The Harley Benton Extreme Metal is an analog distortion pedal aimed at players chasing heavy, aggressive tones. It keeps things simple: a 3-band EQ alongside boost, volume and drive controls, in a design Gearnews describes as straightforward1. It sits in the distortion family, alongside other Harley Benton dirt pedals such as the Crunch Distortion, The Heat and Rodent.
What it does
The Extreme Metal is built around high-gain distortion for metal playing. Gearnews's buying guide, by Julian Schmauch and Jan Rotring, describes the pedal this way1:
"It's an analog distortion pedal equipped with a 3-band EQ and a simple design with boost, volume and drive controls."1
The three EQ bands let a player shape bass, middle and treble around the distortion, while the drive control sets how much gain the pedal produces and the volume control sets its output level. The boost control gives an extra push on top of the core distortion sound1.
What reviewers said
Gearnews's verdict was positive on both the sound and the price. On the pedal's response, the reviewers wrote1:
"The potentiometers' control is very subtle, and the variety of sounds is broad, at least in the more extreme metal style"1
In other words, the knobs sweep gradually rather than jumping from clean to chaos in a small turn, which makes it easier to dial in a specific tone. The guide also called out its "unparalleled price-performance ratio"1.
Price
Gearnews listed the Extreme Metal at $28.00 USD as of 14 April 2025, with a UK price of £24.90 and a European price of 29.90 euros1. At that kind of price it competes with Harley Benton's own compact range, including the MiniStomp Drop Kick and MiniStomp Sucker Punch, as well as the full-size Drop Kick and Sucker Punch.
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Questions
What kind of pedal is the Harley Benton Extreme Metal?
It is an analog distortion pedal aimed at extreme metal styles. Gearnews describes it as having a simple design with a 3-band EQ alongside boost, volume and drive controls, and notes that the potentiometers' control is very subtle with a broad variety of sounds in the more extreme metal styles.
How much does the Harley Benton Extreme Metal cost?
Gearnews listed it at $28.00 USD as of 14 April 2025, alongside a UK price of £24.90 and a European price of 29.90 euros. The site called its price-performance ratio unparalleled.
Sources (1)
- The Best Distortion Pedals in Every Price Range, Gearnews (www.gearnews.com), 2025-04-14
