Boss HM-2

Last updated
Boss HM-2
BossHM2HeavyMetal.jpg
Brand Boss
Manufacturer Roland Corporation
Dates1983—1991 (Original)
2020—present (Waza Craft)
Price$90 (Original launch)
Technical specifications
Effects type Distortion pedal
Controls
Pedal controlDistortion (Dist), highs (H), lows (L), output volume (level), standard and custom mode (Waza Craft)
Input/output
Inputsmono
Outputsmono
Metal song created with the Boss HM-2.

The Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal was a distortion pedal manufactured by Boss from October 1983 until October 1991. Designed to emulate a Marshall stack, it became associated with Swedish death metal and gained a cult following in the heavy metal scene.

Contents

Background

The Boss HM-2 was first issued in October 1983. It was originally manufactured in Japan from 1983 until 1988 and then in Taiwan from 1988 until 1991. [1] It was designed to emulate the mid-range response of a Marshall stack. [2] The HM-2 is based on Boss's DS-1. Despite achieving moderate success in the glam metal scene, the pedal was discontinued in 1991; it was succeeded by the HM-3 Hyper Metal and MT-2 Metal Zone, the latter of which became a commercial success and top-selling Boss pedal. [2]

Since its discontinuance, the HM-2 has become one of the most demanded pedals of the Boss back catalogue. [3] [1] [2] Guitarist and record producer Kurt Ballou has been cited as an influence for the pedal's resurgence [4] and bands such as Nails and Rotten Sound have also appropriated the pedal's sound for different extreme metal styles. [5]

In 2020, Boss Corporation president Yoshi Ikegami announced that the pedal would be reissued as a part of the Waza Craft pedal series under the name Boss HM-2W. For the reissue, the company also established a Facebook group to seek design feedback from the fanbase. [6] [5] The prototype of the HM-2W was tested by Ola Englund. The Waza Craft version added standard and custom mode to the Boss HM-2W.

Swedish death metal

Boss HM-2 with maximum settings (colloquially referred to as being "dimed"). These settings became well known in the Swedish death metal scene to achieve the "Chainsaw" tone. Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal.jpg
Boss HM-2 with maximum settings (colloquially referred to as being "dimed"). These settings became well known in the Swedish death metal scene to achieve the "Chainsaw" tone.

Leif Cuzner of Swedish death metal band Nihilist used the pedal with the controls "dimed," and bands like Entombed, Dismember, and Bloodbath followed suit. Many Swedish bands have used the HM-2 with a Peavey amp to achieve this sound. In the 1990s, the pedal attracted a cult following in the underground heavy metal scene due to its formative influence over the Swedish death metal sound. [7] Entombed's 1990 album, Left Hand Path , cemented its use in the scene. [6]

TC Electronic Eyemaster, a Boss HM-2 clone. TC Electronic Eyemaster.tiff
TC Electronic Eyemaster, a Boss HM-2 clone.

At the Gates's 1995 album, Slaughter of the Soul , combined the Boss HM-2 with Boss MT-2 and Boss SD-1.

Many HM-2 pedals, especially ones made in Japan, have been collected by the guitarists of Entombed and Dismember.[ citation needed ]

Controls

According to Michael Astley-Brown of Guitar World , compared to the other distortion pedals, the pedal offered "radically versatile low and high ‘Color Mix’ EQ controls with 20 dB of boost/cut." [3]

Notable users

Notable users of the pedal include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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Entombed is a Swedish death metal band formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed from its American counterpart by its distinct "buzzsaw" guitar tone. However, by the early 1990s their sound had broadened to include garage rock and other influences. This new style would eventually be described as death 'n' roll. Entombed's main influences include bands such as Slayer, Celtic Frost, Repulsion, and Autopsy. Along with Dismember, Grave and Unleashed, Entombed has been referred to as one of the "big four" of Swedish death metal.

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<i>Clandestine</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Entombed

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibanez Tube Screamer</span> Guitar overdrive pedal

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<i>Wolverine Blues</i> 1993 studio album by Entombed

Wolverine Blues is the third studio album by Swedish death metal band Entombed, released on 4 October 1993 by Earache Records. The album displays a completely different sound from previous releases, combining elements of hard rock, heavy metal, and hardcore punk while still retaining much of their traditional, death metal roots, in a style that would later be known as death 'n' roll. The band also adopted a mid-tempo groove metal style for this release, similar to that of American band Pantera.

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<i>Uprising</i> (Entombed album) 2000 studio album by Entombed

Uprising is the sixth full-length album by Swedish metal band Entombed. It was released in 2000. Album was recorded at Das Boot Studios and produced by Nico Elgstrand and Entombed. Musically, this album tones down the commercial alternative metal-stylings of Same Difference and returns to a heavier, more straight-forward death 'n' roll sound reminiscent of Wolverine Blues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distortion (music)</span> Type of electronic audio manipulation

Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly used with the electric guitar, but may also be used with other electric instruments such as electric bass, electric piano, synthesizer and Hammond organ. Guitarists playing electric blues originally obtained an overdriven sound by turning up their vacuum tube-powered guitar amplifiers to high volumes, which caused the signal to distort. While overdriven tube amps are still used to obtain overdrive, especially in genres like blues and rockabilly, a number of other ways to produce distortion have been developed since the 1960s, such as distortion effect pedals. The growling tone of a distorted electric guitar is a key part of many genres, including blues and many rock music genres, notably hard rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, acid rock, and heavy metal music, while the use of distorted bass has been essential in a genre of hip hop music and alternative hip hop known as "SoundCloud rap".

<i>Same Difference</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Entombed

Same Difference is the fifth studio album by Swedish metal band Entombed. It was released in 1998. This album shows the band moving into a more commercial sound and is generally considered the band's weakest moment both by fans and by the band's former vocalist, LG Petrov. This is the band's first album without original drummer and primary songwriter Nicke Andersson, who left Entombed to focus on his side project, The Hellacopters.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Breath (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Black Breath is an American heavy metal band from Washington that formed in Bellingham in 2006 and later moved to Seattle. They play hardcore punk-influenced extreme metal. A key factor of their sound is the "Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal", which was popularized by bands such as Entombed, Dismember and Edge of Sanity in the early 1990s.

References

  1. 1 2 "Boss shares images of new Waza HM-2W cosmetic prototype on Facebook". Gearnews. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "BOSS Cult Classics". rolandcorp.com.au. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Astley-Brown, Michael. "Boss confirms an HM-2 Heavy Metal reissue is in the works". Guitar World . Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  4. ↑ Corfield, Chris. "The 10 coolest discontinued Boss pedals". Guitar World . Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Boss is bringing the HM-2 Heavy Metal back from the dead as a Waza Craft reissue – and it wants your design input". MusicRadar . Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Seah, Daniel. "Here's a First Look At The Boss Hm-2 Waza Craft Reissue". guitar.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  7. ↑ Schneider, David (September 28, 2019). "The Buzzsaw Riffs of the Stockholm Scene". Premier Guitar . Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  8. ↑ Rotten Sound on Facebook
  9. ↑ Twitter
  10. 1 2 The Greatest Boss Metal Zone MT-2 Moments
  11. ↑ Instagram
  12. ↑ Greeves, David (Dec 2011). "Matt Cox: MIDI Tech for The Chemical Brothers". Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  13. 1 2 GEAR GODS RIGGED - Entombed A.D.
  14. 1 2 3 HM-2: The Sound of Swedish Death Metal and Beyond
  15. 1 2 3 SWEDISH DEATH METAL TONE
  16. ↑ Bloodbath: Blood Brothers
  17. ↑ Equipboard
  18. ↑ "Bassically Speacking: Ben Green, Godflesh". Bass Guitar : 15. February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Hawkins, Chris. "Interview: Alex Hellid of Entombed". antiheromagazine.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 Boss HM-2
  21. ↑ BOSS HM-2W | The Legend Returns
  22. ↑ Dismember - Casket Garden (Robert Sennebäck Guitar Playthrough)
  23. ↑ Twitter
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