Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Settings Guide
The pedal that created Swedish death metal. Made 1983–1991. All four controls at maximum produces the "chainsaw" sound of Entombed's Left Hand Path and defines the Stockholm D-beat metal sound.
Used by: Nihilist / Entombed approach, 1980s Metal application, Billy Corgan
The best Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal settings start with: Dist at 10/10, Level at 5/10, Low at 10/10, High at 10/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Swedish Death Metal: Dist 10/10, Level 5/10, Low 10/10, High 10/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Dist | 10/10 | Crunch → Chainsaw |
| Level | 5/10 | Silent → Loud |
| Low | 10/10 | Thin → Heavy |
| High | 10/10 | Dark → Bright |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
All controls at maximum — this is the specific setting used by Entombed, Dismember, and Carnage on the defining Swedish death metal recordings. The HM-2 into a clean amp at this setting produces the "chainsaw" character that cannot be replicated by any other pedal or amplifier combination. Into a Marshall or HH amp (as originally used) for the exact Stockholm sound.
Near-maximum settings for D-beat hardcore character. Slightly less than the full death metal setting allows a bit more note definition while retaining the extreme low-mid emphasis.
The HM-2 in its intended original application — moderate Dist and EQ settings for 1980s heavy metal crunch. At these settings the pedal sounds like an aggressive but controllable distortion, very different from the all-max chainsaw character.
High Dist with moderate EQ — the HM-2 as a punk distortion rather than a death metal device. Into a cranked Fender or Vox at these settings it produces an aggressive, raw character suitable for fast punk playing.
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
The death metal all-max setting used by L.G. Petrov and Uffe Cederlund on Left Hand Path (1990). This specific pedal with these specific settings into a Marshall or HH amp created the Stockholm death metal sound. The HM-2 has no clean signal component at this setting — it is 100% processed extreme distortion.
The HM-2's intended 1980s application — aggressive hair metal crunch. At these settings it is a usable high-gain distortion for the style it was designed for: Judas Priest, Accept, early Metallica-influenced metal.
Corgan has used the HM-2 as a studio tool for extreme guitar texture. Near-maximum settings but with slightly less extreme High, avoiding the brightest chainsaw character for a heavier but less nasal sound. Into a Big Muff-style amp setup for additional saturation.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The "all knobs at maximum" setting is not just a setting — it is THE sound the pedal is famous for. This specific combination of Dist, Low, and High at maximum creates a unique circuit clipping that isn't replicated at any other position.
- The HM-2 was discontinued in 1991. Original units sell for £200–400. The Waza Craft HM-2W is a reissue that accurately reproduces the original circuit.
- Into a clean amp (the Entombed approach): the full "chainsaw" character. Into a driven amp: the HM-2 produces a different, less extreme character as the amp's own gain stage colours the already-distorted signal.
- The Color switch changes which frequencies the Low and High controls boost — in standard position they produce the death metal character; in the alternate position the character is different.
- A noise gate is essential for recording at all-max settings — the HM-2 at maximum produces significant white noise floor between notes.
FAQ
Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal: Dist at 10/10, Level at 5/10, Low at 10/10, High at 10/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Swedish Death Metal: Dist 10/10, Level 5/10, Low 10/10, High 10/10. All controls at maximum — this is the specific setting used by Entombed, Dismember, and Carnage on the defining Swedish death metal recordings. The HM-2 into a clean amp at this setting produces the "chainsaw" character that cannot be replicated by any other pedal or amplifier combination. Into a Marshall or HH amp (as originally used) for the exact Stockholm sound.
For D-Beat / Hardcore: Dist 8/10, Level 5/10, Low 9/10, High 8/10. Near-maximum settings for D-beat hardcore character. Slightly less than the full death metal setting allows a bit more note definition while retaining the extreme low-mid emphasis.
Dist: Gain amount. At maximum with all other controls at max: the Swedish death metal chainsaw distortion. At lower settings: 1980s hair metal crunch. (Crunch to Chainsaw). Level: Output volume. The HM-2 can produce significantly more output than the bypassed signal. (Silent to Loud). Low: Bass frequency boost. The death metal setting has Low at maximum — this contributes significantly to the chainsaw low-mid character. (Thin to Heavy). High: Treble frequency boost. At maximum with Low at maximum: the scooped, extreme EQ of the death metal setting. (Dark to Bright). Color: Selects between two different EQ boost frequency ranges for the Low and High controls. (Low-Mid to High-Mid)
The "all knobs at maximum" setting is not just a setting — it is THE sound the pedal is famous for. This specific combination of Dist, Low, and High at maximum creates a unique circuit clipping that isn't replicated at any other position. The HM-2 was discontinued in 1991. Original units sell for £200–400. The Waza Craft HM-2W is a reissue that accurately reproduces the original circuit. Into a clean amp (the Entombed approach): the full "chainsaw" character. Into a driven amp: the HM-2 produces a different, less extreme character as the amp's own gain stage colours the already-distorted signal. The Color switch changes which frequencies the Low and High controls boost — in standard position they produce the death metal character; in the alternate position the character is different. A noise gate is essential for recording at all-max settings — the HM-2 at maximum produces significant white noise floor between notes.
Nihilist / Entombed approach settings: Dist 10/10, Level 5/10, Low 10/10, High 10/10. The death metal all-max setting used by L.G. Petrov and Uffe Cederlund on Left Hand Path (1990). This specific pedal with these specific settings into a Marshall or HH amp created the Stockholm death metal sound. The HM-2 has no clean signal component at this setting — it is 100% processed extreme distortion.
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