Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Boss HM-2w Waza Craft Heavy Metal Review

The foremost pedal for Nordic metal nastiness returns, more potent than ever.

A clever re-working of a classic metal-toned distortion, with enhanced versatility.

Arguably less versatile than Boss would like us to think.

$179

Boss HM-2W Waza Craft Heavy Metal
boss.info

4
5
4.5
4.5

It's comforting that Boss pedals haven't changed their basic look and format since the late '70s. For all the boutique marvels that have come and gone, opening a Boss box still instills a sense of reliability. Boss pedals aren't just comfortingly familiar and bulletproof, though. Many Boss circuits are groundbreaking, timeless classics that deliver distinctive sonic results. And there's a strong sense of classicism about the HM-2w Waza Craft Heavy Metal pedal, a revamped reissue of the popular distortion originally manufactured from 1983 to 1991.


The original HM-2 accidentally came to define the aggressive chainsaw grind of Swedish death metal. It also offered more traditional cranked-stack-in-a-box tones suitable for mellower metal (yeah, "mellow" is relative) and heavy rock. The new HM-2w Waza Craft excels at both, and is more potent, to boot.

Boss HM-2W Waza Craft Heavy Metal Review by premierguitar

Gibson Les Paul with humbuckers into Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley set for low gain/clean.
Clip 1 Standard Mode: Bridge pickup ā€“ Dist 3 o'clock, Hi 1 o'clock, Lo 2 o'clock, Level 1 o'clock; Standard mode.
Clip 2 Custom Mode: Bridge pickup ā€“ Dist 3 o'clock, Hi 1 o'clock, Lo 2 o'clock, Level 1 o'clock; Custom mode.

Ā Waza Up

On the HM-2w, the classic Boss recessed control panel is home to four knobs for distortion, a "color mix" EQ section with high and low knobs, and a master output level. Waza Craft updates enter the picture in the form of a small slide switch on the crown that selects between original voicing (S, for standard) and a custom tuning (C) that's tighter and more aggressive. The pedal has a lower noise floor and 3 dB more output than the original, as well as an improved buffer when bypassed. Like the original, it also looks just plain mean.

Pedal to the Metal

The original HM-2 Heavy Metal was among the first pedals to wear the amp-in-a-box mantle. Don't let that loose classification fool you, though. The HM-2w Waza Craft is a full-blooded distortion pedal. You wouldn't exactly call it "tube-y." But scooped sizzle and doomy buzz saw harmonic saturation? It has loads of that on tap. The reduced noise helps explore those textures with a lot more confidence, too.

The "C" mode adds some gain, saturation, and punch, with just a little more push in the mids and some added upper-mid/treble bite.

While Boss claims the HM-2w Waza Craft is capable of lower-gain tonesā€”a little classic rock or vintage metal, perhapsā€”the pedal's priorities are clearly more metal-aligned. Crank all four knobs and you'll feel your amp blazing and sounding joyously evil in the process. To say the HM-2w pushes a front end is an understatement. Generally, the pedal's voice is predisposed toward a scooped EQ profile, but the color mix knobs, while not super rangy, are effective at dialing in some variations.

The "S" mode does a great job of copping the original tones. The "C" mode, meanwhile, adds gain, saturation, and punch, with just a little more push in the mids and some added upper-mid/treble bite. I'd call it contemporary rather than more aggressive. But it proved to be my favorite mode in a pedal that offers many cool, super-fun paths to metal mayhem.

The Verdict

Built like a Boss and packed with distortion power, the HM-2w Waza Craft does a great job re-creating the original Heavy Metal's chainsaw grind and, somehow, adds muscle and headroom for extended modern metal hijinks. The HM-2w has a strong personality, and some shoppers might want to gauge how retro and transformed they want their amp distortion and associated dynamics to be. But if you're on board, the HM-2w delivers a breed of proto-metal distortion that's in a league of its own.

Lloyd Baggs has reemerged from the shadows of guitar design, for the first time since the late ā€™80s, with his innovative AEG-1 instrument.

Following the release of the AEG-1, the multi-dimensional creative and intuitive engine behind acoustic-guitar pickup manufacturer L.R. Baggs shares the fascinating story of how heā€™s always been a builder, too.

In Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed, the German filmmaker, opera director, actor, and author tells his colleague Paul Cronin, ā€œWalk on foot, learn languages and a craft or trade that has nothing to do with cinema. Filmmakingā€”like great literatureā€”must have experience of life as its foundation.ā€ When applied to the story of Lloyd Baggs, founder and owner of the L.R. Baggs Corporation, whoā€™s been a cellist, car mechanic, aspiring racecar driver, fine-art printmaker, photographer, and self-taught guitar builder and acoustic pickup engineer, Herzogā€™s sentiment grows legs.

Read MoreShow less

The newest pedal in Supercool's lineup, designed to honor the classic RAT distortion pedal with more tone customization, a dead-quiet circuit response, and an eye-catching design.

Read MoreShow less

Megan and Rebecca Lovell donā€™t use many effects pedals. They didnā€™t even use amps until they were 16.

Photo by Robby Klein

The sisterly Southern-rock duo learned to be more vulnerable with one another, and itā€™s led to a new albumā€”and their biggest success yet.

Larkin Poe, the fiery roots-rock band fronted by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, have managed to achieve something that so many touring bands never do: They feel content with their level of success. In their case, that includes a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album, for 2022ā€™s Blood Harmony; packed-out headlining shows at many of the best-sounding clubs and theaters in the country; and delicious, nutritious prepared foods.

Read MoreShow less

The finish on this 2019 PRS Custom 24-08 is called ā€œAngry Larry,ā€ but stare long enough and youā€™ll realize itā€™s not so angry, and has much more of a deep, mesmerizing kind of vibe. (And Larry? Heā€™s not so angry either.)

Photos by Madison Thorn

This 2019 PRS Custom 24-08 has a 10-top, making it one of the companyā€™s most elite models, and it longs to be played.

I recently borrowed a guitar from a friend and accidentally got his whammy bar mixed up with the one from my PRS. Midway through my apology and explanation, I realized my friend was staring at me. ā€œI just didn't think youā€™d have a PRS,ā€ he said, baffled.

Read MoreShow less