The Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter is an analog distortion pedal released in 2023, built as Electro-Harmonix's take on what it calls the cult-classic chainsaw distortion pedal: the circuit known for the death metal sounds of Sweden's Entombed and the shoegaze wash of My Bloody Valentine1. EHX describes it as taking "distortion to its extremes"2, and MusicRadar framed the launch as EHX weighing into the world of the Boss Heavy Metal HM-23.
The pedal runs in two modes, Normal and Burn, adds a footswitchable boost, a one-knob noise gate and a dry blend, and carries an enclosure decorated with a big flaming, screaming demon4.
What the Hell Melter does: HM-2 chainsaw distortion
The Hell Melter is EHX's version of the vintage chainsaw distortion sound, the high-gain grind associated with the Boss HM-2 and Swedish death metal. In Normal mode, the maker describes it as "the famous vintage chainsaw distortion sound"13. Guitar.com's reviewer, Cillian Breathnach, concluded that "EHX, at the very least, has successfully replicated" the chainsaw grind of the HM-24.
The DISTORTION knob adjusts the amount of distortion and saturation, from what EHX calls a light grind to a roaring chainsaw1. Beyond the basic gain stage, the pedal adds tools the original circuit never had: a noise gate, a dry blend, an active LOW control and a footswitchable boost.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DISTORTION | Adjusts the amount of distortion and saturation, from a light grind to a roaring chainsaw1 |
| LOW | Active boost or cut in the bass frequency range; middle position is flat1 |
| GATE (mini) | Adjusts the noise floor threshold to remove hum; fully counter-clockwise disables the gate1 |
| DRY LVL (mini) | Blends clean, undistorted input signal into the output; at minimum no dry signal is mixed in1 |
| NORM/BURN switch | Switches between Normal and Burn modes1 |
| Effect footswitch | Engages or bypasses the effect; LED lights when active1 |
| Boost footswitch | Engages Boost Mode, adding extra gain at the input and an adjustable volume boost1 |
The DRY LVL control is the feature that makes the pedal usable beyond straight guitar. Delicious Audio notes it "allows for blending your input signal for improved low-end when used with a bass or even blending" in other distorted tones5. Combined with the active LOW knob, it gives bass players a way to keep their fundamental intact under high gain.
Normal and Burn modes
The NORM/BURN toggle selects between two clipping configurations. Normal mode is the traditional HM-2-style sound; MusicRadar describes it as "more of a traditional HM-2 sound"3. Burn mode is EHX's modernized version, which the maker says utilizes higher voltage rails and alternative clipping options for a less compressed, more open sound with a more pronounced attack1.
Guitar.com's review explains the circuit change in concrete terms: "Flicking the toggle to 'burn' swaps the clipping diodes to red LEDs, and boosts the headroom of the op-amps"4. Gearnews reported that EHX describes Burn mode as opening up the sound of the pedal significantly by switching to more open clipping options and boosting the internal voltage for more headroom6. MusicRadar summarized the Burn control as boosting "the internal voltage for increased headroom, less compression, and more attack"3.
The Boost footswitch
The pedal has two footswitches: one for bypass, and a second for a boost circuit7. The Boost footswitch engages Boost Mode, which adds extra gain at the input of the circuit plus a volume boost1. MusicRadar describes it as "an input gain and volume boost which is internally adjustable"3.
The boost level is set at the factory, and an internal trimmer, accessed by removing the four screws on the back plate, controls the additional volume added when Boost Mode is active1. Premier Guitar noted: "If you need a little more or less boost, there's an internal trimmer"7.
One limitation matters to players who like to run a clean boost on its own: the boost cannot be used independently of the effect. Guitar.com's review states it "can't be used on its own," offering both an output level increase and a boost to the input level4. On the character of the boost, the same review found:
"The best thing about the boost was, for us, to introduce a bit more of the character of a cooking tube amplifier to the [mix]"
Noise gate and dry blend
The GATE mini knob is a threshold control for the noise floor, removing unwanted hum; fully counter-clockwise it is off1. Guitar.com called it "a standard one-knob noise gate, with only the threshold adjustable," with a lightning-quick decay time, and found it "performs well, and luckily for those doing the percussive stop-start thing" it aggressively clamps down as soon as you stop playing4.
The DRY LVL mini knob adds clean, undistorted input signal to the output, increasing the dry blend as you turn it clockwise1. Delicious Audio highlighted this as a bass-friendly feature, useful for improved low end or for blending other distorted tones5.
Power
The Hell Melter runs on the included 9.6V DC, 200mA power adapter, with a current draw of 140mA1. MusicRadar confirmed both figures at launch, noting the 140mA draw and the included 9.6V 200mA supply3.
The 140mA current draw is well above what a 9V battery or a low-current daisy chain output can supply, so plan on a dedicated power outlet on your pedalboard supply.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's review covered the whole package. On the EQ, the reviewer found "the parametric EQ is powerful"4. On build quality: "The build is solid, and top-mounted jacks are always great to see, being a bit of a rarity for EHX (outside of the vintage big-box units)"4. The criticism was aimed at the knobs, described as "the smooth plastic affair found on basically all modern EHX pedals," frictionless and hard to turn4.
Delicious Audio included the Hell Melter in its best new pedals of 2023 roundup, citing the Norm/Burn toggle's two different clippings, the classic chainsaw sound on one side and a more open clipping option on the other, plus the separate Boost footswitch8. Gearnews listed the price at launch as USD 176.66 including the standard EHX power supply6, matching the $176.66 on EHX's own product page1.
Videos
Sweetwater
EHX
Nate Navarro
News
Questions
Does the Hell Melter have a noise gate?
Yes. A GATE mini knob adjusts the noise floor threshold to remove unwanted hum, and turning it fully counter-clockwise disables the gate. Guitar.com's reviewer found it performs well, with a lightning-quick decay time that aggressively clamps down as soon as you stop playing.
Can you use the Hell Melter on bass?
Yes. The DRY LVL mini knob blends your clean, undistorted input signal with the output, and Delicious Audio notes this is useful with a bass for improved low end. The LOW knob also gives active boost or cut in the bass frequency range, with the middle position flat.
Is the EHX Hell Melter true bypass?
No. Electro-Harmonix lists the Hell Melter as buffered bypass, not true bypass. The effect footswitch engages or bypasses the distortion, and an LED lights when the effect is active.
Can the boost be used on its own?
No. Guitar.com's review states the boost cannot be used on its own; it only works with the effect engaged. It adds an input gain boost plus a volume boost, with the output level increase set by an internal trimpot. Premier Guitar notes an internal trimmer lets you set more or less boost.
Sources (8)
- Hell Melter, Electro-Harmonix (ehx.com)
- EHX Hell Melter, Electro-Harmonix
- Electro-Harmonix goes unashamedly metal with its new Hell Melter Distortion pedal, MusicRadar, 2023-05-11
- EHX’s Hell Melter is the HM-2 you’ve always dreamed of, Guitar.com, 2023-06-02
- Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-30
- Electro Harmonix Hell Melter an HM-2 style distortion, gearnews.com, 2023-05-10
- EHX Hell Melter Guitar Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2023-10-04
- The Best Guitar Pedals Of 2023, Delicious Audio, 2024-02-01
