MusicRadar Verdict
Ogre's monster is built for outrageous riffs and insane solos, and it does this unashamedly.
Pros
- +
Extreme tones. Great look.
Cons
- -
Struggles with lower-gain tones.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
We challenge you to name a more imposing pedal than the one you see before you.
The Thunderclap is a high-gain distortion with a hand-crafted, heavyweight die-cast enclosure from Korean brand Ogre.
Each of its four horns controls a parameter - level, bass, treble and gain - while to activate the Thunderclap, you have to stomp down on the poor devil's jaw. And yes, its eyes are the status LEDs.
Unbelievably, the Thunderclap's tones are as extreme as its looks: devastating. It packs some of the highest levels of gain we've ever experienced - enough to turn even the weediest Strat into a liquid lead machine.
It's over-saturated in the extreme at full tilt, mind, so less demonic purposes will require settings around midway, which cools it to a more modest roar.
While you may assume metal is the Thunderclap's calling, it's more versatile than that, and can handle anything from 80s glam metal through to extended-range riffing and Boss HM-2-style Swedeath with all controls cranked. It does fall short on lower-gain tones, which come across a little fuzzy - but who'd buy this for blues?!
“The screaming was deafening!”: How a Japanese tour transformed the career of a weird little band known as the ‘Beatles of hard rock’
Ranked: Moog’s semi-modular ‘Mother’ synths from worst to best
“If it wasn’t for that song, that would have been the end of the band”: How one track’s sudden gear-switch led Coldplay into their imperial phase
