Genre · 367 tones

Death Metal Guitar Tone - Amp Settings, Gear, and Songs

367 iconic Death Metal tones with the exact settings behind them - gain, EQ, pickup, tuning, and pedal chain per song, plus the median amp settings across the whole style. 47 of them are bass tones. Built to be dialled in on whatever gear you own.

Adapt to my gear

Translate any Death Metal tone to the rig you already own

The Death Metal amp settings window

Median knob positions across the 367 catalog tones in this genre, on the amps they were recorded with. A starting point for the sound - then pick a song below for the exact recipe.

Gain
8
2–10 · n=367
Bass
6
4.5–10 · n=367
Mid
5.5
0–7 · n=367
Treble
6.5
4–10 · n=367
Presence
6
4–8 · n=367
Volume
7
5–9 · n=367
The rigs behind it

Gear That Defines the Death Metal Sound

Who defined it

Artists With the Most Death Metal Tones

The songs

Death Metal Tones You Can Dial In

FAQ

Common Questions About Death Metal Tone

  1. What amp settings do I need for Death Metal?

    Across the 367 Death Metal tones in our catalog the median is gain 8 (range 2–10), with bass 6, mid 5.5, treble 6.5 - on a 0–10 scale. That's the window, not a recipe: pick any song below for the exact knob positions it was recorded with, then let ToneMirror re-voice them for your amp.

  2. What gear gives you the Death Metal sound?

    In our catalog the Death Metal tones lean most on the Marshall JCM800 2203, the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9, the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (a modern equivalent). You don't need any of it - the match engine translates each recipe onto the gear you already own, compensating for a different EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type.

  3. Which artists best represent Death Metal?

    Death, Gojira, Opeth have the most Death Metal tones catalogued here. Each artist page breaks down their full rig and how their tone changed across records.

  4. Can I get these tones without buying vintage gear?

    Yes - that's the point of ToneMirror. Every setting on this page was dialled in on the original artist's rig, and the match engine re-voices it for whatever guitar, amp, and pedals you actually have, including modellers like the Helix, Katana, and Kemper.

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Browse all 367 Death Metal tones (A–Z)
Adapt to my gear