KHDK and Slipknot’s V-Man promise a “gritty as f**k” tone that will “change your life” with their new Totality overdrive

Last year, KHDK embarked on something of a signature effects pedal hot streak, teaming up with Trivium for the In Waves clean boost pedal, Bern Brodtrager for the Shred overdrive and Nergal for the LCFR: The Second Coming.

Now, the company has reignited its signature stompbox spark by teaming up with Slipknot's V-Man – aka Alessandro Venturella – for an overdrive pedal that, in KHDK’s own words, “is totally different than anything we have done before”.

That pedal is the Totality – a limited-edition piece that promises a “gritty as fuck” tone and a mid switch that is tuned to V-Man’s “special frequencies”.

In practice, the Totality is described as a “mixing board for your amp and overdriven tone”, which features a dual-path input and a slew of sound-sculpting controls.

As you would expect, the sole footswitch triggers the Totality, while Gain, Tone, Direct Treble and Direct Bass parameter knobs work alongside flanking Gain Volume and Direct Volume sliders to tweak the tone.

At the center of it all is that previously mentioned Mid Shift switch, which defaults to a pre-selected tone that has been dialed in to match V-Man’s own preferences.

Part of the pedal’s lure, though, is that artwork, which is the work of renowned artist Luke Preece whose style is heralded for its esoteric heavy metal iconography.

Never one to mince its words, KHDK probably summed it up most eloquently: “It has a mid switch tuned to Alessandro's preferences so you can get that sweet, sweet heavy as fuck Sicilian Villian sound.”

V-Man himself said words to the same effect: “This gritty tone will change your life.”

The Totality is set to arrive next month for $249, and will be built in KHDK’s Prague Custom Shop, where each piece of gear is personally tested.

Head over to KHDK to find out more.

KHDK and V-Man have collaborated before on the Abyss bass overdrive back in 2017.

Matt Owen
Senior Staff Writer, GuitarWorld.com

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.