Best Amps for Death Metal – Tube Heads for that Heavy Tone!

Author: Dedrich Schafer | Updated: | This post may contain affiliate links.

When it comes to death metal, getting the right sound is crucial if you want to be taken seriously. That means that the amp you use is extremely important to be able to get the right sound.

Since death metal is characterized by its aggressive, in-your-face distortion, your amp needs to be able to pull off that sound perfectly.

4 Best Amps for Death Metal

1. Peavey 6505 Mini Head

Even though the Peavey 6505 wasn’t originally intended as a metal amp, it does metal so well that it was quickly adopted by many metal bands.

The Mini Head is the same feature and sound-rich amp as the bigger 6505 version, just in a much more portable package.

The sound this amp produces is very fat, aggressive, and loud. It is certainly among the louder 20-watt amps I have ever played. Switching to the lead channel, the sound becomes thicker and really cuts through the mix.

The 6505 also has an attenuation switch to take it down to 5 and even 1-watt. At 5-watts, the amp managed to roar and scream without losing any sound quality. At 1-watt the amp is also still pretty loud, but to me, this is more of a practice setting rather than a gig setting.

Another use for the attenuation, other than power output, would be tone control. The amp does become quite saturated at higher volumes and 20-watts. Pulling back to 5-watt, I found the sound to tighten and clean up a bit and I no longer noticed the saturation at high volumes.

The amp also features built-in reverb. It is a digital, plate-style reverb and isn’t the best I have ever heard. While playing death metal, you aren’t likely to use a whole lot of reverb anyway. But it is a nice feature of the amp even if it isn’t the most amazing reverb around.

The 6505 also features Tube Status Indication (T.S.I.) which shows you that your tubes are still in good health and when they need to be replaced. This is such a small feature, but one that I always appreciate. It takes away the guesswork sometimes involved in figuring out when tubes need to be replaced.

As far as death metal goes, I think the 6505 does exactly what it needs to. It is loud, aggressive, and in your face. For chugging riffs, that is really all you need.

PROS

  • Very loud, even at 5-watts
  • Easy to dial in for death metal sound
  • S.I. to keep track of tube health

CONS

  • Doesn’t have the best sounding reverb

2. Orange TH30H

Orange amps are more known for their vintage sound, but there are plenty of modern metal bands that use them to great effect.

These iconic amps are known for their bright high-end and big, round bottom-end with enough barking midrange to spare. The TH30H is no different and embodies the signature Orange sound perfectly.

The TH30H also covers a wide spectrum of different sounding gains. These are all accessed with the simple turn of the shape control on the amp.

Dialing in a more modern metal sound does take some finessing. There is no EQ control on the dirty channel. So, I put an EQ pedal in front of the amp just to be able to shape the tone a bit more.

I had to do a bit of tone sculpting to get it to a point where I felt it was a modern metal sound. Once I did get it there, it sounded absolutely amazing.

I was able to get a very tight, yet thick and aggressive sound from the TH30H. As I mentioned, the shape control alone covers a large spectrum of sounds. If you are looking for a muddier or a more scooped sound, the option is there with a simple turn of the knob.

The other issue I had was with the balancing. The clean and the gain channels are somewhat out of sync in terms of volume. If the clean was on 5 for example, I would have to set the dirty channel to around 7 for it to be matched with the clean.

I would also have to dial in the tone and gain again to get it sounding right. This means that switching between channels isn’t a very smooth operation. For death metal, the clean channel isn’t used all too often and shouldn’t be an issue, but it is something to keep in mind.

PROS

  • Sounds just as great as the bigger Orange amps
  • Wide range of drive sounds

CONS

  • No EQ to shape the tone with
  • Clean and dirty channels aren’t balanced properly

3. Revv G20

Revv has been making high-quality, high-performance amps for years. They have now taken that same level of quality and performance and put it into a lightweight, portable little amp: the Revv G20.

This amp sounds incredible pretty much right out of the box. I just made some slight adjustments to the treble and the bass before I got a wonderful metal distortion.

The G20 growls and snarls fantastically, even before activating one of the two aggression modes. Once you press that button, turning it blue, the distortion gets a bit more attitude and bite.

Pressing the button again to turn it red activates the second aggression mode. This mode is just more attitude and bite than the first. It is a subtle, but definitely noticeable change from the standard distortion that just gives it that extra edge.

Even the amp’s clean sounds great. It has a very smooth and warm clean sound.

This is before activating one of the six virtual cabinets on the G20. These let the amp simulate what it would sound like going through different amps. These virtual amps can of course be swapped out using the Torpedo app as well as customized.

This not only makes the G20 extremely versatile but also means that you could essentially take just the amp to a gig or studio and be good to go. Since the amp can connect directly to an audio interface or desk, it can be played directly through a DAW like Pro Tools and front of house.

It also helps that the G20 is loud, very loud. For a 20-watt, this amp packs quite the punch. Even in 4-watt mode, the G20 is still pretty loud when you crank the volume. You do lose out on some of the dynamics and this mode is more for practice than gigs.

Overall, this is one of the best amps out there and there aren’t any real downsides. Even the packaging and presentation is great.

PROS

  • Extremely lightweight and durable
  • Two aggression modes help push the sound further
  • Can be used practically on its own for gigs and recording

CONS

  • One of the more expensive mini amp heads

4. ENGL Amplifiers Fireball 25

ENGL is a known brand for those of us who love heavy, death, and extreme metal. Yes, although ENGL began making high-tech amps in 1984, nowadays they’re known for having one of the heaviest tones in the industry.

For example, you can think of a thick, noiseless, super heavy but articulated distortion like the one used in records like Reise Reise from the fellow German rockers of Rammstein.

But let’s focus on this Fireball 25 head. To me, it’s ENGL’s take on the revolutionary small metal amps that are being released by brands like Mesa, EVH, Soldano, and Marshall. These smaller iterations of classic amps (for ENGL is the Fireball 100) carry the same tone and heaviness that made the originals timeless classics.

But why do you need this Fireball 25? Well, let’s begin by saying that this little amp can give you amazing tones at bedroom volume but it can also be your amp when gigging with your band.

Moreover, the power soak goes from 25 watts to 1 watt and even has a position in which the speaker is off. This feature, coupled with the 0dB line out makes this a great late-night inspiration amp. You can go with it straight into your DAW and record amazing tones while everyone else is dreaming.

But that’s far from being it with this amp. You also have a footswitchable FX loop to keep the delay clean while the amp is bringing mayhem to the world.

Moving over to the sound department, this amp is a very powerful metal machine and the available gain is way more than you'll ever need. Believe me, I tried Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse songs and the nastiness and grittiness were all there.

Perhaps, the only drawback I can find with this amp is that both channels share the same EQ, therefore, you can’t really shape a usable clean tone without affecting the distortion. On the other hand, I really liked the fact that you have separate gain knobs for each channel and a footswitchable boost to go into solos.

I had a ton of fun with this little beast. I think it makes a killer guitar amp that can go with you to the gig and also allow you to play your favorite songs at bedroom levels. If that sounds like what you’re after, you have to try this amp out.


Distortion, Distortion, and Distortion

Unless you are playing in a more progressive death metal band, the odds are you are rarely, if ever, going to use the clean channel of an amp. That means that you can pretty much ignore the clean and focus solely on the gain channel.

The reason for this is that you want to get an amp that has the perfect distortion sound. Distortion is a fundamental part of the death metal sound and a bad distortion can often make or break a song.

I can’t count how many times I have turned off a song or been put off of a band just because their distortion didn’t sound good. So, make sure you are getting the best possible distortion sound from the amp you are buying.

Dialing in the Tone

While distortion is very important to death metal sound, I have often found that the standard distortion isn’t always right.

While the standard distortion sound can be good for thrash, I usually have to dial in a death metal tone. Simply adjusting the gain doesn’t really work. You need a 2-band, but preferably 3-band, EQ on your amp to help you get the tone perfect.

Let me give you an insider trick to get that old-school death metal tone we all love so much.

  1. Set the bass and treble knobs at noon and put the middle in 0.
  2. Adjust the volume and gain to where distortion has enough gain and you have the volume you want. Remember, when playing with tube amps, you have two distortion sources: preamp tubes and power amp tubes. Make sure you use them both.
  3. Do you need more low-end? Is your sound biting enough? Re-adjust the level of the bass and treble knobs while leaving the mids at 0.
  4. Slowly, bring the mids up until you feel the punchiness of your sound. Although you have to respect the “scooped” idea (a V equalization curve), mids add definition and punch.

It is often just those fine adjustments that you need to make to get the sound right and an EQ is the best way to do that.

Tubes or Solid-State Amps?

If I tell you the name Dimebag Darrell, does it ring a bell? Well, in case you don’t know who Dimebag was, he was Pantera’s main composer and guitar player. Pantera is, to me, one of the biggest metal bands of all time. In fact, they often come up as influences for newer bands.

But why do I bring the image of the one and only Dimebag to this post about Death Metal? Well, because Pantera used the scooped EQ curve to get the death metal sound and nailed one of the most recognizable tones in metal history using exclusively solid-state amps.

This means you can achieve the metal tone using tubes as well as transistors. Let me boil down the differences between these approaches simply so you can make an informed decision.

  • Tube Amps - Tube amps are more fragile, need maintenance, and usually cost more than solid-state amps. That said, valves are more dynamic, and responsive, and offer the player more harmonic overtones than transistor amps. Plus, valves sound better when you push them from the volume knob; that percussive element, so needed for the chugging sound is right there.
  • Solid-State Amps - Solid-state amps work on transistors. Therefore, they can sound just the same at any volume, need virtually no maintenance, and cost less than tube amps. Although the grit and gain on transistor amps can be nasty and powerful, they don’t offer as much dynamics, colors, or harmonic overtones as tubes do.

My recommendation is, if you can afford it, go for tube amps.

What About Profilers, Emulators and Processors?

The good old tubes vs. transistors fight is just a little obsolete because there’s a new player: digital technology. Yes, the digital emulation of amplifiers has come a long way from the early ‘80s and now they sound better than ever. Furthermore, you can come across Kemper, Helix, and Neural Quad Cortex units on most stages and in studios nowadays.

So, what is better for death metal? A real tube amp cooking the tubes or a digital emulation of a real tube amp cooking the tubes?

After playing through a couple of them (and playing tube amps all my life) I can tell you that you need a big budget to enjoy digital emulation. How so? Well, the best recreations of tube tones still belong to the elite-level units (Kemper, Helix, Neural Quad Cortex). If you buy entry-level amp simulators, you’re going to be very far from the real deal.

But that’s not all, I have to add that dynamics-wise, you’re always lacking with digital emulation. There’s a random element in real tubes cooking at high volume that can’t be replicated, even for the most cutting-edge technology.

Again, if you have a moderate budget, go for tubes, they can inspire you to play more and better.

Effects Pedals

While an amp with a good distortion can be enough for a great death metal sound, you might want to add a pedal to enhance your sound. You can easily add pedals to most amps if you choose to.

Here are some examples of great distortion pedals that can take your amp to death metal ground.

What I would recommend is using certain pedals instead of the onboard effects of amps. Things like reverb, delay, etc. can sound good, but they will almost always sound better coming from a pedal.

So, I would suggest investing in a few good pedals if you also want to add effects on top of the amp’s distortion.

Some of my recommendations to add to the board are:

  • Delay - Adding some delay to your leads can be a game-changer giving them a more epic feeling. You can get an inexpensive Boss Digital Delay and add it to your board.
  • Chorus - Everything sounds more spacey and gets an overall 3-D quality when you engage the Chorus pedal. A Boss Super Chorus will do.
  • Phaser - The famous EVH tone for leads requires a little help from a friend called phaser. You can get EVH’s signature pedal for it.
  • Whammy - This pedal is a bolder acquisition, but can take your playing to the next level by adding higher and lower octaves to your riffing and lead work.

The Bottom End

If you are looking for an amp that has the perfect death metal sound, then the amps I've discussed above might be seriously worth considering. They are some of the best amps for death metal available today!

Avatar photo

About Dedrich Schafer

Dedrich is a guitar player, songwriter and sound engineer with extensive music production and studio experience. He mostly listens to classic rock and punk bands, but sometimes also likes listening to rap and acoustic songs.

Leave a Comment