HM-2 Death Metal
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A tone-defined sub-style organized entirely around the Boss HM-2 'Heavy Metal' pedal cranked with all knobs maxed, producing the unmistakable 'buzzsaw' or 'chainsaw' wall of distortion - a saturated, fuzzy, mid-scooped roar layered over detuned guitars. The playing favors driving d-beat and crust-punk momentum, rolling tremolo riffs, and mid-to-fast tempos over surgical precision; production is deliberately thick and grimy. Vocals range from cavernous death growls to harsher crust barks. The pedal itself is the genre's organizing principle - the sound is recognizable in seconds regardless of which scene plays it.
History
The buzzsaw tone was born at Tomas Skogsberg's Sunlight Studio in Stockholm circa 1989, where the maxed-out Boss HM-2 first defined Swedish death metal on Entombed's Left Hand Path (1990) and Dismember's and Grave's early records. Discontinued by Boss in the early '90s, the pedal gained cult status and a second life when producer Kurt Ballou (GodCity Studio) and a wave of crust/d-beat and death-crust bands revived it - Disfear, Black Breath, Trap Them, Nails, Gatecreeper, and Swedeath revivalists like LIK and Bloodbath - blending old-school chainsaw fuzz with modern aggression. Today the HM-2 sound spans death metal, crust, grindcore, and hardcore, an instantly identifiable lineage traced back to one discontinued stompbox.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Reverb News, 'The Story of the HM-2: The Dark Side of Boss'
- Daniel Ekeroth, Swedish Death Metal (book)
- BOSS Articles, 'HM-2: The Sound of Swedish Death Metal and Beyond'
- Encyclopaedia Metallum (Metal-Archives) band/discography pages