MusicRadar Verdict
A really good distortion pedal - not just for metal.
Pros
- +
Versatile tonal shaping; it's black and has an umlaut in the name!
Cons
- -
EQ faders feel a little wobbly.
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.
If metal distortion is your thing, the Totenschläger aims to supply it, courtesy of level and gain knobs and a three-band graphic EQ.
Sounds
There's a very useful range of distortion on tap here from overdrive-like grit through various shades of grind, to a full-on dirt-fest with plenty of sustain. But the really remarkable thing is the amount of tonal shaping that can come from three tiny faders.
You get real girth with the low, nasal parked-wah or classic scoop from the mid, and ice-pick-in-the-ear nasty from the high.
If you stick Totenschläger into Google Translate all it comes out with is 'dead bat' - a tribute to Ozzy, perhaps? Either way this is a really good distortion pedal and, graphics aside, not just for metal.
“It’s an old-fashioned piece of conceptual rock”: Steven Wilson issues album update and promises no less than the reinvention of the “extended classic rock solo”
“We were always going to try to break boundaries and try new things”: It was the first No.1 pop single to feature rapping - and it came from Debbie Harry and Blondie
“I have to try and talk about the neck without sounding offensive or angry”: Johnny Marr says satin finishes have no business being on a guitar neck
