The TC Electronic EYEMASTER METAL DISTORTION is a distortion pedal built for one job: the aggressive death metal tone known as the "Swedish buzzsaw." TC Electronic describes it as bringing back the original metal credo of "loud and brutal" with a "simpler-than-thou" two-knob layout, and says it was specifically designed to channel the Swedish death metal tone, endearingly nicknamed the "Swedish buzzsaw," a sound the company characterizes as not subtle, not transparent, and burning through the mix.1
TC Electronic also makes other distortion pedals, including the FANGS METAL DISTORTION, Grand Magus and Magus Pro.2
The Swedish buzzsaw tone
The pedal aims at a specific sound with a name and a history. Premier Guitar's press release put it this way when the pedal was announced in November 201713:
"if you're drawn to the menacing buzzsaw grind of old school Swedish death metal with unforgivable amounts of gain - look"3
Delicious Audio covered the Eyemaster Metal Distortion on its release.4
The controls: Volume and Gain
There are only two knobs, and TC Electronic is upfront about how to use them1:
"Just set the volume (all the way up, right?) and adjust the gain (anything less than all-the-gain is sacrilege)"1
That is the whole control set. There is no tone or EQ knob: TC Electronic says it has "already dialed-in the perfect death metal EQ and cut off the knobs," so the EQ is fixed inside the pedal.1 Players who want more control over the voicing would need to pair it with an equalization pedal or look at a different distortion.
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TC Electronic
Ola Englund
BAEST
Questions
Does the TC Electronic Eyemaster Metal Distortion have an EQ?
No. TC Electronic says it has already dialed in the perfect death metal EQ and cut off the knobs, so the pedal carries a fixed preset death metal EQ with no EQ controls of its own. The only knobs on the pedal are Volume and Gain, which keeps the layout to two controls.
Is the Eyemaster Metal Distortion analog or digital?
It is analog. TC Electronic's product page lists all-analog circuitry for the pedal, and it was announced in 2017 as one of a group of new analog pedals from the company.
Is the Eyemaster Metal Distortion true bypass?
Yes. TC Electronic lists True Bypass for the pedal, so the signal passes through untouched when the effect is switched off.
What is the Swedish buzzsaw tone?
The Swedish buzzsaw is the nickname for the Swedish death metal tone, a menacing buzzsaw grind associated with old school Swedish death metal played with unforgivable amounts of gain. TC Electronic says the Eyemaster was specifically designed to channel that tone, and describes it as not subtle, not transparent, and burning through the mix.
How many knobs does the Eyemaster Metal Distortion have?
Two: a Volume knob and a Gain knob. TC Electronic's take is that you set the volume all the way up, adjust the gain, and start playing, with the EQ fixed inside the pedal.
Sources (4)
- EYEMASTER METAL DISTORTION, TC Electronic
- Best distortion pedals: Our top high-gain stompboxes, Guitar World, 2022-06-09
- TC Electronic Launches 8 New Analog Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2017-11-02
- TC Electronic Unveils Eight New Analog Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2017-11-02
