An evolution of Empress's original Heavy distortion unit, the streamlined stompbox packs new features and updated controls into a more pedalboard-friendly enclosure
(Image credit: Empress Effects)
Empress Effects has issued an updated version of its popular Heavy stompbox, which the Canadian pedal specialist advertises as its “most versatile distortion pedal ever."
Dubbed the Heavy Menace, the new-for-2023 distortion pedal has been marketed as an evolution of the flagship Heavy unit, offering both an extended feature set and smaller pedalboard footprint.
The briefest of glances at the Heavy Menace will reveal the extent to which Empress Effects has really committed to a compact enclosure for its latest stompbox, with reduced control knob (10 to eight) and toggle switch (four to one) counts.
As for what parameters are present, the Heavy Menace boasts six larger and two smaller control knobs, with the former concerning themselves with adjusting the Gain, Weight, Output, Low, Mid, and High parameters.
The latter, meanwhile, are tasked with dictating Gate Threshold – used in conjunction with the footswitchable noise gate – and Mid Frequency, which is sweepable from 200Hz to 2.5kHz.
Those Gate Threshold and Mid Frequency knobs are a notable upgrade from the original Heavy, which alternatively offered limiting three-way toggle switches for the two parameters. Here, much more sonic ground can be covered.
Other notable controls include the aforementioned Weight knob – which adjusts a high-pass filter in the distortion circuit to shape the low-end character – and a new Gate footswitch, which engages the adaptive noise gate.
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Notably, a gate key input is also present on the top of the pedal, meaning users can trigger the gate with an external signal.
As well as new controls, the Heavy Menace also introduces a whole new sound, adding a Lite(ish) voice alongside the original Heavy and Heavier modes. Accessed via the sole toggle switch, Lite(ish) harnesses a lower gain option for a more classic crunch.
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(Image credit: Empress Effects)
(Image credit: Empress Effects)
(Image credit: Empress Effects)
As was the case with the original Heavy, the Heavy and Heavier modes – also accessed via a toggle switch, as opposed to a footswitch – work their way up the gain scale, promising to deliver searing modern metal sounds.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
