Empress Effects Heavy Menace Heavy & modern high gain distortion [sound demo and reviews]

Empress Effects is a popular high-end Canadian brand.

The previous model "Heavy" has been evolved to have more diverse controls and functions.

Empress Effects Heavy Threat

The 3-mode gain range covers everything from creamy sounds to thick, heavy distortion.

Compact and equipped with a noise gateIt is a highly sophisticated, high performance pedal.

Empress Effects Heavy Threat

Empress Effects

41,800 JPY(TAX+) (As of 2026:05, March 16, 00 | Rakuten Market research)

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About Empress Effects | About the brand

About Empress Effects

Founded in 2008 by a team of talented Canadian engineers led by Steve Blagg, this manufacturer primarily produces pedal effects. In addition to parametric EQ, their lineup of over 15 unique models including distortion and delay, all of which feature studio-quality sound thanks to high-end parts and delicate circuit design. They have even released an API500-compatible FET compressor.

Empress Effects Heavy Menace｜Spec & Info.

Empress Effects Heavy Menace

Heavy Menace is an evolved, more flexible high-gain distortion pedal.

Equipped with 3-mode gain range and high-quality 3-band EQ unique to Empress. It supports a wide range of sound making, from light crunch to powerful heavy grind. In addition, the Weight parameter allows you to intuitively control the power of the low range, creating a heavy sound that lives up to its name.

The Adaptive Noise Gate perfectly follows your playing and does not interfere with your feeling, allowing for stepless threshold control. It also has a Gate Key Input that allows you to trigger the gate with an external signal, allowing you to create the perfect sound for any situation.

Even if your sound is already heavy, try adding Menace to create your signature sound.

Empress Effects Heavy Menace｜Sound Demo

Empress Effects Heavy Menace | Review and reputation

The Heavy Menace is a real beast. It has a ton of options to set up any tone you want. I play thrash and death metal, so this is perfect for me. However, with the pedal options, it can be used for a wide range of music, from classic rock to any genre, to thrash and death and the other end of black metal. You won't get the Swedish vibe of the HM2, but you can get a dark, heavy gain black or death metal kind of sound. I used the advanced setting, which can be used separately on the board as a gate, so you're actually using two pedals combined into one. Like the original Heavy, it has all the options to adjust the mids, but instead of two channels, it has a gate instead. So, I would definitely add the Heavy Menace to my board. I still love the Revv, Amptweaker and HM2 pedals, but this brings a different heavy vibe and is fun to play.

Overseas reviews More translations

I was looking for this sound for a long time. Some came close, some didn't. The Heavy Menace perfectly captures everything from hard rock to heavy sounds. The best part is it has a great tone without being muddy.

Overseas reviews More translations

Empress Effects Heavy Threat

Empress Effects

41,800 JPY(TAX+) (As of 2026:05, March 16, 00 | Rakuten Market research)

Read Reviews

Amazon

Rakuten

Yahoo

Mercari

Sound House

Amazon

Reverb

Pochip