The Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal is a Waza Craft reissue of the HM-2 Heavy Metal, the high-gain distortion pedal Boss built in the 1980s and later discontinued12. It is an analog pedal with the original's four-knob layout and its orange and black panel, reproduced down to the size and position of the lettering1. What brings most players to this one is the chainsaw tone: as one reviewer put it, "There's nothing quite like that chainsaw sound"3, the buzzsaw grind associated with the HM-2 run with everything maxed, the sound heard on Entombed's Left Hand Path, released a year before the HM-2's discontinuation3.
Boss announced the reissue in November 2020, confirmed by Boss president Yoshi Ikegami on a Talk With Boss Facebook livestream, and set up an HM-2W Facebook group so players could offer design suggestions ahead of release4. The pedal reached U.S. dealers in August 2021 at a list price of $179.991.
What it does: the chainsaw distortion
The HM-2W is a high-gain distortion pedal in the Waza Craft line, Boss's series of pedals that recreate classic Boss designs with detailed craftsmanship1. Boss describes it as delivering "the authentic analog sound of the original in all its glory"7, and Premier Guitar's press coverage says Standard mode reproduces the tone and response of the original HM-2 with "100-percent authenticity"1.
The sound most players associate with the HM-2 is the chainsaw. Guitar World's reviewer, testing the HM-2W, found the pedal's range runs from death metal grind to waspy, fuzz-like sounds while retaining attack, and summed up the classic setting plainly3:
"Crank all the knobs to max and that's your chainsaw tone."
The same reviewer's overall take: "There's nothing quite like that chainsaw sound"3. Premier Guitar's reviewer went further, writing that the HM-2W "does a great job re-creating the original Heavy Metal's chainsaw grind and, somehow, adds muscle and headroom for extended modern metal," calling it a breed of proto-metal distortion in a league of its own8.
The controls
The control setup is faithful to the HM-2's roots: four knobs and a mode switch39. Premier Guitar describes it as a distortion knob, a "color mix" EQ section with high and low knobs, and a master output level8.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dist | Drive control for dialing in aggressive high-gain tones310 |
| Color Mix L | Low-end control, focused around 100 Hz; delivers punchy bass without getting muddy3 |
| Color Mix H | High-end control, centered around 1 kHz; boosting or cutting gives a huge amount of tonal travel, similar to sweeping a parametric mid3 |
| Level | Master output level38 |
| Standard/Custom switch | Selects between the two voicings; positioned on the back edge of the pedal3 |
Guitar World's reviewer found the Color Mix H control especially broad in its effect, comparing its sweep to a parametric mid control, and notes the low control stays punchy rather than muddy at any setting3. One detail carried over from the original design: on most Waza Craft pedals the mode switch sits on the face, but on the HM-2W it was moved to the top edge to preserve the HM-2's control layout11.
Standard and Custom modes
Like other Waza Craft models, the HM-2W has selectable modes for different sounds1.
- Standard mode: Boss says it delivers the original HM-2 tone with lower noise and maximized level7. Guitar World's reviewer describes it as essentially the original HM-2 with a lower noise floor and an additional 3 dB of output3. Premier Guitar's press coverage says it reproduces the original's tone and response with 100-percent authenticity1.
- Custom mode: A similar sound character to Standard, "but with just a little more of everything": more gain, more of the fundamental guitar sound for extra attack and sharpness, and tweaked low and high-mid characteristics for increased fullness and definition1. GuitarPlayer describes it as a drive stage with increased gain and tweaked low and high-mids, aiming for extra sharpness, fullness and depth9. Premier Guitar's buying guide calls it "more tonal range, higher gain, and thicker low end"12, and the magazine's review characterizes the Custom tuning as tighter and more aggressive than the original voicing8.
The HM-2W also carries a premium Waza Craft buffer, which Boss says improves the sound when the pedal is bypassed71. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted this as an improvement over the original HM-2 when bypassed8.
The original HM-2 and where the HM-2W came from
The HM-2 Heavy Metal was made in Japan, and sources differ on its production dates: TONEHOME lists it as produced from 1981 to 1987 and discontinued in 199310, while Premier Guitar's review dates the original's manufacture from 1983 to 19918. Either way, the pedal was out of production for roughly three decades before Boss reintroduced it, after what Premier Guitar's announcement called "years of requests from hardcore HM-2 fans"1.
GuitarPlayer's history of the great stompboxes notes that "in acknowledgement of its legacy, Boss released the Waza Craft HM-2W Heavy Metal in 2021"13. The reissue keeps the original's distinctive orange and black appearance, right down to the size and position of the lettering on the panel1.
The original HM-2 is long discontinued, so the HM-2W is the current way to get this circuit new. Players comparing high-gain Boss pedals may also want to look at the MT-2W Metal Zone Waza Craft, the Waza Craft take on Boss's other famous metal distortion.
Videos
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Ola Englund
Science of Loud
Questions
Is the Boss HM-2W true bypass?
No. The HM-2W uses buffered bypass, with a premium Waza Craft buffer that Boss says improves the sound when the pedal is bypassed. Premier Guitar's reviewer also noted an improved buffer compared with the original HM-2.
Does the HM-2W take a battery?
Yes. Guitar World's review lists the power options as a 9V battery or an optional PSU, so the pedal runs on either. It carries Boss's standard five-year warranty.
What is the difference between the HM-2 and the HM-2W?
The HM-2W is a Waza Craft reissue of the discontinued HM-2. Standard mode reproduces the original tone with a lower noise floor and 3 dB more output, and Custom mode adds gain, attack and a thicker low end. It also has an improved buffer.
How do you get the chainsaw tone from an HM-2W?
Crank all the knobs to maximum. Guitar World's reviewer puts it simply: crank everything and that is the chainsaw tone, the sound Swedish death metal players built on the original HM-2.
Is the Boss HM-2W analog?
Yes. Boss describes the HM-2W as delivering the authentic analog sound of the original HM-2, and press coverage from Premier Guitar and Delicious Audio confirms the analog circuit.
When did the Boss HM-2W come out?
Boss announced the HM-2W in November 2020 on a Facebook livestream, and it reached U.S. dealers in August 2021 with a list price of $179.99.
Sources (13)
- BOSS Announces the HM-2W Heavy Metal Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2021-06-17
- BOSS HM-2w Waza Craft Heavy Metal Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2021-09-23
- Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal review, Guitar World, 2021-10-06
- Boss is bringing the HM-2 Heavy Metal back from the dead as a Waza Craft reissue, MusicRadar, 2020-11-26
- Guitar World's 30 favorite guitar pedals from the past 5 years, Guitar World, 2025-06-02
- Best Effect Pedals 2021: Did your favourite make our Top 10?, Gearnews (www.gearnews.com), 2021-12-26
- BOSS - HM-2W | Heavy Metal, BOSS (boss.info)
- Boss HM-2w Waza Craft Heavy Metal Review, Premier Guitar, 2021-09-09
- Boss Unveils New HM-2W Heavy Metal Waza Craft Pedal, GuitarPlayer, 2021-06-17
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- BOSS Announces the HM-2W Heavy Metal Pedal, MusicPlayers.com, 2021-06-17
- High-Gain Pedals: Transform Your Tone with Fire, Premier Guitar, 2024-12-24
- The Best Guitar Effects Pedals of All Time, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2021-06-25
