The Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon is a handmade distortion pedal built on the circuit of the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, the pedal behind the buzz-saw chainsaw sound that Swedish death metal made famous. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a distortion pedal that offers an improved version of this classic circuit," and the improvement is the clean blend: a separate clean signal path you can mix against the distortion, something the original HM-2 never had12.
Background: the HM-2 circuit
The original Boss HM-2 was, as Guitar.com's Cillian Breathnach put it, "a straightforward distortion pedal, with controls for level, gain, bass and treble." Wren and Cuff, who make their own HM-2 style pedal, describe the sound it is known for as its "buzz-saw brand of high-gain distortion"56. The HM Demon keeps that circuit as its base and adds the clean blend and a deeper EQ section on top13.
The HM-2 itself has had a longer life than its original run suggests. Producer Tom Dalgety, speaking to BOSS about records he made with Ghost, Pixies, Royal Blood and The Cult, said "I like using the HM-2 as a mild overdrive," dialing the distortion back rather than maxing it7. That flexibility is part of what clones and reinterpretations like the HM Demon aim at.
The controls
The HM Demon carries nine controls, which is where it departs most clearly from the four-knob original4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Distortion gain control1 |
| Distort | Distortion volume control1 |
| Clean | Clean signal control with 20dB of boost available1 |
| Low | Low EQ control4 |
| Mid | Mid EQ control with +/-15dB of boost available1 |
| High | High EQ control4 |
| Low Freq | Frequency control for the low band4 |
| Mid Freq | Frequency control for the mid band4 |
| Post/Pre | Changes the Clean Mix location from post to pre EQ stage1 |
Where the HM-2 gave you fixed bass and treble shelves, the HM Demon's Low, Mid and High bands each have a frequency control for the low and mid bands, so the EQ centers can be swept rather than fixed4. The Mid band alone offers up to 15dB of boost or cut in either direction1.
The clean blend and the Post/Pre switch
The clean blend is the pedal's defining feature. De Gregorio's take on why it matters: "With hi-gain pedals, they tend to become much more usable with a clean blend. This is especially true for bassists."1
The Post/Pre switch changes where that clean signal enters the circuit:
- Pre: the clean signal is fed through the same EQ stage as the distortion, so "your clean signal [can] obtain the infamous chainsaw eq as the distortion stage"1
- Post: "the clean blend acts as a classic clean blend," mixing untouched clean signal back in after the EQ and distortion1
That pre mode is unusual. Most clean-blend pedals only offer the post arrangement, so the HM Demon lets a bassist or baritone player run a second signal through the same chainsaw EQ, or keep a normal clean blend, depending on the switch position1.
Status and availability
Bardic Audio Devices is no longer trading. Guitar Pedal X's November 2025 roundup of high-gain and metal pedals states plainly: "Alas Bardic Audio Devices is no more!" The HM Demon is therefore discontinued and turns up only on the second-hand market4.
When it was current, Guitar Pedal X listed it at $150 and placed it among compact high-gain metal distortion pedals in both its 2024 and 2025 roundups, tagged as an HM-2 style design43. Stefan Karlsson of Guitar Pedal X also noted that "Bardic Audio's Tim really makes some interesting pedals"4.
Bardic's range covered other ground besides this pedal: the company also made The Beast, a distortion/fuzz with a clean boost channel, the Berzerker Fuzz, and the Rival, a Mark V inspired amp-in-a-box distortion with a five-band graphic EQ. Players looking for an HM-2 style pedal still in production will find other options, such as the GUP Tech Torch HM-2 Clone, which its maker calls "Our tribute to the classic Boss HM-2 distortion"2.
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Questions
What circuit is the Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon based on?
The HM Demon is based on the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal circuit. Guitar Pedal X listed it in its high-gain and metal pedal roundups as an HM-2 style distortion, and Delicious Audio described it as an improved version of that classic circuit. The original HM-2 was a straightforward distortion pedal with level, gain, bass and treble controls, known for its buzz-saw high-gain character.
Is the HM Demon still made?
No. Guitar Pedal X's 2025 roundup of high-gain pedals notes that Bardic Audio Devices is no longer trading, so the HM Demon is discontinued and only available second-hand. When it was in production it sold for $150.
What does the Clean Blend Post/Pre switch do?
The Post/Pre switch changes where the Clean Mix sits in the signal path. In pre mode, the clean signal picks up the same chainsaw EQ shaping as the distortion stage. In post mode, the clean blend acts as a classic clean blend, mixing the untouched clean signal back in after the EQ.
Does the HM Demon have true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product page lists soft-touch true bypass switching, along with top-mounted jacks. Power is a 9 to 12V center-negative supply, with a 1M ohm input impedance and 100 ohm output impedance.
Where was the HM Demon made?
The HM Demon was handmade in Dundee, Michigan, according to Delicious Audio's product page for the pedal.
Sources (7)
- Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon, Delicious Audio, 2022-01-28
- Torch HM-2 Clone, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-19
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-27
- Hangman-2D, Wren and Cuff
- Boss officially confirms a HM-2 Waza Craft reissue, Guitar.com, 2020-11-25
- Behind the Board: Tom Dalgety with Ghost, Pixies, Royal Blood, and The Cult, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2024-09-04
