries. Durablilty is very good. It's packed in a metal case, which is awesome. You can drop it from a building and it'd work perfectly fine without any fault. // 10

Impression: I've been playing for about 7 years now. My style has always been metal, and this pedal has never let me down. I've had a metal distortion pedal from Danelectro before this one. It worked fine, but really wasn't given me the tone I needed. I stopped by a local music shop, and found the Death Metal pedal and gave it a shot. The first strum, I was hooked. But since I was low on funds, couldnt buy it at the time. Then found it on eBay, and I couldn't pass it up. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if it were ever stolen. I would definately recommend this pedal for everyone. You would not be disappointed. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: razr_back, on august 15, 2007

Price paid: $ 49.99

Purchased from: guitar world

Ease of Use: It is very easy to get a good sound out of it because they give you a pamflit that shoes a couple different sitings such as death scoop, knife's egde, and rectified. The manual for it gives you the rundown of all the control nobs and witch holes to plug it in (comes with an extra out put for mixing bords so you don't have to run it through and amp). I don't no the revision number and it hasn't ben upgraded to my knowledge cause I bought it Brand New. // 10

Sound: I use a Dean razorback db with a 34 year old pevy amp and it makes a lot of bakground noise on any setting but wen you play it will quit. The effects are awesome but thell get weeker due to low battery power. I don't have any cd's of people that use this petal that I know of but I can get some pretty amasing pinch harmonics out because it helps Pick them up alot, like for example you can play wawke up by damageplan with out a Whammy bar on the pre solo riff (I can't say you get the same sound but it's close) My favorite setting is knife's edge cause it help picks up the pinches more than the other settings, the death scoop setting is great for chunk, and the rectified sounds pretty sweet wen soloing. // 8

Reliability & Durability: You can depend on this because it's made of metal so if you drop it or give it a good stomp it wont bust. And it doesn't slide across the floor as much beacuse of the weight of it and the rubber pad on the bottom. In a gig the only back up I would need is another nine volt, but that's if it's a really long gig and it's on all the time. // 10

Impression: I play heavy metal and some thrash and it matches perfectly. I've played for a few years and I own a phase, to guitars and an amp. If I would have asked them sumthin I would have asked if there were anyother settings that sound great. I would definetly buy this one again because it's sounds so good. I love the fact that you can gget so much chunk and screams out of it but I don't like the back groun noise wen ur not playin it. My favorite feature is the knife's edge setting because it justs lites up ur guitars sound. I compared this to a Grunge pedal by DigiTech and I picked this one cause it was just better sounding to me. I wish it had an easyer foot Switch to press but otherwise no. // 10

overall: 5

Reviewed by: WrathOscuro, on august 20, 2007

Purchased from: Gear 1 Music

Ease of Use: This pedal is pretty straight forward. But then again, just about any stomp box from DigiTech is very easy to use. However, getting a good sound out of it is a whole different story. There's a level knob which apparently controls the volume of the pedal, and there is a 3-band EQ which controls how your distortion sounds depending on how you equalize things. // 8

Sound: This is probably the crappiest sounding distortion pedal I've ever heard. It just sounds so fake. There is no crunch or roar from this thing at all, just very loud fuzz. Palm muting sounds like static, the tones you can get for soloing are pretty much worthless because it's just so buzzy sounding. Even for a $50 pedal, this isn't worth it. If you're getting this pedal, chances are you have a solid state amp with either no distortion or mediocre distortion. If that's the case, save up just $30 more and get a DigiTech Metal Master if you want to spend the minimum on a decent distortion pedal. If you have amp like a Line 6 Spider, or maybe one of the Roland Cubes, you're going to get much better sound out of your amp any day of the week. For anybody curious, I've tried multiple guitars and multiple amps with every pedal that I've tried or own. BC Rich Beast, Schecter Omen 6, BC Rich Platinum V, Ibanez RG (can't remember the exact model), and one of the ESP LTD's. As for amps, (though it doesn't really matter what amp you're on normally when it comes to a stomp box) they are: B-52 AT-212, Crate VTX30, Crate GT15, Peavey Bandit 65, and a Mesa Boogie Rectoverb. // 3

Reliability & Durability: The upside about the Death Metal pedal is that it is very durable. Since it's a DigiTech stomp box, it's made out of metal casing, and it can be dropped without damage. However, I'm not sure about how reliable it can be. This is because I also have used a DigiTech Grunge, which is from the same series as the Death Metal, and it just simply stopped working. But, then again, I have a Bad Monkey and it's worked great the whole time that I've had it. So, it's your call. // 7

Impression: Let me first state that I never actually bought this pedal. Two of my friends whom I jammed with very often always brought their Death Metal Pedals over. But, I also have borrowed the pedals over long periods of time before, so I've had plenty of time to see what all it can do. Bottom line is, save up $30 more and get something better like a DigiTech Metal Master. Or, if you want to go a little bigger, get a Boss MT-2 or a Line 6 Uber Metal for $100. If I remember correctly, the uber cheap Danelectro: Fab Metal sounds better than the Death Metal. Also, just so everyone knows, I am very much into Heavy Metal, and Death Metal. Cryptopsy, Necrophagist, Deicide, you name it. // 2

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: metallica_death, on january 15, 2007

Purchased from: Music Land

Ease of Use: The DigiTech ddm Death Metal pedal is a good choice and you can get a good sound easily from it if you go and look in the booklet that comes with it. The manual is very useful and contains useful settings and a lot more. It is so easy to use you can literally get it out of the box, lug everything in, twiddle with the tone androck the shit out! // 8

Sound: I use the Death Metal pedal with an ESP KH-202, a Jackson RR3 and a Peavey Valveking, it is pretty good but not too good if you turn it up too loud. The effects on it are really good and it gives you are really heavy tone. I can get some certain tones of my favourite artists like James Hetfield, Dimebag Darrell and Even Zakk Wylde. The distortion is spot on. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on it, I play it on my rig of itself, a Dunlop crybaby wah pedal and a Danelectro Fab Metal pedal and it is brilliant and I would not use a backup. And it is really durable and has taken a few bumps in it's time and has not taken any major damage, in fact it hasn't taken any damage at all. // 8

Impression: I play what's on the pedal, I also play thrash etc and it is a good match, I have been playing for around 3 years and I also own an ESP KH202, Jackson rr3 and Peavey valveking. I would buy this pedal again if it were stolen or lost, the distortion is the best thing about it, the only thing I don't like is it goes weird if you turn the level up too high. In comparrision to my other main Overdrive pedal in my rig (Danelectro Fab Metal)it is slightly better and is a good price for such a good pedal, I would suggest this to anyone looking for a distorion pedal on a budget. // 9

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: sniper61, on august 17, 2007

Ease of Use: Pretty self explanatory, "input" is where you plug the cable going from the guitar to, "amp" is where you plug the amp into. Make sure you unplug it from the guitar when you're done (you can leave it plugged into the amp) or the battery will die over night. // 9

Sound: This pedal is awesome for a really heavy distortion. But a major downside of it is that it can't put out a quality light distortion like the Hot Rod can. I'm not expecting "Death Metal" to produce anything less than that though, so just approach it with the name in mind. For a while, there was a clicking sound when the strings were muted, but that went away in a couple weeks. There is a little bit of a learning curve in figuring out how to mess with the knobs to get a tone that you want, but the Encyclopedia of Tone that comes with it can help. If you have a modeling amp, (I use a Vox Valvetronix 100w) be sure that you set it to the cleanest setting, or major feedback problems can result. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is built rock solid. Apart from physical damage (paint chipping, etc.) I seriously think this would still work if you dropped it of off 2 or 3 story building. Along with the rubber grip on the bottom, it is heavy enough to not slide around when you stomp on it. // 9

Impression: If you like a wide variety of distortion, add this pedal to your collection. I wish I had bought a true effect pedal rather than a distortion pedal, but I can't blame the Death Metal for that. This is the first pedal I have bought, and I will definitely buy from DigiTech in the future. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on february 12, 2007

Purchased from: a gift

Ease of Use: The ease of use of this guitar pedal is great (this is the first pedal I got). I like how the setup is, plug in a few cords and just play. It came with a manual to tell you which sounds to get and all but I mostley use my own sound, which kind of sounds like Slayer. // 10

Sound: Right now I'm using a Behringer Starters guitar (my previous B.C. Rich was stolen alongside with my Marshall amp) and a lil Washburn bad dog amp. I gotta say before the setup sounded shit! I stopped playing guitar for awhile until my dad got me this pedal, and it sounded way better (than the Berhinger and Washburn that is). I play a lot of Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Slayer etc, and sounds close to Dimbags, Kirk Hammett etc. There's no downside to this pedal except the battery life. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this pedal with my life, I got jumped by some guy while walking towards my friends house to play guitar and tried to steal my guitar. He knocked me into the ground (dropping my guitar and amp) and started chokining me. Then I got my pedal and whacked him in the head which knocked him out. My guitar was in a hard case so it didn't take too much damage. and the pedal still sounds like it just came out of the box (I hit him pretty hard too) // 10

Impression: I play a lot of Metallica and Slayer. And it sounds close but not close enough of what Kirk hammet or Kerry Kings setup. I recommend this pedal or any DigiTech pedals because it sounds really great and saved my life(not really, I just didn't want to break my gear). // 10

overall: 6

Reviewed by: Skwisgaar, on june 06, 2007

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: guitar center

Ease of Use: I bought this pedal as my first stomp distortion pedal about 2 years ago. At the time I was amazed! But now that I ahve become more experienced, I have learned that this pedal is purely crap. It has no highs or tone. Midrange barely seeks through, although lows come out great. If that's all I was lookin for though, I'd Switch to bass. it's simple to use, I'll give it that. // 10

Sound: I wanted to rip right into a Six Feet Under song and this pedal doesn't pack enough punch. My practice amp(Line 6 Spider III 15) offers up better distortion and doesn't muffle the sound. It's an ok pedal if you play on really low volumes. If you try to play on a half stack or on a high volume on a small amp, it gives you so much feedback, but I bought a Boss noise suppressor, so it's ok now. // 3

Reliability & Durability: the pedal sucks my rythem guitarist uses this and I hate it, I can't even hear HIM same your money and get the metal master this pedal is nothing but crunch and muddy Overdrive, but it's not easy to break it so it's durable.This is the worst pedal in the history of pedals. Ihave never played a worse pedal in my life. When I used to use this pedal, my bandmates called me cap'n crunch since all you could hear was crunch. If you want that effect, just eat cereal in front of the microphone, it'd probably sound better than this. Go with a metal master or a Boss metal zone. // 8

Impression: This pedal is well constructed, you'd need a hammer and serious anger issues to break it, however it's functionality left me out in cold with no coat on. If you must have a DigiTech distortion pedal, get the metal master (which is a very nice pedal) or Grunge pedal. The "Death Metal" pedal does not hold true to it's name. I hate it. My Overall Impression: not good. // 3

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 07, 2007

Price paid: $ 39.99

Purchased from: Sweetwater

Ease of Use: This is the simplist pedal I have ever used. easy to find a good setting or you can use the four that come in the booklet. great tone. I use it with my Les Paul, my ESP 550 and my B.C. Rich Warlock Platinum Series. They all sound amazing. I play hardcore punk such as Misfits and Black Flag and old school Afi all the way to Sex Pistols, Causalties, Buzzcocks, and Ramones and it not only sounds amazing but gives it a really heavy bite. // 10

Sound: I use it with my Les Paul, my ESP 550 and my B.C. Rich Warlock Platinum Series. They all sound amazing. I got my settings with this and my 1973 Peavy tube amp through the mixer board/auxelitity slot and my Stagg 60w through the main output with the reverb all the way up on both and achived Doyle od the Misfits settings on their Famous Monsters and American Psycho records and gives the older stuff a lot more of a bite. My bassist actully uses it for bass distortion also with amazing results. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It is amazingly dependable. Asides from prediscovery of unplugging the cord outta the input slot I have never had a problem with it. Battery life is long as long as you unplug it. It is heavy to prevent sliding and the buttons don't move at all either. it will give you a constent feed of distortion all the way till the battery dies also. one battery will usually last a month or two worth of two or three times a week practice. weve only had one show usung it due to drummer troubles but it worked perfectly. // 10

Impression: I play hardcore punk such as Misfits and Black Flag and old school Afi all the way to Sex Pistols, Causalties, Buzzcocks, and Ramones and it not only sounds amazing but gives it a really heavy bite. If ti were lost and or stolen I would kick the persons ass Who stole it and get it back and if it were lost I go out and kick the fist emo or rednecks ass I saw then promptly re purches it. I recomend it to moderate player and up. not on starters. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: HexDemon666, on february 21, 2007

Purchased from: Rhapsody Music

Ease of Use: This pedal is remarkably simple to use. Four basic knobs, an input and two output jacks (one for a mixer and one for an amp), and the slot for an AC adapter. I found it very easy to get a good sound out of it. The manual (and DigiTech website) give four excellent preset tones with tons of room in between to be creative. // 10

Sound: I have an Ibanez S470 and a 26W Peavey Backstage. The amp is superb at getting the sounds you need. I've gotten anywhere from sharp, crisp distortion to sludgy sounds to almost Black Sabbath-esque tones from it. Really, if you experiment with the low, mid, and high, you can really get a lot of different sounds from this. Plus, if you turn everything down and crank up the gain, it works as an overdriver! Overall, the sounds are excellent and work well not only with death metal, but thrash, grunge, grindcore, black metal, and some older '70s/'80s metal if you tweak it right. My only complaint is the amount of feedback. It's immense. The constant static is really annoying and adds a level of futility to playing technical riffs as you only get a general rhythm rather than an intricate pattern of notes. But if you're into nu-metal or you just like chugging away on powerchords like Black Sabbath, this is definitely a monstrous pedal perfect for you. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I've dropped it a couple times and it still works great, has no blemishes, and has somehow managed NOT to damage my hardwood floor. I guess I haven't used it enough (I've only had it for a couple months) to really know how durable it is, but from what I can tell, it'll stand up to whatever you would throw at it. I'd definitely use it at a gig without a backup. // 10

Impression: For my style of music, it's almost a good match. I play death/thrash/grindcore/metalcore mostly (i.e. Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Slayer, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Unearth) and the sound is perfect. The only problem is, as mentioned before, the feedback and static really gets in the way of technicality, especially if you're skipping all of the strings because it has a tendency to really carry the sound of a previously played note on a string if you're on a different string. After a year and a half of playing, I was definitely happy with this pedal. It gave me the tone I wanted. After developing my style more, however, I found that it's not right for me. But if you're into heavier, chunkier, rhythm sections (or even leads, this is great for some really squealing leads, though I'm a rhythm guy myself), I definitely reccommend this pedal. Worst case scenario would be that you buy it and have the same problem with feedback as I do. If that's the case, you can just get a noise reducer or sell it for something else. It's a good investment. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: mohawkkidJohn, on april 24, 2007

Purchased from: wintersound

Ease of Use: You don't need to do anything exceptplug it in and play. It is great for guitarists Who like squealing solos, and you can also make it low pitched.The manual is not really needed for a distortion pedal. My pedal is awesome and it isn't even upgraded. Overall it is a great product and I recommend buying it. // 8

Sound: I am playing a Dean custom ml and a Peavey 2x12. The pedal is really squeally when doing Dime squeals. With as much as I have played it it Doesn't hum when powered by a 9v battery, it has very little hum even when pluged into a wall outlet. The effects are always strong unless you have them turned down.If I tried to sound like anyone it would be easy. // 9

Reliability & Durability: you could depend on this pedal for the rest of your life. The pedal is a very dependable. I love this pedal. It probably would not be use full to people that play shitty music like garth brooks and shit. I would use this pedal without a backup without a second thought that is how good this pedal is. I wouldn't be surprised if people use them withput backups already. // 8

Impression: I play mostly metal and grindcore the pedal goes incredibly good with those genres. I've been playng for 7 years and I have been playing with primarily the same gear except the pedal. I did not need to ask anything else. I love the fact that the pedal is heavy. It doesn't slide, and my favorite feature is it has a knob for: high, low, med, and level. I compares it with numerous Boss and Moxon pedals, it easily surpased the competition. I am very pleased with the pedal. // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: Vampyre_Punk, on september 13, 2007

Price paid: $ 114

Purchased from: Mcanns Music

Ease of Use: This pedal has 4 control knobs, level (basically volume), low (ability to pick up low frequencies), middle (ability to pick up middle frequencies) and high (ability to pick up high frequencies). Your an idiot if you can't figure out how to work this thing, no offence if any of you can't, but it's so easy. My first pedal and I knew exactly what to do just by looking at it. I didn't look at the manual, but the DigiTech Product Manual helped me get a good sound out of it, I suggest checking out the four presets they suggest. // 10

Sound: I'm using a weak 10 watt Silvertone guitar amp with a Samick Flying V which has a 3-way pickup selector (I have it on the bridge pickup generally), I also used it on my Ashton beginner bass with my 30w Ashton bass amplifier. I'll start by talking about the sound with my guitar. All I can say is sweet, I usually have the high on max, and the middle and low at about 5, and slightly vary them which surprisingly changes the sound alot. With this setting I can get my V sounding like Metallica (particuarly the songs from Kill Em' All and Ride The Lightning and a little of Master Of Puppets), Pantera (Walk sounds killer on it) and even death metal bands like Arch Enemy (try Nemesis on this baby, it's kick ass), not to mention Rage Against The Machine (Killing in The Name particuarly). Unfortunately though the sound is somewhat limited, and if you try other settings like flipping Low to max it sounds really crap, I mean, it's almost a necessity to turn high to max or atleast higher than the rest, so it does have a wonderful range of distortion sounds but they aren't of extreme quality. But otherwise, I'm in love with this pedal! Now when I used it with my bass I was a little disgusted, the sound was tacky and had way too much gain although with a bit of tweaking I got the perfect sound for the legendary bass solo by the master Cliff Burton himself 'Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)', which I was happy with. Otherwise though, get a real bass distortion pedal. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This is a metal footswitch, literally. Definetely gig without backup, absolutely no problems here. Of course, it's not as if it's invulnerable, so I can't honestly give it a 10 and I have only had it for a month. It's gonna last, don't even worry. I haven't yet encountered any problems with batteries, and don't use an adaptor, I don't know what all the fuss is about battery life, look at all the other pedal reviews, it's the same everywhere. // 9

Impression: Like I said, I play allmost every style of metal and this defenitely suits me for now and has improved my ability to play metal alot. I've been playing about guitar for about 6 months seriously now, and bass for a year and a half, this IS my first foot Switch but I am glad I bought it. If it were stolen or lost I'd get really pissed off, but then I'd probly wait a month and buy a good $300 multi-effects pedal. I love it because it suits my needs and helps my playing alot, my favourite feature would be basically, it improves the way I can play, gives me plenty of options, and just adds a whole new experience to my playing. One problem I found with this pedal was that sometimes you don't want gain at 11, even though you can still sort of adjust this with messing around with your amp and stuff, I just wish I had enough cash to buy an all-round effects pedal, oh well, this will do me for now as I am genuinely happy with the pedal. When I was In Mcanns I used 2 other Distortions, one was another DigiTech one, but it didn't have enough grunt for my tastes, the other was a Grunge pedal, I didn't choose this for basically the same reason, this pedal however sounded good basically as it was plugged in, I tried it and then bought it. All I wish it had was it's own gain knob. Overall, very happy. // 8

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: punkyriffs, on october 30, 2008

Price paid: C$ 69.99

Purchased from: Melody Music Center

Ease of Use: This pedal is for guitar players Who are balls to the walls for heavy distorition. If you like fuzzy distorition, and feedback this pedal is for you. It's not too hard to get a good sound out of it, but if you're looking for just a little bit of distorition this isn't the pedal for you. // 7

Sound: When I bought the pedal I was playing it out of a little Peavy Rage 158 amp, using my Squier Jag-master. The pedal is definatly not for amuatuers. I am no master but I bought it to experiment with feedback, and if you let it this stomp box with tear apart your songs. Now I use it out of a Marshall half-stack, and that makes the feedback a little more controlable. For me the effects always sounded great. The three main settings make it easy for one to get his or her perfect distoirion sound. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is very dependable. I used it Live a few times, and I've never had any problems with it. Before playing though I suggest you check your settings because the knobs are eaisly moved, and it could screw with your sound (example: turning down the bass). I would play live without a backup pedal, but I would bring an extra battery. It takes a D battery, and although there are many features to keep it from dying you don't want it to crash in the middle of a performance. To off set this I have one battery for practice (which I use all the time), and one for playing Live (which is only used for that, to conserve power). // 9

Impression: I play punk, rock, Grunge, and some folk. The pedal doesn't really match up with the later, but by adujusiting the settings. This pedal is great for metal (duh), but it's really good for playing Grunge. If you want to get a Soundgarden, Nirvana, or even early Local H feel this is the pedal for you. You can adujust the settings to get a really nuce fuzzy sound, and it sounds more Grunge like then the "Grunge" pedal (also from DigiTech). If this were stolen I would get another, but only if I could find it for the same price I did. Some places charge $100 for it, and personally that's a bit too much to be spending on effects. I love how you can just create these great sounding solos. Take even the most basic Johnny Cash solo, and it sounds great coming from this pedal. This is also a great pedal for a band to jam with. When I was looking for a pedal, the store workers let me try that amongst other pedals. I tried the DigiTech Grunge, The Death Metal, and a few other pedals from various manufactuers. I liked this one the best because it sounded the most raw, and it had the most distorted sound out of the lot.

For all it's perfect distorition, I wish the pedal did have some light settings, so that during a set I could go from Hard Rock, so a softer (but still distorited song) without having to change pedals. // 8

overall: 8

Reviewed by: upchuck51, on october 27, 2008

Price paid: $ 49.99

Purchased from: Moeller Music

Ease of Use: This is the tone I have been trying to get from other pedals for a while now. I play a bit of Death Metal (Bloodbath, Morbid Angel, etc.) but could never get the right tone. Scoop the mids right out, boost low and high, crank the volume and it sounds like a big amp in a house a few doors down. Incredibly easy to get different tones out of it. I'm not sure what it is about this pedal, but I noticed a few others stated this as well. Powered by 120 watts of tube power it cuts through and annihilates your ears. // 10

Sound: this pedal sounds very good with a tube power amp. a solid state amp is not a good match with this pedal. the mids on this pedal should def not be scooped alot. it does sound like low quality and fuzzy distortion if you do this. basically this pedal has the potential to have a good quality distortion for cheap. on some settings it does sound somewhat like a mesa recifier but still has a lot to go. it doesnt't rival any high gain amps like a mesa or a Krank but it has decent distortion for a low price. you can get a somewhat of a variety of sounds from it. I wish there was gain on this though. also the eq does change the sound alot. // 7

Reliability & Durability: It's heavy and it's metal, funnily enough. It seems very durable in terms of construction. I don't mainly gig, I just play for fun and I record music, but I'm sure it would stand up to many years of gigging, and I can't see it causing many problems for my own personal use. // 8

Impression: this is a good pedal for post punk, hardcore, basically anything with a lot of distortion that doesnt't sound perfect. it sounds good but not amazing. if you run this though a tube amp I would def recommend it. if you are running it though a modelling amp and solid state amp I would def not. recommend it. though a solid state it sounds horrible, and wouldn't be suitable in a band situation. if I lost it or stole I would prob buy a new amp made for higher gain. a lot of reviews judge this pedal too heavily. It is a cheap $50 pedal so really you can't expect this pedal to sound perfect. it def would sound like a mesa, soldano, vht or other high quality amps, so don't expect it do. for the price it does fine. // 7

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 10, 2008

Purchased from: Music Live (NEC)

Ease of Use: This pedal is so easy to use, my grandma could probably manage to get sounding like Michael Amott with it. Despite what a lot of reviews have said, it plays f--kin brilliantly loud. I play it through a Marshall MG100DFX, and I play Hardcore/Metal. It does actually offer a bit more brutality than the distprtion I can get through my MG100. The Pedal comes with a manual that generally bigs the pedal up and gives you a few presets that are ok, but I recommend f--king the manual off and finding something sick for yourself. // 9

Sound: Like I said before, I'm using an ESP EX50, through a Marshall MG100DFX, and it sounds brilliant. I will admit, it does buzz a little when I crank it, but aslong as your quick enough with your volume control during breaks, you'll be rate! No matter what settings you feed into the pedal, it always sounds sick. It just depends on what you play. I play stuff like The Classic Struggle and Born Of Osiris, and this pedal can give me a sound similar to there's, but still unique. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This pedal seems like it's definately built to last, but when I lifted the footswitch bit and had a butchers at the inside, the actual Switch is surrounded by plastic, and I'm not too sure about jumping on it. It definately feels like it'd last a fair beating, and it comes with a 6 year warranty, so DigiTech must be fairly confident that it'll take a decent beating and still sound shit hot. I'd use it at a gig without backup for sure. Aslong as you take a decent amount of batteries with you, you'll be fine. // 10

Impression: This pedal can stand up to the constant abuse I give it with playing some proper heavy stuff, and it always seems to sound good. I've been playing for 7 years, before I brought this I had a Line 6 Uber Metal pedal. The DM pedal might seem like it's distortion is OTT for the pussies amongst you all, and if you feel that way, I would recomend you look into the Line 6 uber metal. it's a little more expensive, but it's built like a brick shit house. It's not as distorted as the DM. If someone robbed my DM pedal, I'd either buy another one, or hunt them down and get it back. Overall it's a match made in heaven for guitarists like me. If you don't play the heaviest of heavy, simply don't think twice about buying this pedal. Look into the less agressive distortions available from DigiTech, or the L6 Uber Metal, if you wanna get a beasty sound but you don't quite dig how heavy the DM is. // 9

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: col50, on december 03, 2008

Price paid: C$ 70

Purchased from: Long And Mquade

Ease of Use: It was very easy to use. It works like a basic pedal, just plug your guitar into the pedal, plug your pedal into the amp and then your ready to go. It comes with a tiny manual but after all, the pedal is simple to use. It has 4 knobs: level, low, mid, and high so it is very easy to use. // 9

Sound: I use an Epiphone lp-100 and an old 90s Dean Markley amp with it. The pedal can get pretty dam noisy if you crank the level knob all the way so if your planning on using this at cranked setting you should use an isp discriminator with it. With it you can pull of some decent Cannibal Corpse tones and Deicide. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have had mine for probably two years and so far I haven't had any problems with it except the battery usually runs out fast so I use an AC adapter. I would totally gig with it without a backup. It is really dependable and I've even dropped it down a flight of stars with minimal damage done to it. // 9

Impression: I play lots of Death Metal so it fits me nicely. I've been playing for since 2003 and I use a LP-100 and an old 90s Dean Markley amp. If it was stolen or lost I would probably buy another one, depends how much they cost nowadays. What I love about it is how the distortion sounds and what I hate about it is that when it's cranked up it gets very noisy and static. I wish it had a built in detuner because it would go along with Death Metal perfectly. // 8

overall: 9

Reviewed by: MUSICFIEND21, on january 09, 2009

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: guitar center

Ease of Use: Ease of use, extremly easy 4 knobs and that's it. The manual was nice but I didn't use it had been playing this at my local guitar center so much I aready knew what it could do. Although nice to know that the murderdolls use DigiTech. now the knobs are volume, low, mid, and high so as you can read it is extremly easy to use, if you don't know hoe to use it ur a complete idiot. then again I also am running this through a Line 6 spider 3. // 10

Sound: The sound is gut-rippiing to say the least, and versitile to you can get anywere from sludge tones(acid bath, saint vitus, candlemass, etc)to more modern metal(pantera, bleeding through, Slayer)and if done correctly some nice blusey bends r possible. Altough I can't get a Slipknot tone out of it. Compared to my Boss metal zone I like this a lot better, but with active pickups it gets pretty noisey, mainly feedback but still. also another note this is not a lead pedal the high notes are way to bright I recomed a top boost or some type of Overdrive for lead tones. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Yes you can depend on this it is built like a tank. Would use it without a back up but would bring batteris just in case.just so you know it is a all metal case housing with recesed knobs so you don't hit them on accident. Belive me that comes in handy when you got size 12 feet. // 10

Impression: Well the pedal is a good match mainly cause I play metal(man who would've guessed) but I also like playing classic rock, blues, gore-grinad, grind-core, pop-punk, and plain old punk.oh and a lot of Death Metal. Now for the most part it sounds pretty good with the Death Metal pedal.now I am playing this with my sg and my Epiphone futura custom and my amp is a Line 6 spider 3 but I also own a Fender frontman. If it were stolon I would buy another one or a EHX metal muff. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 01, 2008

Price paid: C$ 20

Ease of Use: I got this pedal used for 25$ with an AC adapter from a friend. At the time, this thing went for 69.99 CAD at the nearest music store. Did not include manual, box, or a battery, but this thing is still extremely easy to use. Hooray for stompbox simplicity. Has four knobs, level (volume), low, mid, and high. You can easily get intense mid scoops and top boosts by adjusting the mid and high knobs accordingly, and this thing will give you pretty ballsy bass even through weak amps. Overall, it's crude, but it's effective. // 9

Sound: I use it with an LTD EC-50 with Road Hog cables through an older model Fender Frontman 15R and a Vox AD30VT. I sounds horrible through the Vox, but that is entirely the amp's fault. Through the lowly Fender, this thing roars. There is an audible hum through the amp, though it's not very prominent. I play some of everything withing the blues/jazz/rock/metal range, but I have no illusions as to what this pedal does best: crushing metal. A few reviews I've read of this product are disappointed with the intensity of the tone or the lack of variety. These people clearly did not read the label. This pedal is good for some of the heavier Pantera stuff, Lamb Of God, Death, Warbringer, Slayer, and everything on up to Grindcore. If you play anything like those, this pedal will suit you well.

The only downside to this pedal is that it does not do the high-range any favours. Like I mentioned, it's good for crushing metal, so if you're looking for something to give you high-flying solos, look elsewhere. Overall, this pedal will suit any kind of music you play, so long as that music is relatively modern metal. I can't complain, because I got it for 25$. Versatility is an issue, but for a truly versatile pedal, you will be forced to pay an absolute minimum of $100-$150 CAD before taxes. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I'm the second person to own this pedal. it's previous owner used it well (several years I think), so it's got some cosmetic damage (chipped paint, which is quite a feat since the finish is several milimeters thick all over the pedal, worn rubber pad, etc.) and he probably stomped on one of the plastic knobs because it's a bit crooked (still works like new, though! ). I can basically kick the crap out of this pedal and it'll keep going without a hitch. The pedal weighs a ton (the shell, at least, is solid steel) and is secured to the floor by a large rubber pad which keeps it from skidding around. I'd definitely use it without a backup, though I would not trust battery power. // 10

Impression: This is a very specific Tool for a very specific job. That job is bone-crushing riffage. If you're looking for more, look elsewhere. That's that. If it were stolen or lost, I would probably have a look at a wider variety of pedals. Having said that, If I found another one of these at a good price I'd jump on it. It's definitely provided enough entertainment to pay for itself twenty times over. // 9

overall: 7

Reviewed by: aenimafist, on july 05, 2008

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: Rieman Music

Ease of Use: Getting a good sound out of this load of metal is pretty easy just due to fact you don't have to mess around with any morph kknobs or distortion selection features. The only bummer is that you can't adjust the amount of distortion coming through the box. There is only a volume and three EQ knobs. This pedal is good for a lot of dist. But it is pretty useless if you want to do tone shaping. When I purchased it it had this really bad hum when it was active but then Irealized it still had the factory battery in it. So I took it out and put in a new one but it still hummed like crazy. The circuitry was f--ked up or something. // 7

Sound: I feel like a real idiot because I was using this pedal to find my own unique sound but I was using it with a Line 6 Spider III which really has the sound I wanted now that I realize it. Like I said earlier this thing had a terrible hum when the batteries were changed and you can't really EQ at all with this thing. There needs to be more variety in a pedal if I am going to use it often during recording and gigs and such. This is good for high gain though. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This pedal didn't break down on me at all except for once when I was just messing around and all of the sudden it wouldn't turn on. I turned off all of my gear and tried it again and the pedal was then functional. Other than that one incident it had worked just fine, (despite the humming), until I sold it. I think it would be very wise to have back-up to this pedal during a gig and I would also strongly recommend having a gate in your rack as well. // 7

Impression: After messing around with this pedal for about a month or two I realized that this wasn't the sound for me. One good thing came out of the experience though: I knew that what I was looking for was something completely different. I think what would have made this pedal better for me would have been more tone-shaping options and a distortion level knob. Something more like a Boss Metal Zone would have worked better but even then that is not the pedal for me. // 7

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: pHaKe, on september 25, 2006

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This thing is about as simple as it is brilliant to use. Adjust your EQ and stomp the stompbox - it's as simple as that. A manual came with it, explaining what all of the dials/inputs meant, though if you seriously couldn't figure it out, maybe guitar isn't for you. // 10

Sound: I currently use this through my Schecter Hellraiser to my Roland Cube 60 amplifier (though I am planning on buying a new amp soon). It sounds great, pure distortion, much better then the amp distortion. It is noisy however, though a simple noise gate will take care of that. The distortion is always maxed out, so there's no need to worry about weak sound. No matter what you dial your EQ as, it's bound to sound sound deadly. I can easily get the sounds of Black Metal (Emperor) then Switch over to Metallica right back to Death Metal (At The Gates, Arch Enemy) then over to Slayer. Easily manipulated to produce almost the exact sound that almost any metal bands use. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The battery isn't that long on this, though with the AC adapter that's not a problem. I luckily had one from my previous pedal that I haden't used for a year or so, so this wasn't a problem. The AC adapter should be about 20 bucks though, not to much of a problem. I would definately gig without a backup, as long as I had my AC adapter. // 10

Impression: I play any kind of metal, so this is perfect for me. I have been playing for roughly 2 years, and this outdoes all of my other gear distortion-wise 20:1. I wish I would have gotten this long before I did, it's a brilliant peice of gear. If it were stolen, I'd hunt down whoever stole it and beat them with a led pipe. That's how much I love this thing. I love every bit of this, it's almost as if, you can't make a bad sound out of it (which you really can't). I compared it to some other pedals (forget which ones) that were all way over 100 bucks, and this one (50 dollars) out shone them all by far. This is a must have for any metalhead out there, it's flawless. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 08, 2007

Ease of Use: This pedal is pretty damn sweet. It is very easy to tool around with the knobs and get what you want, but if you are impatient like me, drop by DigiTech.com and check out the preset sound/preset download to find the sound you are looking for. When dialed in right, these controls are all you need to twist the tone and crunch to the balance you're looking for. Awesome. // 9

Sound: My original preferred guitar/amp combo is a clean-only Crate XK-15 with the DigiTech Metal Master Pedal and an Ibanez RG-120 tuned 2 steps down. The Metal Master has more variety than this pedal but if you are even reading this review, you, like me, are probably interested in making peoples ears bleed and thrashing your shoulder-length hair around while you play to hard-hitting drums and raw, gutteral vocals. This pedal will NOT dissapoint you in that department. I Live for Death and Melodic-Death Metal, like Nile, Necrophagist, Arch Enemy, At the Gates and so on. On the right settings, this bad boy will give you some of the most soul-crushing palm-mutes (especially down in C with some decent humbuckers), and amazingly furious Pick squeals and harmonics (especially when you use your bridge/lead/treble pickup). When not playing, I did notice a mild hum, despite my double-coil pickups, but if you aren't playing, why would you bother plugging it in anyway? Michael Amott from Arch Enemy is my hero. I can't affod his rig. This gets me pretty damn close to that incredible mixture of melody and brutality. My only real complaint is if you're ear is trained enough, you will notice that tremolo picking can be slightly slurred and masks any imperfection that, if you are a beginner, you should be attempting to eliminate. As much as all of us love our crunch, we all need to start more advanced techinques (triplets, tremolo, alternate picking) on our clean settings. // 10

Reliability & Durability: DigiTech knows how to construct a pedal. This thing is built like a rock. I somehow managed to kick it onto and across a tile floor after tripping over my cable and chipping my precious Ibanez. Mine is used, my friend gave it to me and it doesn't even have a chip in the onyx paint. Even after that little incident I mentioned before. One thing to keep in you gig bag for shows though: 9 volt batteries. Not that this thing chews them up, but it has a nasty little habbit of cutting out in the middle of an awesome riff. Either that or invest in the AC adapter. I took this thing to my first local show and it was amazing. I have two pedals so I will always keep that Metal Master just in case, but this thing has yet to fail, or worse, embarass me. // 10

Impression: I Live for extreme metal. It is the only thing to me that doesn't seem to get boring. This gets me that Nile/Arch Enemy/Carpathian Forest sound. What more could I ask for? I've been playing for two years now, and in that time I've acquired an Epiphone Les Paul Special II, a Line 6 Spider II amp, and of course my Ibanez, Crate and Metal Master. This is the best distortion that I can afford at the age of 17, but it is by no means an "I'll settle for this" situation. If lost, I would probably buy the same exact thing. That is what I like about DigiTech: they like to spoil a guitarist on a budget. While less expensive than the Metal Master, I would easily prefer this one. I don't want the variety as much as I want the damn good crunch. This pedal dosen't offer the versatility that the X-Series does, but it certainly does what's it is made for far better than anything else I've heard or used. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on november 17, 2007

Price paid: $ 59.99

Purchased from: Marguerites Music

Ease of Use: Easy to use. I had a crappy Fab Metal pedal before this that was hard to get a good sound out of. The manual is pretty straight foreward. You basically don't need to read the manual. Just plug it in and play. It is easy to adjust. The battery is really easy to change too. Just push in the little buttons on the side of the pedal with a guitar jack and pop the pedal off and change the battery. // 10

Sound: I am using this with a earlier model B\.C\. Rich Bronze Warlock through a 30 watt Peavey amp. The amp is a P.O.S. but it works. I still think it sounds amazing. Everyone that has heard me play say that they think the distortion effect is amazing on this pedal. I can get the sound of my favorite artists if I tweak it just right. Zao, Lamb Of God, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, etc. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is built like a tank. I wouldn't be afraid to drop it on solid concrete. I would definately use it w/o a backup. The only thing is that the battery dies fast so getting the adapter definately is a plus for anyone Who plays a greater part of the day. // 10

Impression: I play mainly metalcore, some hard rock and hardcore too. This pedal basically works for anything that I want to play. I have been playing for about 1 1/2 years. the only other pedals I have played with are a Fab Metal distortion and a Bad Dog Distortion. If it was stolen or lost I would def. buy it again. IMO it is an all around good pedal. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 06, 2008

Price paid: $ 39.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Very easy to use. I the manual is good to use if you have no clue where to start to get your distortions. It would be a good idea to use the manual's settings at first and just tweak them to get the sound you want, otherwise you may be blasted with serious feedback. It has four knobs, Level, Low, Mid, and High. Very easy to figure out how to use, and it also has 2 outs, one for a mixer, and one for an amp. Only one input though. // 10

Sound: I use this pedal with my Schecter C-1 Elite (2006) Guitar, and a B-52 ST-6012. This pedal is extremely noisy when you are not using it, and if you even turn the level up over three, it just goes insane with the fuzz and feedback. The sound is very over the top, they weren't kidding when they said it was the most extreme distortion pedal. If you do power chords alot, then this pedal is for you because it makes them sound as thick a a 72oz steak. You can really play any type of metal with this pedal, I can get anywhere from Black Sabbath's 'Masters of Reality' to Dying Fetus' 'Destroy the Opposition'. It is not the best for soloing though, because it makes the notes sound to sharp, and frankly hurts the ears. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This baby is heavy, and extremely durable. My friend hit mine with a metal baseball bat a few times, and it didn't even dint it, and it still sounds the same. If I was at a gig, I would definitely use it without a backup. The only drawback is that it eats batteries very fast, within a few days. Get an adapter of some sort, because you will really need it. // 8

Impression: I play all metal from 80's Glam to Grindcore, and this pedal suits me well. This would be a good first pedal, but don't rely on it to get all your sounds, it would be good to have one or two others. I personally use a Boss Metal Zone MT-2 and a Super Overdrive SD-1 to get other sounds, but I play a variety of music ranging from all metal, to blues, to Jazz, to even classical. I have been playing 2 and a half years, and I can say that if you don't have a lot of money and want an over the top pedal, run down to your local music store and get this right now. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: thrashnmosh782, on may 23, 2008

Purchased from: Prom Music

Ease of Use: The DigiTech Death Metal Distortion pedal is simply awseome. The controls (Level, Low Mid and High) allow for total control of your tone. The manual included with mine had certain settings to put the controls on for different sounds and they were all pretty cool. // 9

Sound: I run this thing with a Jackson RR3 equiped with Seymour Duncans and a Marshall MG-30DFX. This pedal can be noisy, but only with the level cranked up. Basically, the gain level is at 11 the whole time so you'll always have an over-the-top heavy distortion. I could sorta emulate a Metallica-like tone, when scooping the Mid and turning up the Highs and Lows, so that's a plus. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I definitely depend on this pedal. I play in a thrash/groove metal band, and it cuts through the drums and Still Remains clear. I don't think that I would need any other distortion for a gig, other than this one. it's built like a tank and definitely can withstand a beating. // 9

Impression: Overall I was very impressed with this pedal. It married well with the style of music I play. If this were stolen form me I would kill something and probably buy another one. I love the overall sound to it and the control over your tone. The one thing I have against this pedal is that there is no Gain level control, and as a result it's not very dynamic. Other than that, it's perfect for me. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 30, 2007

Purchased from: Music-Stop

Ease of Use: Great pedal. All you have to do is plug your amp and guitar into the pedal, crank it all right up, set your low/mids/high and start shredding! You don't even need to read the manual before use, but it might help as it does have four suggested settings but you can also play with the knobs a bit to find the setting that you like. The knobs move really easy, not too slow, not too fast, so you can get on the right sound instead of "close" to it. // 10

Sound: I use a BC Rich Warlock Bronze with a Kustom 100 watt amp and usually it's cranked up. Honestly the pedal is pretty noisy when you are not playing, it is kind of a "shh" noise but as soon as you start playing you hear NO noise at all. Effects ALWAYS sound great, it basically just depends on one's opinion and sound choice. I think you can get a great Pantera sound, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, anything like that. All the effects are great sounding in my opinion, no flaws, just jam out and have a good time. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This is a great pedal, very durable, I dropped it on the cement in my garage, and it fell off my amp (it is pretty big and high up) and it is encased in metal. I would for sure use it without a backup on a gig because it has great battery life. Just be sure to unplug your input and output jacks/cords because that will really drain your battery life. Also, be sure to unplug both cords because it could drain both ways. // 9

Impression: I play a lot of hard rock, metal, and heavy metal, and of course, Death Metal. I have been playing for just about 2 years but I have a lot of experience with guitars. I own an ION electric guitar/amp kit was just cheap to get me started. A 1987 Fender Gemini II Acoustic. And a Peavey Milestone III Bass Guitar. The only thing I wish I would have asked is about the noise in the background, it is not really a problem as long as you are playing, but if you are stopping, say, for a bass or drum solo etc. then depress the pedal to the clean sound so it is not noisy. I would buy it again for sure, although, trying something else would be cool, but I can just try out any pedal I want to in the store. I love the crunchy distortion about it, but I hate the background noise when everything is silent. But that is pretty much it, my favorite is that it is really crunchy and great for metal stuff. I compared to the Boss Metalcore, I chose this because the other one was way more noisy, and it didn't have as good of sound, and also it cost a lot more than this one. I wish it had something to mute out the background noise that is what I hate a lot. I think it is a perfect pedal pretty much. The background noise might just be my amp, but I don't know, I recommend you buy this for sure! // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: SethMegadefan, on january 31, 2005

Price paid: $ 69.99

Purchased from: Rhapsody Music

Ease of Use: This is a pretty easy pedal to work with. Four knobs; level, low, mid, and high are all you have to worry about. Simple even for a beginner. The manual tells you all about DigiTech and what all of their pedals do (very handy, because I loved this pedal so much I might want to get another DigiTech one). It also tells you some sound presets you can get out of them, which is really convenient if you don't want to spend a half hour trying to get the right sound and you just want to get started with something. // 10

Sound: I've listened to this pedal over the internet, and I've tried it on a lot of different guitars on a lot of different amps. And I have to tell you, it sounds 100% great on all of them. I don't think I've ever heard such a great distortion before. It's like a war going on inside the amp, and that's what you want. There is one little bit of a negative: no matter what you set the knobs to, you pretty much get the same sound. It's only a little bit of a negative, because I'm addicted to the sound and wouldn't want anything else. I'm a huge metalhead, so I play a lot of metal. It sounds great, and this pedal is exactly what I need. I can pull of Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica, and Sabbath perfectly. Also, this pedal gives you a sound that's about as close to Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" intro as you can get. It sounds so much the same. This pedal is perfect for metal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The battery lasts quite a while in this thing. It's a tough little puppy, and it's quite a durable little pedal. I haven't, however, had the balls to test its ultimate durability and drop it yet, but I'm convinced enough already that it's pretty durable. I would use this pedal during a gig without a backup, but I'd probably wuss out and bring one just in case. But I'm sure it would last during a gig. // 10

Impression: Overall, this pedal is a gift from god to headbangers. I don't know what it is, but you sound better playing with this pedal. Everything about it makes you palm mutes sound great, your solos sound awesome, and your rhythms sound freaking sweet. I love this pedal, and I can't imagine playing without it. I've always liked Digi-Tech, but after getting this pedal, they're all I want now. Screw Boss. I want a damn DigiTech. Simply put, you can never get enough distortion, but with this pedal, you're going to get as close to enough distortion as you're ever going to get. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: sonictoothache, on august 24, 2005

Price paid: $ 91.5

Purchased from: www.gak.co.uk

Ease of Use: This pedal piss-easy to use. Nothing to it. Four knobs and that's it! It comes with a manual, which tells you the settings to use. // 10

Sound: My setup consitst of a Marshall 30w and an Ibanez Artcore and a cheap Les Paul by Hohner guitars. The reason I got this pedal in the first place is because the distorion on my Marshall is absolute crap. This pedal takes care of that problem. It's great for single-note riffs to shredding. Knifes Edge distortion is especially useful if you wanna do the whole double bass drum thrash stuff (like Metallica's stuff). To the other people complaining about the sound: It's a f--king metal pedal. If you don't like it don't buy it. But it you're unhappy with its distortion and want to play more of chords rather than single note riffs, then get a DigiTech Compressor/Sustainer (beats the hell out of the Boss Compressor) to balance out the sound. It's also good with a Cryababy, which gives that treble. That combination for sure gives you the sound for Zeppelin's 'Dazed And Confused' and 'Heartbreaker' solos. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's built like a brick, need I say more? I've had it for a month now and there is no scrathes or cracks. An adapter would be good for it, as the batteries get eaten up fast, but if you gotta gig you would not need a backup. This thing hasn't failed me yet. // 10

Impression: I play a lot of styles of music. This is a good match for one of those styles. It's specifically designed for metal and it delivers on that promise. I've been playing for about 6 years and I own, as I've mentioned before, a DigiTech Compressor/Sustainer and a Crybaby wah. I also own a Zoom GFX-707 and with the deadly combination of the crap distorion on my Marshall I almost gave up playing lead. That is why I got this pedal. Before I bought this pedal I checked out some Boss distorion and they didn't make much of an impression on me. I went to the DigiTech website and heard some samples of this pedal and that sealed it for me. The DigiTech had that staccato for thrash that was lacking in the Zoom and Boss distortions. If it was stolen I'd probably kill the guy who stole it steal his money and buy this pedal again and maybe the DigiTech Factory Distorion pedal. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 08, 2005

Price paid: $ 129.2

Purchased from: Friend

Ease of Use: This is a bloody awesome pedal. Just plug it in, turn the knobs to get the sound you want, and you're off shredding. Awesome for lead guitar. Although it has quite alot of feedback, just stomp on it and it'll shut up. I play mainly heavy metal and Death Metal, and this pedal is perfect. // 10

Sound: I use a BC Rich Firebreather Body ART Mockingbird, and a Squier 10 Watt amp. Since the Squier has a shocking Overdrive, the pedal enhances its tone. I can play Slipknot and Black Sabbath with a very nice sound. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is really reliable. I dropped it a few times, and it still works great. I would reccomend it for using it on a gig without a backup, because it is more reliable than other pedals. // 8

Impression: If there were more settings on the pedal, it would be even better because there is limited tone you can get on the pedal. If someone stole it, I would chase them down, and shoot them with a 12 gauge shotgun. Because it is a very good pedal. You can get very sharp distortion from it, which is great for playing Death Metal on. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Love_METAL, on october 19, 2005

Purchased from: www.GAK.co.uk

Ease of Use: The manual? You don't need the manual, anyone who's ever played guitar can Pick up and use this. I play in a thrash band that just had their first gig, this thing didn't let me down. Great great sound and just the sound I needed. // 10

Sound: Right now I use a basic left-handed Squier Strat and a Marshall MG30DFX. Although sometimes it can crackle a bit after long use it is perfect for medium length playing times, you could finish any gig with it fine. Although this doesn't sound too much like some artists its great to find your unique tone. Get this pedal if you just want to sound like you! // 9

Reliability & Durability: Well as I said earlier I've only gigged this once and it went really really well, I wouldn't use any back up for this, very trust worthy and dependable. // 10

Impression: This is the only pedal I currently but it sounds great for the thrash stuff I live for. If some one stole this from me, I'd either chase them down or get it again, I could see this being the only distortion pedal I ever sue! I compared this to a few other pedals, some Boss metal distortion to halfy name but 1. This kicked every thing's ass! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 06, 2005

Price paid: $ 63

Purchased from: 2nd hand from internet

Ease of Use: It's an easy set up with just a few knobs and so easy to figure out! I did get a manual with it, but there's actually no need reading it, for it speaks for itself (maybe the presets put in te manual are a bit handy though). // 8

Sound: I am using it through my 100watt Randall amplifier, and it sounds sublime! I can get nice grungy sounds out of it for Nirvana kinda sounds, but if I throw a lot of dist on it I can get my real passion going on Death Metal! In other words, a very big variety in sounds. Oh yeah, full chords sound a bit f--d up (not that I use them anyway). // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's very sturdy, it stays foot and I don't think anyone could kick it hard enough to destroy it. I would certainly use it on a gig without a backup, something drastically would have to happen (like the building blowing up) to get this baby down. // 8

Impression: I mainly play lots of metal styles (metalcore, Death Metal etc.) but I play a lot of other types too, it fits them all! I've been playing for 1,5 years now, and I'm really loving the pedal, it's the best pedal I've had in that time (and I've had Boss pedals too). If it were to be stolen, I would track the thieve down and ritualy slaughter him. I would sure get a new one. I really love the dist tone on this baby, it's unlike nething u've heard if ure a metalhead. I've had 2 other Boss dist pedals, but they're not as good as this one. Overall impression: the best metalhead pedal out there right now. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 10, 2006

Price paid: $ 82.95

Purchased from: Local Music shop

Ease of Use: It's easy as 1, 2, 3! The pedal have a level, low, mid and high knob so you can pretty much control how it sounds. For more details just look in the manual it's impossible to not get it. A retarted monkey could do it. // 10

Sound: Epiphone Les Paul, Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, DigiTech Death Metal, Boss NS-2, Kustom KGA30. You just have to fuck around with the settings to decide what you want but hey every distortion pedal makes feedback. I'm buying a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppresor to eliminate all of the sounds you don't need when playing. The effects are super great! I play from Lamb Of God, Metallica, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold to Pink Floyd and Dream Theater and it sounds awesome! I have built-in chorus in my amplifier and it sounds great with it, too. // 9

Reliability & Durability: When I die this pedal will still exist for sure. It's heavy and solid like cement so it doesn't break and right now it's the only disortion pedal that I have so at a gig I'll just have this on but I'm sure the pedal wouldn't fail or anything. // 10

Impression: I play some death metal/hard rock to progressive and oldies like Zeppelin and stuff and this pedal delivers it all believe me. I've been playing for almost 2 years and I had it for all the time and it never gave up on me (even thought you have to change the battery every 3-4 weeks). If it were stolen or lost I would maybe buy the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone instead because that's the big daddy of distortion pedal. I love everything about this pedal it gives such a kick ass sound. I maybe wish I had the Boss MT-2 because I heard it after I bought the Death Metal and everyone said it sounded so unbelievable but I saw at my local guitar store that they sold it for 170 $ Can. so instead I bought the Death Metal. I'm in a band and the band agree this pedal sounds so awesome when we practice and stuff. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 22, 2005

Purchased from: Mojo's Music

Ease of Use: This pedal is so easy to use. I got it kind of expensive, but I could care less now because it is so satisfying, all you do is "stomp it" after making your settings fitting for you. I didn't even need the manual it's so easy to use. // 10

Sound: I use a Behringer Blue Devil GX112 60 watt amp with a Esteban electric guitar and it has great metal distortion obviously. It plays great with tight solos. I love this pedal's sound so much that I even bought my friend one! Yes I bought my friend this pedal because I love it so much! The effects on it always sound great except for when I'm recording, but then I can just change the settings. It's good for playing Van Halen songs, and lots of ancient hair metal bands, but don't try to play your Lynyrd Skynyrd "Free Bird" on it because it definitely isn't fitting! This pedal rocks on! // 10

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is so dependable with a power supply but without a power supply it really sucks the juice out of batteries. So keep a spare because it is a juice sucker! I would use it on a gig without a backup. And I do! It rocks! // 10

Impression: I play metal and punk rock, it's a perfect match! I've been playing for 2 years and I own a Behringer FX112V Footswitch for my amp and this petal just totally rocks. If I lost it, I'd buy it again! The same exact one! I hate not being about to record with it without changing the settings though but I love the sound! The distortion is by far the best on this pedal. I compare it to nothing else. But I've got to say, DigiTech does make some nice pedals. I wish it had a more mild distortion some time but it's metal. Metal's never mild! Rock on, DigiTech Death Metal pedal! // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: walkingonspikes, on june 22, 2005

Price paid: $ 39.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: This pedal is awesome. It is extremely easy to use. You don't even need instructions for this one. Just plug it in and start messing around until you get the sound you like. // 10

Sound: I'm using this pedal with an ESP Viper 50 and also a Yamaha ERG-121. I have a Yamaha 10 watt amp but that's ok. It's noisy when I play with full chords but with other stuff, nope. This pedal is perfect for all sorts of metal. It always sounds awesome. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is pretty durable. I would certainly depend on this one without a backup. So far, I've been having no problems with it and I don't think I would run into any problems at all. // 8

Impression: I play a lot of metal music and this pedal is just perfect. I've been playing for about a year and a half and it's been great. I love the high frequency knob. It's almost always turned to the max. I'd totally buy it again if I lost it. Compared to a Boss distortion pedal that I had before, this one is way better. The Boss one sounded like crap. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 11, 2005

Purchased from: Long And McQuade

Ease of Use: This pedal is very easy to use. Plug it in. Turn the knobs to desired sound. Play away. Doesn't get much more simple than that. // 10

Sound: I play mostly metal (surprise) through an older Fender Deluxe 112. The natural distortion channel is somewhat weak and "tinny" so I bought this pedal and I love it. The low end I can get that the amp was lacking is great. It's a great thick sound. The sound isn't as good plugged straight into my multitracker for recording and I have to change the settings from that of "live" playing but overall the pedal sounds great. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The pedal seems to be very well made. Really sturdy, solid little tank. I would use this gigging without a back-up. // 10

Impression: I play mostly metal and this is a great pedal for it. If your amp lacks that punch I would recommend it for people looking for a good metal sound. I play an Epiphone Les Paul Classic through an older Fender Deluxe 112 and I love the sound with the pedal. I am totally satisfied with the pedal and would buy it again. I would be curious to hear a direct camparison between the Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion (which I almost bought for $35 more) and this DigiTech model. Great product for a metalhead like myself though. // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: Crossley92*, on june 20, 2005

Price paid: $ 91.5

Ease of Use: I found that this stompbox was awesome, it rips the sound right out of your amp, changing the sound of the output distortion is like any other stompbox, its so simple and easy to use, a beginner can work out how to use it fine. // 10

Sound: I play guitar, and bass, with an Ibanez IBZ10B 10watt guitar Amp, it sounds great on a guitar, and even on bass. Unfortunately, sometimes the sound can be to heavy for my liking, and can blast the noise out to loud, and its hard to get the sound out when your playing with the volume, so the distortion feels to weak. But, the great advantage is that it has no gain knob and DigiTech have made it so it automatically is set to 11 so you get the strongest distortion you might get, which is wicked for playing metal which is what it was designed for anyway. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on it nicely, it doesn't sleep round on the floor, and stays put because its weight pulls it down to stick on the floor, and it also as a rubber base so it wont slip around any service which is cool. Unfortunately, my battery didn't last long in it, but with my stupidity I found that most guitarists use a power supply instead of a battery, which I have started using now and works fine. But if you want to take it round to your mates without a power-supply bring a spare battery. // 6

Impression: I usually play punk and normal rock anthems, but I was advised to get this because I was looking for a distortion, but I was looking for a simple distortion instead of one of theres "Get your ear plug's out, I'm gonna add this" approach to things, And I which I had asked for a simple distortion instead of this extreme sound, because it is My first stompbox, which is surprising because I've been playing for along time now, more than 6 years, and I wish I had found out about stompboxes. If your a metal guitarist thats looking for that sound that'll annoy your neighbor's, drive your wife mad, and even make the crowd go mad, then buy this. It is awesome, really its a really good metal sound, you can play out some really cool solos. The other good thing about it is that its cheaper than most stompboxes, but can get expensive to replace. Furthermore, you cant break it so easily, it its a strong pedal on it with the settings way out of the way, its also pretty easy to carry round because its small, but not so lite. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 21, 2005

Price paid: $ 49.99

Purchased from: Brooks Mays Music Store

Ease of Use: It's really easy to use this pedal. So easy, that, I didn't even look at the manual before I started using it. // 10

Sound: My guitar is a Jackson (JS series) and I'm using an Ibanez 10 watt amp. It sounds really cool on my amp, even being the cheap amp as it is. The effect sound is really good. The only time this sounds bad is when you play full chords. Power chords and tabs sound great. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The pedal was built sturdy, it would be reliable for playing live. I would use it at a gig, but I'd make sure I'd have an extra battery. // 10

Impression: I play alternative. It's a pretty good match, exept, it doesn't really have a 'mild' setting. I have been playing for a year now. I have a Jackson guitar and an Ibanez amp, I don't own any other pedals. If it were lost or stolen, I'd definatly buy it again. I love how you can turn up the high level to 11. When I was looking at distortion pedals there was one that really, really sucked. You couldn't even tell it was on. Then I tried this one. It sounded and still does sound great. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: KramerGuitars07, on june 22, 2005

Purchased from: McNeil Music

Ease of Use: Incredibly easy to use. There is no "gain" knob and all the EQ settings are very easy to tweak. It is very self-explainable. There is no need for a manual, unless you are a dumbass like the guys at the guitar shop who plugged the input into the output jack. // 10

Sound: This is a must have pedal for metalheads like me. I love my Behringer V-Ampire modeling head, but this pedal is still in use compared to all the distortion sims on my amp. It will give you a beefy palm muted tone, and you can scoop out the mids without loosing much clarity on your leads. The distortion is killer, but is pretty much only good for metal (no complaints by me). You won't be playing Eric Clapton or the Beatles with this pedal. You can easily get tones from Children Of Bodom to Shadows Fall with the right adjustments. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This stompbox is more protected and heavily armored than a tank. It's definitely gig worthy, and built to destroy. My girlfriend threw it out of the second story window, and lets just say, its still around, but she's not. If you gig with it, use an AC adapter to power it, it eats batteries like I do women. // 10

Impression: If this were stolen, I would definitely buy it again, but only after finding the thief, cutting their balls off, and ripping their intestines out. Compared to the Boss Metal Zone and DS-2 Distortion Stomp Boxes, this is the best one I've played yet. The Uber Distortion (it's got a different name, I know) is by far better than this, so if you have the cash, fork it out for that. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 20, 2006

Purchased from: local guitar store

Ease of Use: As another review said definatly retard proof. Basically just plug in and go. Fiddle round with the settings abit to get a great sound. // 10

Sound: My amp is a Marshall 15 watt MG series which has pretty sucky Overdrive. I have a basic guitar which I got with the amp which has high output humbuckers. Buy this pedal, it is amazing, buy it now! If of course you play hevy metal or Death Metal. Fall Out Boy? More like Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Pantera, Megadeth, that's what I play and it suites the job perfectly. You can get many deifferent metal tones out of it. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It's built like a brick shit house, dropped it a few times and its still good. Eats batterys. For a gig I would use it without backup but I would take some spare batteries. // 9

Impression: Hence it's called a Death Metal pedal perfect for playing extreme metal. I have only being playing for 5 months and I use it almost every day. If you want extreme distorsion go down to your local guitar store and just give it a try. I love it perfect distorsion god for power chords palm muting etc. It's cheaper than the DigiTech Metal Master I know that but I ain't tried that one. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 21, 2006

Purchased from: Andertons

Ease of Use: Come on, three tone controls, low mid and high, plus the level. There's no need to get a degree with this stompbox, so is easy enough to create the right tone you want. Just rememeber to ajust the amount of distortion with your guitars volume control, which is somthing I don't rememeber them saying in the manual, but is really common knowledge. // 9

Sound: I use a range of guitars, at the moment, I've got an Ibanez (don't rememeber what one, but it's a Les Paul copy, and it's sick), plus I also own both a Squier Strat and Telecaster all going through this pedal and a Crybaby way into a Marshall MG100DFX. Basically, this pedal is amazing for extreme forms of metal. I play a lot of early Cradle Of Filth stuff, which I can replicate really well, but you can accuratly create a lot of other bands in quite a wide reach, such as Metallica and Slayer for older bands, through to Fear Factory, The Haunted, and does a good job for bands using less extreme forms of distortion. If this is the case it will sound a bit muddier, but works well still. Remember, this stompbox has a huge amount of bass onboard, so unless you play really old thrash, I wouldn't let the bass go below 3/4. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The only things to survive a meteor hitting earth are cochroaches, germs and this pedal! I've dropped it countless times, not a problem, not that there should be seen as its built like a tank! If using a battery supply at home, rememeber to remove your lead from the guitar into the pedal when not playing, even when the distortion is off, because otherwise the pedal is still active. It's worth getting the AC adaptor for sure. // 10

Impression: Well, I've been playing for 3 and a half years, and I play mostly black/death metal, but also play blues and prog every now and then, but this pedal does about 80% of my playing, other then that, the onboard distortion on my amp does the job perfectly. I also have a crybaby, which is perfect if you set it around 2/3's open for tremolo picking, so long as you dont use too much treble, otherwise it gets a bit brittle sounding. The best thing about this pedal is probably the low end of it. I was looking at the Boss Metal Zone and even the denelectro black paisley, but I like playing with a lot of bass when recording stuff, and this is perfect. The only thing I dont like about it is probably that if you leave it on, feeding back, it will squeil like a MF if your guitar isnt that great. Also I personally think the "Death Metal" writing is a bit tacky, so I got a magic marker and drew over it, and now it looks a lot better! // 9

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: edwardthegreat5, on may 03, 2006

Price paid: $ 35

Purchased from: Cassell's Music

Ease of Use: It is easy to get a good sound out of it for it's genre, especially when you scoop the mids or turn the highs up. // 9

Sound: I use this with a Vox Valvetronix and an Agile Les Paul. It's a good setup and a good pedal, if you're playing Death Metal. This is not too noisy, and the effects are pretty much alright, but only if you play Death Metal. This gives you a good sound, if you play death metal, it sounds good when you scoop the mids or turn the mids up to about 7 and turn the Highs to about 8, once again it's only good for heavier types of music, don't try to play Led Zeppelin on it. // 7

Reliability & Durability: It's a pretty dependable pedal and it sure is reliable. It drains the battery like there's no tommorow, but you can count on it if it's plugged in. // 8

Impression: Like I said before, it's only really good for Death Metal and other heavier types of music. If you wan't something a little more versatile, I recommend the metal master. If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't buy another one because I have other and better pedals, and I pretty much am not a big fan of Death Metal or any other types of Heavy Music. I don't like the fact that it has no gain control, but I guess some people would like all-out gain. This is overall a good pedal, but only for death-metal, no other genre, that's probably why I didn't like it too much, I only really use this when playing heavier styles like stuff that requires scooping the mids. // 7

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Damagepln6, on may 04, 2006

Purchased from: Cascio Interstate

Ease of Use: This pedal is a classic stompbox, so just plug in and go! Setup is easy because all you have to do is dial in your EQ. The manual is easy to follow and even offers some dail setup ideas for first-timers. // 10

Sound: I wield an Ibanez RG370DX(checkout my review for it). I run that into my Death Metal pedal and a Dunlop Crybaby wah. It sounds so awesome. There is some feedback when your not strumming, but not enough to discourage playing, the sound can be made very raw and gritty for those blistering solos, or just massive, crushing tone for the low chord riffin'. one draw back is that as with most stompboxes, as the battery dies so does the sound. // 10

Reliability & Durability: As far as durability, this sucker is a tank. I have a stupid habit of tripping over this thing and its steel casing remains unscratched. the jacks are just as strong so the inner hardward is virtually indestructable. As far as reliability goes, if I were on stage I'd use the safety of an AC adapter as opposed to a battery only because if you're playing for hours straight trhe battery runs low enough to diminish your sound, but I don't play on stage so for me a battery works fine. // 9

Impression: I'm a metal player and this is the definitive metal player pedal. I've had one for 2 years and I love how well it sounds and how well it works with my other pedals. Other than the occasional power problem, I accept nothing less than this pedal. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: EpiExplorer, on february 13, 2009

Ease of Use: Simple enough to use, 4 knobs for great versitality and for finding the tone for you, just press down on it to let the haze flow. It might become a pain when put through an amp with pre-made settings like a Line 6 Spider II (clean, rock, metal, insane and whatnot) because it messes around with the sound and makes a humming noise. But it's generally as easy as pie (and pie is easy, apprently). // 8

Sound: I'm using it with an Epiphone Explorer (gothic version) with an EMG 85 and an 81 played through some 20 year old Marshall I bought from a jamaican guy. Sounds crunchy, the good crunchy, good crunchy like cereal. It takes over the main sound of the guitar, but the EMGs make it a different tone to other guitars. the sounds great, to use it clean you can just adjust the settings on your amp (make sure to turn the gain on your amp to 0 and/or Switch to a clean setting, otherwise it'll sound like garbage and when using low tunings, sound a bit like a grumbling van engine). With enough fiddling you can create the same sound as Slayer did with the Reign In Blood album. a friend ran it through the same amp on a Jackson, Played the entirity of Raining blood to utter perfection, sounding exactly like the recording (another guy was on the drums too, also playing flawlessly). it's really not hard to find good sounds with this. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Being made of metal, it's harder than anything, but gets scratched still. I'd probably never need backup unless I threw it away for whatever reason. The only real fault is in the batteries, and if you're careless enough to leave the cable into the jack, lose their power quickley, like active pickups. // 10

Impression: I play anything, literally anything, that sounds great to me. And for the most part, it can't get any better. You can even sound like the sort of layered guitar sound that Jim Root made on Slipknots self titled album. Or you can make (as mentioned) a sound similar or the same as Reign In Blood. it's great for any metal, perhaps not so much Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. What I love is well, It as itself, the idea, name, and the actual pedal (enter laughing smiley) and there isnt really anything I don't like, apart from the faffing around with the amp settings and such. I wouldn't really compare it to anything because I haven't tried much else, but this'll do me for now. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: kaylium-666, on june 27, 2006

Price paid: $ 91.5

Purchased from: music ground leeds

Ease of Use: This pedal is in one word awesome. I tried it out in the shop and set it to the death scoop setting, put less high end on it and maxed the low end out and put it on about a quarter volume when I got it home and the sound was incredible. The manual is very easy to use but believe me when I say you just dont need it, DigiTech pedals are all I will ever use I used to use Boss and line6 then got DigiTech pedals and never looked back. // 10

Sound: I use the pedal with a Marshall 8100 100 watt valvestate head and a Marshall 4 x 12 cabinet, I have 2 guitars, a BC Rich NJ Beast with Duncan Invader and Duncan 59' and a Dean Razorback, also with Duncan Invader. The pedal is designed to just blare out noise but it sounds great for general chugging or even solo work and chords, no matter what setting you use with the pedal the sound always cuts through. All the effects are great, you can get like, ten different distortions from it and theyre all brilliant. I have it set as heavy and loud as possible, since I play metal and tune on drop C. With the settings use I liken the sound to that of Hatebreed, Soulfly, Sepultura, Caliban, all the meaty bands with powerful guitar sound. I couldn't possibly match or better this pedal. All the distortions are good and useful, I've had pedals before where I'd use 2 of 5 settings but on this one I've used every last one of them and theyre all brilliant. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can definitely dpend on this pedal. It gives me the exact sound I want and never ever lets me down. I love how well made it is and its nice and heavy so it doesn't skid around on stage, and the rubber pad on the pedal means your foot never slips off and the knobs/controls are well placed so you dont accidentally hit them with your foot and knock something off setting. I don't need a backup to this pedal, I just keep a spare square battery around in case mine runs out. I used to think my amps own distortion was meaty as hell, but it's nothing compared to this. // 10

Impression: I play metal, and I couldn't possibly wish for, or indeed find a better pedal. I use it with a DigiTech main squeeze pedal and a screamin' blues pedal. I also own a Bad Monkey and hot head pedal also, chain 'em up and I'm away playing so loud that I'm sure its causing major structural damage to my house! If it were lost or stolen I'd go straight to the shop and buy another, I can't play without it now its the embodiment of my sound I'm lost without it, its the first distortion pedal I've heard that doesnt sound tinny. I love its raw power, I just can't get that kind of power anywhere else and it really has exceeded all my expectations. It can make the cheapest guitar sound meaty as hell, and as for meaty guitars you have to hear it to believe it. I used to have a Boss distortion pedal, and thought it was quite good but I just wanted chunky distortion, so I went to the guitar shop and said I want the heaviest distortion pedal you have, and he just put the death meal in my hand and went "it doesn't get much better than this" and my god he was right. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: hendrix117, on june 05, 2006

Price paid: $ 70

Purchased from: Music Store

Ease of Use: The DigiTech Death Metal foot pedal is extremely easy to use. all you need is: 2 cords, an electic/electric-acoustic guitar, and an amp. You just plug the guitar into the input area, and the amp into the amp area. This product is so easy, it dousn't need a manual, but it came with one anyways. // 10

Sound: I currently am using the Death Metal foot pedal with my Hondo II electric guitar, and my Honeytones pocket amp. It can be very noisy (in a good way) but only if I want it to be. The sound is great unless the battery is low. I can get the sounds of: Seether, Metallica, Pantera, Acid Bath, and Black Sabbath. I haven't tried any other bands yet. The distortion on this foot pedal is amazing. I love it. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This foot pedal is entirely reliable. I can depend on it more than my amp. If I didn't have a backup, I would still use it on a gig. // 10

Impression: I mostly play metal or hard rock on my guitar, and so far, my foot pedal has not failed me. I currently have been playing for about a year now, and if I could ask a question before buying this foot pedal it would be: How much? If this foot pedal were stolen or lost, I first would call the police, and if they couldn't find it, I would just buy a new one. If I were to wish it had one thing that it do have, it would be another input slot. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 24, 2006

Purchased from: Guitar-Center

Ease of Use: Extremely easy to use. Four basic EQ settings (volume, low, mid, high) so finding the particular sound you are looking for only requires a few minutes of tampering with it. // 9

Sound: My setup with the Death Metal pedal I use my Crate GX-1200H half stack and my LTD ESP F-50. It's got perfect sound, extemly smooth sustain and powerful distortion. My settings are usually the low turned up to max, the high turned up to max and mid around the middle. The effects are amazing on this pedal I can honestly say this is one of the best distortion pedals on the market and the price is great as well. The sounds of artists, none in particular, but I can play anything on it with a little tampering with the EQ and usually get great sound for bands like Metallica, Slayer, Lamb Of God etc. The distortion on the pedal is phenominal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can always depend on this pedal, deffinetly. I bring it to any gig or practice with my band and use it and home all the time as well, and if my guitar leaves the house I don't leave without this pedal. // 10

Impression: I play a lot of different styles such as classic rock and some Grunge but for this pedal I play hard rock/heavy metal/death metal. I've been playing for about a year and 6 or 7 months and I own the Crate halfstack I previously mentioned, and ESP F-50 and Ovation celeberty, a DigiTech RP-200, original cry baby wah pedal, DigiTech Grunge pedal, and a Boss compression sustainer. I didn't have to ask anything before buying it, a friend of mine had it, I played it once and I was hooked. If it was stolen or lost I would absolutly buy another one as soon as I could. I love the sustain and that distortion is unbeatable. I compared it to a few other distortion pedals like the Dr. Distorto pedal and a few others but none of them beat this one. I don't think this pedal needs any work at all its an amazing distortion pedal. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: Hexodrome, on january 26, 2006

Price paid: $ 80.5017

Purchased from: Reidys

Ease of Use: This is beyond doubt the best pedal I have ever purchased. I decided to buy it when the Overdrive function broke on my amp and theres not a day I regret it. The range of sound is so extreme that you can find a sound that suits you. When I bought this pedal I spent 10 minutes getting the best sound I could. I bought I without a manual so I got a £10 discount. // 8

Sound: The sound is easy to change between a ripping solo effect called knife edge to a more bassy riff effect. I have mine set at 5 on each and 9 for treble and it gives an amazing sound and it screams and wails when it comes to soloing. I use it with my Squier Showmaster (I'm a student) and a Vox AD30FX and it sounds ace. What's unique about this pedal is that all the dials go up to eleven like spinal tap, but really this is just for show as I can't see the point of it. The pedal always sounds excellent its got a spine tingling effect that I have it set on. I create my original sound but its in between Velvet Revolver and Sex Pistols. The entire pedal rocks out the best distorsion pedal bar The Weapon. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Depend on it, Its built like a tank like other digitechs. I have never managed a dent or break since it was bought. It has a few scuffs and scratches but thats all cosmetic. The downside is that removing the battery becomes exremely difficult without the help of a pen or a key. I use it currently with another set of pedals so a backup isn't nessecary but I would use it without backup. // 10

Impression: Wierd that I don't actually play any Death Metal. I play a harder sort of rock like Queens of the stone age ore Velvet Revolver. It can handle most settings of distortion apart from soft. I own a Dunlop Crybaby and a DigiTech Phaser and this is the best pedal for playing a song all the way through without turning the pedal off. If it was stolen I would buy it again without doubt. The best bit of the pedal is the sound, an to be honest thats all that counts. The worst part is the plastic dials but that's a very small problem. I compared it to my friends Bad Monkey and Pastrami Overdrive and mine beats them to the ground, far superior. I wish it had a tube Overdrive but that's all reletive right. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: X_Tears_X, on february 18, 2006

Ease of Use: This is by far the most deadliest of distortion pedals. What DigiTech did on this pedal was set the gain to 11 and ripped out the button. and all you can do is mess with how loud it is (level) and the 3 EQ band curver (high-mid-low) It is easy to use. Just a simple tap of the foot switch and play. The manual for it was basically DigiTech's presets for most of their pedals. // 10

Sound: I am using my Yamaha EG-112 through the Death Metal Distortion pedal through my Crate amp on clean tone. I went through the presets and have chosen the "Death Scoop" but with a tweek. The bass is supposed to be on 6 I think, and I set it on 10 so that during the fast heavy parts it is heavier. With pitch harmonics this pedal helps them sound creepy. Like on some Death Metal songs you hear that creepy pitch harmonic, that is what it sounds like. With the "Death Scoop" it can kinda resemble damn-near every Death Metal band. They only thing you need to do is turn down the high. If you want heavy distortion, this is your pedal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I use this as my distortion at my house as well as at gigs. The reason I use it at my house is because the distortion on my amp is A. weak and B. Not currently working right now. The only problem with it is, it takes 9 volt batteries and when you play it constantly for 3 days the battery dies. But that can easily be remedied by getting the plug in. // 10

Impression: If you play any variation of metal, this is your pedal. If this were stolen I would be so pissed but I would get it again. Plus it's cheap 30 bucks for a pedal that should be $75+. I am really proud of DigiTech for creating such a monster. Thanks DigiTech. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: FakePlasticMan, on february 22, 2006

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: Friend

Ease of Use: This is quite the simple pedal, no need to worry about amount of distortion, you're already cranked to 11 or so. Theres a nice EQ for low, mid, and high, so you can get alot of tones. // 10

Sound: I currently use a humbucking Squier Stratocaster with a 15 watt Crate for practice and a 200 watt Fender for rehersal/gigging. The pedal has an extremely powerful sound, in fact, I have to make sure the level on the pedal is down far enough so it doesn't blow out my crate. You can get anything from a low wall of drone to blistering highs and everything in between. As mentioned before, this pedal is unique, alowing you to forge your own sound, rather than mimicking other artists. Only drawback I can find is the pedal is a tad noisy, but this is expected with such a powerful sound, not so much to hinder your overall sound anyways though. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Like all DigiTech pedals, this one is built like a tank. I would absolutely gig with it without a backup. // 10

Impression: I play all forms of metal, alternative, Grunge, punk, jazz, hard rock, soft rock, not really inbetween rock, post rock, noise. I've been playing for about three years, self teaching, and I've owned this for about a month. It matches my style perfectly, where sound changes from clean to intense distortion and back. If it were stolen, I would die. Only regret is that I didnt get a power supply, I've found digitechs eat up batteries like chuck norris eats kids. Sorry, bad analogy. I'm done. // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Kopperhead91, on february 27, 2006

Price paid: $ 50

Purchased from: Sam Ash

Ease of Use: This thing is great I can get sounds out of it that arent even heavy metal. I can get a Rage Against The Machine tone out of it with the proper configuring. I can do anything with this pedal I can go from Megadeth's Symphony Of Destruction to Laid To Rest to any Korn song I want. This sound is very easy to use. The only problem is that if you turn the Low and high up to much you get a high pitch screech when you don't play. Otherwise it comes with a easy to use manual that has a bunch of pre set tones. // 9

Sound: I use this with 2 different guitars I use it with a Les Paul and an Ibanez Intercepter, and both sound great. Like I said earlier I can get any tone I want out of this: Death Metal, classic metal, nu-metal, anything. It's noisy but that's because this is a tone of distortion. The effects are always great but like I said its just when you turn up the high and low too much. It's just a great pedal. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is made with a dicast metal body that doesnt slide around onstage. I would use this in a heartbeat without any back-up. This pedal is very durable and I can depend on it at any time. // 10

Impression: I play heavy metal I sometimes play Death Metal but I don't really like it at all. I usually play nu-metal like Korn and Mudvayne (I don't care if I categorize them so sue me). I have been playing for a year but I got ahead with this pedal. I own 3 other pedals that I use this with I own a Boss Metal Zone, Boss Phase Shifter, and a DigiTech RP-80. This is great I love how versitile this thing has. I just hate the screech when you turn it up. Actually I chose if over the metal master because I didn't have 75 bucks to penny up but I'm glad I got this one. If this was stolen I would have to go and buy a new one 'cause I use this on 2 of my bands best songs. Try it out at guitar center or sam ash it's a great peice of equipment. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: Shreddin 4 Life, on july 07, 2006

Price paid: $ 63.2

Purchased from: Italmelody

Ease of Use: This is a very simple-to-use 3-knob distortion pedal and even easier to get great tones out of. If you're a (death) metal fan, you can even leave all the knobs on 0 (except the level of course) and see that it's still an awesome tone. Extremely simple to use, just turn the knobs and listen to the tones morph and never have to worry about the gain level (since it's always maxed out). And of course, the manual is practically worthless simply because you can work the pedal very easily (although the suggestions in the manual are quite powerful tones as they are). // 10

Sound: Like most distorion units, this one is compatible with any piece of equipment. Boosting the level in conjunction with the high end will obviously give you a lot of unwanted noise, but the settings are all very tweakable. In short, the Death Metal is very clean considering the blistering amount of gain that it pumps out. If you're looking for probably the heaviest-sounding distortion pedal there is out there, you're most likely going to be satisfied with this one. Although it was obviously meant for rhythym-oriented playing, many users will be surprised to find out that it can be used for some very interesting-sounding lead and soloing tones (especially when used with a delay unit). // 9

Reliability & Durability: This unit is very dependable. It was built with a solid metal casing so that it can take a heck of a beating. Consequently, I'd feel very comfortable playing with one of these things on stage. Considering the durability of this unit, you probably won't ever need a backup. But considering the price, and the possibility of someone stealing it off of you, you can bet that a second (or third) unit would be well worth your while. // 9

Impression: This is a full-on metal-head's dream, so anyone looking for a simple distortion or Overdrive pedal might be knocked out by the punch that the Death Metal delivers. Even classic metal players (such as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest etc) might frown upon the powerhouse that this pedal is. So just know that this is not a distortion for the faint of heart. One thing that surprised me was the impact that it has. When I was out looking for a new distortion pedal to add to my rig, I was contemplating all the big hitters in the stomp box world (such as Boss, Line 6 etc). But upon hearing this one (and asking for it by name) I was stunned and immediately purchased it. I've had it for a while and some of the sounds I can get out of it are still blowing me away! One thing's for sure, if it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it in a heartbeat. If Death Metal (or anything with extreme distortion) is your kind of playing, than this is for you. Don't even bother with the "Metal Zone!" Trust me, the only thing I wish about this pedal is that there aren't many more like it out there on the market! // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: SkaterD2002, on march 18, 2006

Price paid: $ 49.95

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: Oh man, I love this pedal with a passion. The tone is so incredible. The raging level, high and low mid. It's a dream. Along with the booklet that comes with the pedal for different pedal settings. Making settings of your own is really cool. I found so many sounds I love. The manual is just like the other DigiTech product manuals. I don't believe it has been upgraded yet. // 9

Sound: My set up consists of: Austin SG Guitar, DigiTech: Death Metal, Grunge, Distortion Factory 7, RP50. Dunlop Cry Baby wah 1960 Re-issue. Danelectro Black Licorice. Peavey Studio Pro 112. The pedal with settings on my equipment can be kinda noisy but it gets my adrenaline pumped. I mix the DM a phase or flanger. Oh and wah. Sounds I can get is Children Of Bodom, Cradle Of Filth, Misfits (of course) some CKY. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Yes I can depend on this pedal for as long as I own it. I haven't had to buy a new one just yet. Though mine is pretty beat up for a good 2 years. It's in great shape so far. Giging. Yeah, I would bring it along 'cause I love it. // 10

Impression: I play alternative music so this pedal comes in handy for my style. 6 years of playing and this is the best pedal that I have came across in a long time. If this pedal was stolen I would be very upset but yeah I would defidently go buy a new one if have too. There's nothing to hate but so much to love of it. Nothing can compare to the DM. It lives to its name. // 10

overall: 5.3

Reviewed by: ThumperBunny, on june 07, 2006

Purchased from: Ebay

Ease of Use: The DigiTech Death Metal pedal is fairly easy to use but in my oppinion is too sensative as it goes out of tune very easily. The manual is quite good as it labels what you have to do to maintain the pedal and what the specific tunings are. // 5

Sound: I am using my practice guitar which is an ION with a Yamaha amp. The pedal has a constant droning noise in the background no matter what settings I put it on and I find the effects of the pedal are generally too overpowering and distorted. You can get the effects of some heavy metal bands but I wouldn't recommend the pedal for anyone other than hardcore players. // 4

Reliability & Durability: The pedal is solid and durable so really you wouldn't need a backup pedal on stage just a spare set of batteries. I have tested it as I was walking to the practice studio it somehow managed to fall out of my bag and slam on the curb but it still works perfectly. // 8

Impression: Overall I was fairly disappointed with the Death Metal pedal as I had heard that it out matched the other DigiTech pedals but in my oppinion DigiTech could have made it a whole lot better. I had started to wonder before I bought it as I don't play Death Metal but reviewers convinced me that it was suitable for any music style. My gear to be frank is shit because I have no money, when my pay starts coming through I'll get a new guitar (my old ones basically dead bless it) and new effects pedal. If it was stolen would I buy it again, proberly not I'd rather spend my money on something more suitable for me. I bought this pedal basically my last one exploded internally so I needed a newe one and I'd heard some good reviews about this pedal. // 4

Comments

[War-Ensemble]

mite buy this bad boy then

[pedro_008]

yah it does seem pretty good and holy crap im second

[pedro_008]

in G1 mag it had a distorto metre where it rated mild pain to total anihlation

[$hab]

This was my first (and still my only) guitar pedal. It's a beast.

[freeallboutu91]

lol digitech sucks ass there all moddeling another pedal there not the real thing lol i took my dam death metal pedal right back asap like 10 mins after i had it it sucks

[maszi]

I think this DDM ped. is awseome....allthough it`s my one and only...but I like a lot...

[SGMAN911]

great pedal, if your looking for something a little ''more the top'' get the scott ian pedal, thing is a friggin' beast

[guitar extra]

I got one of these digitech death metal pedals and it is awesome. reccomend it to anyone who likes their distortion.

[ItsJustChange]

This pedal Is Freakin' awesome

[xxZeroxx]

A friend got this one a few months ago and he won't stop talking about it.His battery ran out in it and he couldn't get another one and he nearly cried.

[deadnihils]

I`ve grown to really love this pedal. I thought it was useless at first, but after finding exactly what I wanted out of it, I think I`ll keep it. I`m a big fan of Crate, and now I choose this pedal over my vintage Crate`s distortion.

[nickwarhead]

Its great if you like buzzing and noise...

[_-Skeletor-_]

this is a pretty descent pedal. the only thing i wish about this pedal is tht it came with a noise supressor. dunno bout u guys but there is a bit of hum in the background tht can get anoying but its not too bad other thn tht the distortion is great.

[guitar_demon48]

this pedal is terrific...not a whole lot about it i can say that hasnt already been said(the good things) the people that say it isnt good probably cant even tune their guitars let alone dial in a good tone with this gift from God

[ShimmyShimmy]

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.

[MetalJester]

The death pedal is a sick ass pedal, even if it is my only one, i still say that all the other pedals that i have heard are way below this one

freeallboutu91 wrote:

lol digitech sucks ass there all moddeling another pedal there not the real thing lol i took my dam death metal pedal right back asap like 10 mins after i had it it sucks

and this guy really needs an ear check so he can get 'em fixed :S

[MetalJester]

guitar_demon48 wrote:

this pedal is terrific...not a whole lot about it i can say that hasnt already been said(the good things) the people that say it isnt good probably cant even tune their guitars let alone dial in a good tone with this gift from God

THANK U LORD!!!!

[Dimebag22]

This thing only buzzes when your not playing. When your playing this thing rocks man \m/

[BladeSlinger]

ShimmyShimmy wrote:

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.

You're probably not into metal because it gives pretty nice distortion....and I'm playing a B.C. Rich Warlock..not flashy but not horrible..

[ItsJustChange]

this is the only pedal i dont like from digitech:P

[the agony scene]

i love this pedal its ****ing brutal

[wetwilliamthe3r]

will this work for thrash metal as well?

[sbass12]

how well does this pedal work on bass amps?

[Rottenbeast555]

cool pedal

[Lord Lustinhell]

this is the most perfect , awesome, raaaaad distortion pedal i ever used. respect.

[cloned_insanity]

Rad pedal, personally i like the metal master from digitech better.

[Violent-D13]

I owned this pedal for 6 months and was dissapointed w/ its inability to go very loud... You almost need to buy a compression pedal w/ it so that you can lose the feedback... I bought the Uber Metal pedal soon after and am still using it to this day

[zep_n_gun]

lets see i liked it at first. then i bought a peavy 5150 combo. i went back to use it with my other practice amp when my amp was at my friends how. probably one of the shittiest things i have ever heard. way to much feedback when your playing at a loud volume. i personally hate it compared to my 5150.

[King ofKumbucha]

^That amp owns.

Ironically, for death Metal this pedal sucks. Better suited for thrash from the soundclips I heard...

[malmsteenkid]

yea if ur relying solely on a pedal for ur distortion then ur obviously tone def, but the pedal is good when ur looking for a boost on the dist u have through ur amp, i do not recommend using any pedal for distortion if its ur only source of distortion.

[bodom0420]

Not the best pedal made by Digitech thats for sure. It makes a buzzing noise when you have your volume cranked. Not bad but seriously there are way better pedals out their. I'll sell anyone my death metal pedal for 10-20 dollars.

[julietorletino]

eh. i like the sound from it. nice edge, heavy, snarly, but eventually, one day, i hooked it all up and all i could smell was burning electronics. it fried itself right there, and that was that. I had it for years tho.

[l)ragonForce]

sounds nice, better check it out

[deaththrashcore]

Yeah this pedal really isn't that great. It has huge gain but sacrifices of everything else. You definetly don't need this pedal to play death metal.

[jacob23]

this is the worst pedal i have ever used, i got better tones from danelectro distortion pedals. I am a high gain tube amp type of guy and i hate digital distortion. if you are like me stay away from this.

[jacob23]

sounds like it sizzles too if the mids are up

[The_Man_IV]

ShimmyShimmy wrote:

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.

I 2nd that

I have had the metal Master for a long time with my little 15 watt Fender after 2 years finally got my Marshall AVT 2000 50 Watt (not the best but good enough for my price range) and i say i like the distortion on the amp better then the pedal

And is it just me or do most of these (Metal master, death metal, etc) pedals from digitech change your tone alot?? Like totally wipe what your tone was just add some distortion?

[masonjukes]

as far as the powers supply, do what i did. go to a goodwill store or an AmVets and buy some old cordless phones with the 9 volt DC Power Supply attached to the base. then throw away the phone and keep the power supply. i bought 4 and one of them works. i'd much rather spend 2 dollars for 4 adapters than 20$ for the digitech one.

[chaosmaker1491]

i have this petal and it sounds allright if u mess with the settings ...i play it on a 40 watt vox valvetronix and it dosen't sound that bad...the only problem i have with it is that it buzzes waaay tooo much. Its good for jamming but not for shows or anything. But hey i got it for free so im not complaining

[Ibzman]

ALready heard one and it was big shit. I recommend the Metal Master for that kind of distortion.

[lamb-of-god-666]

I have this pedal and it sounds like shit. It's hard to get a good tone It's really high pitched and scratchy. I would recomend a Digitech Metal Master pedal if you arer looking for a good distortion pedal. It gives you a kick ass heavy tone and good for soloing as well.

[Strawberryshred]

btw, the sound samples aren't exactly the best either.

[grimhood]

This pedal is good for the beginning guitarist. And to be honest this one really hides out the mistakes and sloppiness if you are a crappy guitar player lol :

I think whatever your pedal is the best sound you ever gonna get is depending a lot in your rig. Good equipment equals good sound add up a knack and good understanding about sound waves, dissonance and acoustics. What I mean with good equipment is its not necessarily an expensive one to die for but a really well taken care of piece of rig. That means a well maintained equipment can really pay off when the moment of truth arrives. To cut short getting rid and doing something about equipments that sputters, a not well soldered electrical joints or something, bad cables....these things could really every guitarist in a middle of a song in a fowl mode..lol :

This stomp box is good for the beginning guitarist or if you are really just starting to get serious with blowing someones mind out with ya guitah playin...lol :

[dimebagdisciple]

this pedal sucks maybe if you dont like haveing any bass to your sound its find but no matter what you do there is absoulutly no bass and ever then it still sounds like crap maybe instead of buy a distrotion pedal you should just buy an amp with the distrotion and gain you like

[BladeSlinger]

I loved this pedal with my shitty 15 watter but when I got my 65w Peavey I....worshipped this pedal.....Through my amp settings and the pedal settings I can make my perfect tone and replicate almost any tone I want.....and it's black and shiny...

[Shreddin 4 Life]

wow, so many ppl hating on this thing now lol

I honesty have no problems with it...

[EvilDontSmile]

yea...i sampled this pedal at a guitarcenter and it sounds really tinny and not very much low end, but not very defined high end either. It can give you some crunchy riffs, but it's really not one of digitech's best. (go with the distortion factory, that mother****er is awesome!)

[7stringuzr]

my boss ml-2 metal core beats the crap out of this

[jessejames1414]

a lot of these people seem to be comparing this Pedals drive to 15 watt practice amp distortion/overdrive, I dont think it can be as good as I've heard after reading these :l

[Spirit_Crusher]

i hate this pedal, it's all fuzz, you can barely hear the notes you're playing.

[richard_edwards]

i had this pedal. bought it. hated it. sold it.

the built in distortion on my line 6 spider II 212 is much better than that pedal.

[nightimedweller]

i played this pedal at local music store and i honestly got bored with it in 2 mins it really is a sucky pedal i prefer my metal master pedal way more different sounds

[CapnKickass]

I like my digitech Dan Donegan Sig pedal with the metal master type tone pretty sweet coming out of my orange 15 watt

[garden of grey]

I am actually a pretty big metal fan, but this pedal isn't going to hold up against an ENGL or 5150 in death metal. I actually can't stand this pedal.

[jpgilbert701]

i really really dont like this pedal.i prefer the sound of a rectifier, engl or 5150 over this thing. 5150's are like 400 bucks on ebay.

[dsaanm]

I'm think of buying either this or the metal master. I play mostly metal and heavy metal but I can't decide wich to get. Any help pls...

[forgotenthreat]

This is an excellent Pedal but i have found one problem. you cannot use it with flange. because of the distortion it causes the flange to make a weird kinda, 80's sci fi UFO sound. but other then that its my favorite pedal in my line up

Checked.

Dammit Paint, I was checking it. ¬_¬

Anyway, checked as well.

[ironman316]

forgotenthreat wrote:

This is an excellent Pedal but i have found one problem. you cannot use it with flange. because of the distortion it causes the flange to make a weird kinda, 80's sci fi UFO sound. but other then that its my favorite pedal in my line up

maybe try switching the order you hook it up. like guitar > deathmetal > flange > amp.

and i like how the whole page is basically reviews. lol.

now about the pedal, how do pinch harmonics sound with this beast?

[metal_666_man]

if u want a good distortion pedal get the boss metal zone 2 cuz thats one amazing pedal i have and i would never buy anything else for distortion

[xxtwistedxhopex]

if you wanna play something that takes talent, the tone just flat out sucks

metal_666_man :
if u want a good distortion pedal get the boss metal zone 2 cuz thats one amazing pedal i have and i would never buy anything else for distortion

c this dude understands tone

[razr_back]

i forgot to add one ting in my review some were up there lol theres so many, wen i use my up100 with it i can barly have the level up on the phaser and the death metal pedal wil pick it up easly, but wen its behind the metal pedal it works like it shou8ld, i see someone also had that prob with there flange lol

[Giant Tool]

dude where did you get it for 39.99, when i got it it cost 49.99, and this place cheaper than other places with most products??

[thev90]

i use this all the time with my organ

[TDAJGuitarist]

BladeSlinger wrote:

ShimmyShimmy wrote:

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.
You're probably not into metal because it gives pretty nice distortion....and I'm playing a B.C. Rich Warlock..not flashy but not horrible..

BC Rich Warlocks are shit.....Shimmy Shimmy is absoleutly right....I play a Ibanez RG with a 100 Watt Triple Rectifier and 2 Celestion Cabs...The tone is amazing...But I do find that I need a bit of a boost...I looked into this pedal and it is crap...I hated it the second I pluged it in and even if you do adjust the knobs...It never sounds better....If you want a cheep Digi-tech pedal then go with the "Grunge" Pedal...Analog is analog so its not gonna sound as "Real" as the tubes but it really does give you great tones as long as you know how to program it...Which really isnt hard at all. lol

[ddranthony92]

i have the metal master and its good,but this sounds amazing,i think the single pedal i get will be this

[TDAJGuitarist]

And before you say im not into Metal...Metal is all I play.....

[Agent_00Funk]

malmsteenkid wrote:

yea if ur relying solely on a pedal for ur distortion then ur obviously tone def, but the pedal is good when ur looking for a boost on the dist u have through ur amp, i do not recommend using any pedal for distortion if its ur only source of distortion.

You obviously dont know what youre talking about. Alot of amps can have weak distortion compared to what the player is looking for. Therefore youre gonna need a distortion pedal to get what you need.

Checked again lolz.

[ollytodd]

ShimmyShimmy wrote:

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.
You're probably not into metal because it gives pretty nice distortion....and I'm playing a B.C. Rich Warlock..not flashy but not horrible..
lol i thought i had a shitty guitar..
the warlock is a piece, that might be a huge reason you dont like the death metal distortion.
its good for at home use but when its mic-ed it sounds a little thin but other than that its worth the money.

[Scarecrow666]

This pedal (in my opinion) sounds very thin, dead, and has too much mid. I don't like the gain, it's like they took 4 gain pedals and hooked them together to make this little beast, fuzzy and overpowering gain, isn't clear sounding and crisp. I would only recommend this if you are in a grindcore band, thrash, and maybe a death metal band if you lean towards a shit-ton of gain. Otherwise for straight up metal, or if you want something that sounds lively, you should look into an amp that has good gain, if you find the amp you like with good distortion, you wonder why the hell people even need these things in the 1st place.

[Paradise Lost]

Anyone saying this pedal sucks obviously has no idea to use it.

[TheDisturbed78]

this pedal doesnt necessarely (srry i cant spell) suck, there are just better sound pedals out there, like the Metal Master, i had a digitech grunge but my mom stepped on it and broke it so my friend let me borrow his Death Metal pedal and i was satisfied.

[Dark Aegis]

I can crap out a better dist. pedal.

[PJplaysguitar]

Dark Aegis wrote:

I can crap out a better dist. pedal.

'nough said.

[LD_Luke D]

i have this pedal i run it through an esp-mh-50 and a fender frontman 15g it sounds amazing when the amp is set to clean but when the overdrive is on and the distortion it sounds like crap., but it is very durable.

[Slaytanic1993]

I have a Boss MetalZone, but I originally had this pedal. And, I must say, they are equal...The Boss gets more punch, but the Death metal has shitloads of gain boost to it...which is awesome and it has a great bass end and level...anyways, I'd give it 9.3...even though I love my Boss pedal.

[FischmungaXTR]

This pedal is pretty good when used with the free amps you get in guitar starter packs, especially at low volume.

Great black metal tone when mic'd from a distance.

BUT once you get a decent amp you will regret buying this pedal as it doesnt actually sound very good.

[rocktag]

i have one and its aright...im not too impressed. the distortion on my amp is just as good

[DarkLordArthur]

hey, i was wondering; which one is better, the boss metalcore (ml-2) or the digitech death metal?

[muffman1283]

this pedal is ok if you have a small practice amp and dont turn it up that loud. If you have a band and are running this through a cab this pedal has a week signal, sounds real muddy, and makes all kinds of buzzing feedback....i have this pedal but i recently got the boss metal zone mt-2 and it is sooo much better.

[marianoarnaiz]

GREAT DISTORTION, IT MAY ADD A LITTLE OF NOISE BUT NOTHING THAT A NICE NOISE GETE WONT CORRECT

[Captain Edd]

This pedal is insane! ive never heard such an extreme sound in all my life, unfortinatly, it gives a fair bit of feedback which is frustrating. also (though this may be because im cheap) i believe it runs down battries way way to fast!

[Multiplayerjon]

THIS PEDAL IS MY FAVORITE

Tip to all People: If you have a Vox Wah-wah Pedal turn on your Death metal and the Wah and turn of your guitar... go slowly up and down to get a desert Wind Effect! VERY VERY COOL!

[Saffron_Inferno]

so is this pedal better than a boss mt-2 metalzone?coz daz da pedal i hav and im thinking of upgrading to this one

[DiMeTiMe]

^the Death Metal and the Metal Zone are the two worst distortion pedals. Seriously, they have horrendous tone -thin, buzzy, and painful to listen to.

NO.

[marianoarnaiz]

I OWN THIS BEAST AND IM NOT GOING TO SAID IS THE BEST OR SAY IT SUCK. I MUST ADMIT IS AN UNTAMEBLE BEAST WITH KICK ASS TONE (IF YOU CAN ADJUST IT TO YOUR NEEDS) AND ICREDIBLE SUSTAIN, BUT IT MAKE MORE NOISE THAT MY MOM SCREAMING AT ME TOO SHUT MY GUITAR DOWN LOL. MAYBE RUN TROUGHT A GOOD NOISE GATE WILL DO THE TRICK. FROM ME THIS PEDAL GETS 8.5/10

[joshuablume2006]

cows getting raped! LMFAO!

[arnob_oblique]

bodom0420 wrote:

Not the best pedal made by Digitech thats for sure. It makes a buzzing noise when you have your volume cranked. Not bad but seriously there are way better pedals out their. I'll sell anyone my death metal pedal for 10-20 dollars.

Sell it to me dumass!! :S :S

[explosionate]

You guys are retarded. If you are going to review something, for the love of God don't base it off your own personal bias. Review it for what it is. I would like to know the negative aspects of this pedal, but I can't take any of the negative reviews seriously; they just go on about how they hate metal or distortion which does not help anybody. Also, if this is the only pedal you have used, how can you possibly write a review if you have no experience and comparison to other effects pedals? Grow up!

[Kurai-sama]

^^^ I concur.

Firstly, the pedal is called fricking death metal. If you despise metal, or copious amounts of distortion, you've been looking into the wrong section, and thus your points of argument are essentially null.

There are different pedals (and amps) marketed towards different crowds. The Boss DS-1, for example, is a more general piece for the gamut of guitarists. The Digitech Grunge is, well, rather obvious in terms of intended market. Same with this one.

Please, don't do the whole "omfg dis petal iz ghey" or "OMG LOLOLOLOL I LUV DIS PETAL IMMA CRY IF I LEWZ IT" thing. The polarization is rather annoying, about how it "obviously" is the best/worst pedal ever. Form a balanced opinion, insert a coin, and try again.
And the reviewer obsessing about cow rape has something on his mind. Weird.

As for my personal opinion, it's great for my band's style of music (doom/death metal with Vedic overtones), given our tendency to employ extreme amounts of distortion and harsh dissonance. It does as advertised: "we turned the gain to 11 and ripped the knob off". I noted a bit of buzzing, but that's fine by me, considering the overall intentional noise and feedback of playing in my band.

Hence, I say a 9/10 for me, 8/10 for most other people.

[the agony scene]

Kurai-sama wrote:

^^^ I concur.

Firstly, the pedal is called fricking death metal. If you despise metal, or copious amounts of distortion, you've been looking into the wrong section, and thus your points of argument are essentially null.

There are different pedals (and amps) marketed towards different crowds. The Boss DS-1, for example, is a more general piece for the gamut of guitarists. The Digitech Grunge is, well, rather obvious in terms of intended market. Same with this one.

Please, don't do the whole "omfg dis petal iz ghey" or "OMG LOLOLOLOL I LUV DIS PETAL IMMA CRY IF I LEWZ IT" thing. The polarization is rather annoying, about how it "obviously" is the best/worst pedal ever. Form a balanced opinion, insert a coin, and try again.
And the reviewer obsessing about cow rape has something on his mind. Weird.

As for my personal opinion, it's great for my band's style of music (doom/death metal with Vedic overtones), given our tendency to employ extreme amounts of distortion and harsh dissonance. It does as advertised: "we turned the gain to 11 and ripped the knob off". I noted a bit of buzzing, but that's fine by me, considering the overall intentional noise and feedback of playing in my band.

Hence, I say a 9/10 for me, 8/10 for most other people.

listen to this guy
only complaint for me is the pedal tends to kill pinch harmonics on the low e for me i have to work alot harder to get them.

[g graas]

well i was thinkin about getting a distortion pedal and i like to play like MEGADETH and METALLICA stuff my only question is this pedal good for that kinda stuff

[weedwormschlag!]

this is the worst distortion pedal EVER MADE!! if u have one BURN IT!

[roarinflames]

g graas wrote:

well i was thinkin about getting a distortion pedal and i like to play like MEGADETH and METALLICA stuff my only question is this pedal good for that kinda stuff

no
its not
hetfield uses amp ditortion or a tube screamer

try the boss mt-2

cause digitech death metal is garbage

[Sleevedace]

MT-2 Ftw.

This thing is horrific.

[underoath0902]

Ease of Use: First of all I didn't buy this. I played it long enough to know that it was a piece of shit. there's no distortion knob so you are stuck with heavy heavy Death Metal distortion forever. The low, middle, and high knobs don't do anything other than change the tone at an unnoticable amount. It is very easy to use though, because you don't have to do anything other than set the volume 'cause there's no use tweaking the other knobs, this pedal only has one sound. // 10
Sound: This is the perfect distortion pedal, if you like distortion with so much gain and so little life that it sounds like a digital cow getting raped. The sound is digital, feedbacky, and retarted. Yes, it is noisy and there's nothing you can do about it because you can't control the pedal's gain at all. I played it with a Epiphone Zack Wylde guitar and a Marshall TSL. Again there is only one sound: super Death Metal that sounds like cow getting raped. If you are not human and like the sound of a cow getting raped, then get this! // 2


Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't even bring it to a gig because I wouldnt've bought it in the first place, it's way to heavy to be lugging around, and it sounds like pure shit. No musician who wants a good tone will rely on this at all. I can't write anymore on this topic because I didn't buy it. But it weighed a lot for such a small pedal, a lot more than the Boss Mega Distortion (better than this too). // 2

Impression: I already told you, don't even look at this anymore unless you like the sound of cows getting raped (maybe you like animal masturbation music, I don't know). If it was stolen, I'd find the thief and tell him he has no sense of tone. My favorite feature is that it works perfectly in movies where cows get raped. If you're not gonna save up and get a new amp, get the Boss Mega distortion which still isn't as good as a good amp but is a lot better than this. I also have a review on the Boss Mega Distortion. // 3

jerk.

[marianoarnaiz]

After spending more time with it i have found that some how it must have been created for a strat with active pickups. It response awsomely to my fender strat (AWSOME TONE AND SUSTAIN). If i run my Schecter Hellraiser (W EMG Active 81/85) theres no noise but the tone gets too dark for my taste.

My and is a solid state Peavy transtube Studio, I run the pedal in the clean channel and it makes it scream even in volume 1. Havent tried it beyond the 5 frontier.

Also it runs great into a chorus, but my cry baby wah is not exactly for it

[MUSICFIEND21]

this pedal sounds amazing withe active pickups but gets relly bad feedback,like squier strat oh look i turn the gain up all the way feedback

[DeftRed]

If any of yous like Muse,try playing Muse riffs with this deathmetal pedal. I swear,it sounds like muse,try playing plug in Baby with the neck pick ups

[SickFromCyanide]

BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSSBOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 BOSS MT-2 MT-2

[guitarfreak222]

underoath0902 wrote:

Ease of Use: First of all I didn't buy this. I played it long enough to know that it was a piece of shit. there's no distortion knob so you are stuck with heavy heavy Death Metal distortion forever. The low, middle, and high knobs don't do anything other than change the tone at an unnoticable amount. It is very easy to use though, because you don't have to do anything other than set the volume 'cause there's no use tweaking the other knobs, this pedal only has one sound. // 10
Sound: This is the perfect distortion pedal, if you like distortion with so much gain and so little life that it sounds like a digital cow getting raped. The sound is digital, feedbacky, and retarted. Yes, it is noisy and there's nothing you can do about it because you can't control the pedal's gain at all. I played it with a Epiphone Zack Wylde guitar and a Marshall TSL. Again there is only one sound: super Death Metal that sounds like cow getting raped. If you are not human and like the sound of a cow getting raped, then get this! // 2

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't even bring it to a gig because I wouldnt've bought it in the first place, it's way to heavy to be lugging around, and it sounds like pure shit. No musician who wants a good tone will rely on this at all. I can't write anymore on this topic because I didn't buy it. But it weighed a lot for such a small pedal, a lot more than the Boss Mega Distortion (better than this too). // 2

Impression: I already told you, don't even look at this anymore unless you like the sound of cows getting raped (maybe you like animal masturbation music, I don't know). If it was stolen, I'd find the thief and tell him he has no sense of tone. My favorite feature is that it works perfectly in movies where cows get raped. If you're not gonna save up and get a new amp, get the Boss Mega distortion which still isn't as good as a good amp but is a lot better than this. I also have a review on the Boss Mega Distortion. // 3
jerk.

nahh It's true. I bought this pedal and after one use of it, I got a refund.. This is horrific, utterly terrible.. Boss MT - 2 is the best.

[MUSICFIEND21]

look i had a mt-2 and hated it. i wasted like 30$ in batteries,and i just didn't like the sound.now the death metal pedal is a starter pedal for poeple who don't know what they r doing.but it is still a decent pedal.

[D Gates]

to be honest i didn't like this pedal too much. the sound was very bad or at least for me it was, and plus it eats up batteries like crazy.

[MUSICFIEND21]

dude i get like 10-20 hours outta this thing. and i play a min of 3 hours a day.

[BillR87]

Got this one love it plain and simple

[EpiExplorer]

Eh, the only reason people dont like it is because they're stupid enough to forget to turn off the gain on their amp. THATS when the distortion gets too much. other than that, theres enough crunch to make Special K look like yoghurt

[little-nicky>:)]

BladeSlinger wrote:

ShimmyShimmy wrote:

this pedal blows...if you have a nice amp it will have good built in distortion and there is really no need for a pedal like this. but if you are stuck with a squier starter pack like most of the people posting on here, then it is probably a gift from heaven.
You're probably not into metal because it gives pretty nice distortion....and I'm playing a B.C. Rich Warlock..not flashy but not horrible..

i got this pedal man.
i liked it when i had a crappy strat rip-off. but as soon as i got my new gear( schester sunset deluxe fr. and a marshall mg 100 dfx) i never touched it again. marshall built in distortion kicked digitechs ass. i tried plugging it in and all there was a screaming feedback and insane buzz. i couldnt hear my guitar!!!
i give this pedal an F- when used in real gear setup.
a B when you got a not so good to crappy setup. there are better distotions out there.

[little-nicky>:)]

underoath0902 wrote:

Ease of Use: First of all I didn't buy this. I played it long enough to know that it was a piece of shit. there's no distortion knob so you are stuck with heavy heavy Death Metal distortion forever. The low, middle, and high knobs don't do anything other than change the tone at an unnoticable amount. It is very easy to use though, because you don't have to do anything other than set the volume 'cause there's no use tweaking the other knobs, this pedal only has one sound. // 10
Sound: This is the perfect distortion pedal, if you like distortion with so much gain and so little life that it sounds like a digital cow getting raped. The sound is digital, feedbacky, and retarted. Yes, it is noisy and there's nothing you can do about it because you can't control the pedal's gain at all. I played it with a Epiphone Zack Wylde guitar and a Marshall TSL. Again there is only one sound: super Death Metal that sounds like cow getting raped. If you are not human and like the sound of a cow getting raped, then get this! // 2

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't even bring it to a gig because I wouldnt've bought it in the first place, it's way to heavy to be lugging around, and it sounds like pure shit. No musician who wants a good tone will rely on this at all. I can't write anymore on this topic because I didn't buy it. But it weighed a lot for such a small pedal, a lot more than the Boss Mega Distortion (better than this too). // 2

Impression: I already told you, don't even look at this anymore unless you like the sound of cows getting raped (maybe you like animal masturbation music, I don't know). If it was stolen, I'd find the thief and tell him he has no sense of tone. My favorite feature is that it works perfectly in movies where cows get raped. If you're not gonna save up and get a new amp, get the Boss Mega distortion which still isn't as good as a good amp but is a lot better than this. I also have a review on the Boss Mega Distortion. // 3

jerk.

no.not a jerk. a person that knows when a pedal sounds like pure crap.

[little-nicky>:)]

weedwormschlag! wrote:

this is the worst distortion pedal EVER MADE!! if u have one BURN IT!

ok

[MUSICFIEND21]

CAN ANYONE ONE SAY STARTER PEDAL???

[king666nothing]

Mine is so f#@king noisy!!! It's great tone-wise, but the noise kills it all. I'll try to use another power adapter, like the guy who wrote first review.

[MUSICFIEND21]

king666nothing. what pickups r u use-ing?? if they r active i had the same issue u gotta roll back on the volume knob. if passive ur gonna need to turn down the volume on ur amp and turn it up on the pedal.

[bigman07]

first off little nicky is sooooo wrong. this pedal is awsome and made for one thing. DEATH MATAL! hint the name. two it only will sound good if ur using the right type of amp one that has atleast a 12 inch speacker and not digital. if its digital u will get that annoying buzz and it want sound as good and small amps cant take the power off this thing. i run it through my marshall full stack and it sounds like the god of distortion. if the amp is to small u wont get the bass or thump u need for this thing. if u want a crazy metal sound like amon amarth, dethklok or who ever you like then buy it just play around with the settings to find something u like. also my personal suggestion only put the level knob to about half way low knob to like half to 3/4 mid for me off or half i like the crazy crunch soo and the high around half also make sure that ur amp is set to clean and play with ur seeting because that also effects the sound.

[bigman07]

oh yeah and if u have active pickups like mine i have the emg 81/85 there is nobuzz what so ever and the tone is so crazy u could kill ur grandmother because of hearing soo dark and evil. this thing is only for the true heavy metal heads with real experence playin guitar and no how to use there equipment

[MUSICFIEND21]

i agree with the emg sounding really good with this pedal but i got really bad feedback and buzz so i just rolled off the volume knob and problem solved.

[slashnzakkrule]

Sounds sweet! Buyin' it!

[duzit89]

get "Metal Master Distortion" INSTEAD.... i seriously RECOMMEND lmao.

[bigman07]

metal master is shit...black star on other hand is the best you can probably buy

[EpiExplorer]

The only difference between the Boss MT-2 and this is that this has more tone but less distortion. I now actually got to keep this pedal AND bought the MT-2 on recommendation. MT-2 is okay for anything, but the Digitech has a better sound. Just try playing The Trooper with it (turn the med up to half way, bass to 25%, everything else to 100%)

[Metalic Demon]

deadnihils wrote:

I`ve grown to really love this pedal. I thought it was useless at first, but after finding exactly what I wanted out of it, I think I`ll keep it. I`m a big fan of Crate, and now I choose this pedal over my vintage Crate`s distortion.

i suppose you could say that about any pedal, i hated my first distortion pedal when i got it, but now i always use it. and i wasnt that impressed with the marshal regen padal but after a while i started to love it.

thats the beuty of predals, once you get used to them, it doesnt matter what you get, as long as you like the sound it makes

[metalriff735]

something tells me this will sound gd with a ibanez
its a gd price pedal as well, and i could do with a distortion pedal

[Spencer575]

would this be good for 90's megadeth

[TwistClock]

These Reviews have got a love/hate relationship going on.

I really want this.

[slayer1979]

I just bought one of these things and man, does it kick some serious ass.

[xDeathxMetalx]

idk what you guys are talking about, i Personally love my Death Metal. I Play an ESP JH-200 and a shitty Fender Bullet Reverb 38w amp and my guitar cuts through the distortion and makes it sound beast. but, if i had the hundred bucks to spend on the Boss Metalcore pedal i would have that, but sadly i lack those Funds.
Regardless, my Death Metal pedal is sick and i love it. and i have played it on a Peavey triple X and still loved it so its not just because of my horrible amp.