Thanks bro - the perfect video to watch whilst eating my lunch. Obviously by lunch I mean, a rotting corpse. Keep it heavy - and check out the new Anaal Nathrahk. =) \,,/
I’ve been having the shittiest day, and at the end of it I got to watch you demo the same distortion pedal that I own. It made me happy to see you so inspired while noodling around with it. Thank you for being so genuine Ola.
Metal zone saved my ass. I had a shitty 90 watt crate Excalibur,half stack. Couldn't hear me, until I ran it through my clean channel. And we were power tree'o. Man,so disappointed with that stack.
@@Epd3mik I've seen it, great video! Like almost everyone who was into shredding stuff, I had one in the late 90s and never underestimated it: if not pushed to extreme settings, it was perfect for grunge/trash/metal. Only not good with classic single coils, too much noise.
Hell yeah! And Made in America 🇺🇸 since I am. I own a early 70s Traynor mark 3 100 watt tube head made in Canada and a 85 Guild Bladerunner made in USA.
@John P You've also got Rush, Triumph, Unleash the Archers and a bunch of others up there. My band was hoping to get up there this summer before the world shut down......
I'm guessing the "heavy" and "heavier" designation is just meant for you to be able to get two tones out of one unit that you can easily switch between. Which is a great feature.
There's definitely more saturation and compression on the "heavier" side. It's what Ola calls "mushier". The "heavy" side is more defined and less complex. That's why it's better in chugging and rhythm.
When I have this on my board I use the "Heavy" side as a slight breakup tone. Then the heavier side is my heavy rhythm tone. (I'm a rhythm player so I don't often utilize a "lead tone") Well, lead tone I use is an octave tone with a lot of delay and reverb.
These are obviously really good and informative... But id really like to see these into a Fender or Vox something that absolutely can not Chug by itself because a lot of us strive for perfect cleans and want a heavy pedal to remold the amp entirely.... Thank you for being an awesome regardless! Empress is awesome, their Trems and Modulation pedals will blow you away!
Empress Effects are very good but not well know that's quite sad ! Good job making this brand a little more known :) also space effects (reverb; delay) from this brands are awesome ! Nice video Brola !
I have had this pedal for 4 yrs. glad to see you finally demo it, by far the best pedal you have on the board!! Amazing tones that can be dialed in, from Classic Hard Rock to Metal.. Keep up the great reviews!!
I actually just bought the G3 and the G4 and compared it to my Empress Distortion and the Empress had a much heavier sound. The Revv pedals are very mid present pedals but I didn’t hear the right cut that the Empress gave me. This Empress Heavy circuit would basically then blow the Revv Pedals away.
I have both the heavy and paraeq and they're my favourite distortion and eq pedals. Used together they're killer! Especially if you want a great sound at lower practise volumes. Everything they make is top notch.
@@stoneeyeninja I too have both and yeah for sure, they're not going anywhere. They always discontinue the best pedals and I personally just don't get it.
It's an amazing pedal. The one thing that I would change, is to give a wider gain range on the Heavy side , it will make the pedal a little more versatile and give more use of the Heavier side if it's needed.
I've watched so many of these Chug videos , this is one impressed me enough to buy it. The Metal Zone video was impressive too, especially considering in the forums so many guitarist put the Metal Zone down as garbage and you made it sound fantastic! I've seen a couple of people do that with Line 6 amps also, I'd be like how did you get that amp to sound so damn good?!
It makes the bass tighter or looser and hence help it chug even more! I tend to have it around 8 - 10 o'clock for a tight rhythm. It's awesome and even better when used in conjunction with taking a small amount of 250Hz out to remove the boxy sound.
@@stoneeyeninja bro that is exactly what i would do! Ola was alil cracked out here and overlooked the things he for sire already knows. This thong reminds me of the Omega Granophyre in a pedal. Would love to get it one day.
Dude, could you make a video series on rig 101? It'd be awesome to listen to you explain what's all that shit to people like me who love metal but have no idea on "why do u need a preamp", "what are the usual amp settings", "how do u record metal today and how different it is from the 80s" ...there's a universe of knowledge that u already have and could share with us....anyway, great work, love you!
Excellent chug that pedal is probably the best Petal I’ve ever heard and I think it is awesome keep bringing them ola They sound great good job I love you show
knew this was going to be great the second i saw the timer appear in the corner. sure enough, could have stopped that thing at 1 second in! play this with their para eq pedal too if you really want to dominate the world. Empress is just the best in everything they make. but especially the Heavy and Para EQ. I use their Buffer+ as well. has a great boost and noise gate built in as well. Probably going to get a Stereo Buffer Plus from them, as i have a guitar with piezos and therefore a stereo output. Cool video Ola!
The heavy and heavier sides are almost identical. Heavier side has a bit more gain available. Sturdy and well designed. Top notch gear for top dollar. 😆🔥💰
I actually thought about asking you to try this one. It has a nice saturation of mids along with heavy distortion. Something I personally hated about most other pedals was always the lack of any mids. I prefer the more rich and melodic stuff. Therefore this one is on my "To Buy" list along with the snake oil pedals.
Didn't really think this was much of an exporation of the pedal, but within a second of that first note, and the tone it gave, I'm putting this on my shopping list.
First pedal that had a wow factor shown on olas face. Definitely worth buying. I would be surprised if Ola wouldn’t as this to his rig. That sound with this Engl was brutal 🤟🏻🤟🏻.
I think that you would be that more impressed if you had tried to play a little bit with the weight knob, it can make the sound even more chugy! 😊 But, all in all, I'm glad that you got the chance to review it in your show. I've been using it for 4 years now, really happy with it (in front of the amp and in the FX loop as well).
Sorry for being late to the party, but I too have the "heavy empress" on my board and I wholeheadtedly agree with you on this point. Works best with 4 cable connection :)
Ahh.. always good to see Ola's chuggy chug chug video series :) Now.. I have the "heavy empress" on my pedalboard along with Jam Pedal Ripply Fall, Big Muff, Worm and some other babies. Since I play in a 90s Grunge / Hard Rock / Alternative / Stoner Rock / some Metal Coverband, this baby is a must in my personal oppinion. Yes... it costs 300+ €, but it's worth every cent.
Empress build awesome effect pedals; whatever what you get from them - it´s from highest quality. I use the buffer+, the compressor and the para-eq (2x) in different setups. I would never again miss one of these tools.
I have the empress heavy. Had for about an year now. And it’s awesome. Have the para eq also. The heavy is an underrated pedal. Why I don’t know. Empress pedals are awesome and well made.
I would describe the gain as a crunch but with a warm buttery blanket just over the top. A blanket typically sounds cheap or foggy but its like JUST tamed enough to be tight and just warm enough to be dark and heavy. Its almost a sophisticated sound but its knarly its got so much gain. Its a strength dex build lol. A good bold powerban. Doesnt do muddy bass or piercing dry airy gain but no one really wants that anyway. It gives you as much as you can get from both while keeping it all together. Its one of those that just sounds good. If you arent in the mood to try and pair up a bunch of weird stuff and youre trying to have your playing be the interesting thing and you need a great straight tone to express your unique mote choices. Kinda like keep it simple stupid. But theres so many options to shape that good strong sound too. Its not like "which is better and which is unusable" its like "which good tone do you want cuz we got both"
I love that its not fizzy. Its thick and broken up but like he said not actually the chunkiest. The...crackle of distortion here is a great middle ground. Its not tv static or magma but its like that thundercloud low crackle if that makes sense.
hi olaaa just a suggestion alot of us have budgets on our gear and stuff it would be really helpful if u could make a series where u try out affordable metal gear and give ur suggestions. cheers
TRYING TO MAKE THIS MONDAY A LITTLE BETTER! WILL IT CHUG!?
Thanks for doing so.
You just made my day 100 times better thanks for doing so
Done!! Quickest one yet!! Sounds great!! \,,,/
Thanks bro - the perfect video to watch whilst eating my lunch. Obviously by lunch I mean, a rotting corpse. Keep it heavy - and check out the new Anaal Nathrahk. =) \,,/
Ola, it’s 8 am in Toronto and watching will it chug gives me a boost before school starts! 🤘🤘
This is the fastest chug so far! The top three are:
This at 8.24 seconds, then the Boss DS1X at 8.34 seconds, and then Zoom G1X4 at 8.48 seconds!
Your dedication is an inspiration to us all.
Bogner Pedal has recently beat these at 3 seconds!
Bro the eyemaster chugged when he turned it on xD
A lot of the times Ola doesn't call the timer even when a thing chugs, and just plays around for a minute and then calls it
@@QUALIAMusic*beaten
I’ve been having the shittiest day, and at the end of it I got to watch you demo the same distortion pedal that I own. It made me happy to see you so inspired while noodling around with it. Thank you for being so genuine Ola.
Damn Canadian companies are just killing it with the metal tones! Fortin, Revv, and Empress are all making some amazing products for metal guitarists!
This is honestly one of my favorite videos ever made. I bought one of these like a minute or two of watching it.
It's a metal zone who believed in himself.
Metal zone saved my ass. I had a shitty 90 watt crate Excalibur,half stack. Couldn't hear me, until I ran it through my clean channel. And we were power tree'o. Man,so disappointed with that stack.
LMAO
You should check out Ola's metal zone video! He made it sound AWESOME just by plug it in the FX Loop!
@@Epd3mik I've seen it, great video! Like almost everyone who was into shredding stuff, I had one in the late 90s and never underestimated it: if not pushed to extreme settings, it was perfect for grunge/trash/metal. Only not good with classic single coils, too much noise.
"I think I can chug, I think I can chug" - The little pedal that chugged. Ola! I have a book idea!
I love the “Handmade in Canada” 🇨🇦 ! Proud Canadian here 🤟🏻
Canada, eh? Tell Terrence and Philip hello for me. 😉
Hell yeah! And Made in America 🇺🇸 since I am. I own a early 70s Traynor mark 3 100 watt tube head made in Canada and a 85 Guild Bladerunner made in USA.
@John P You've also got Rush, Triumph, Unleash the Archers and a bunch of others up there. My band was hoping to get up there this summer before the world shut down......
Metalbass79 oh yes haha just gotta clear 4 feet of snow off before I can venture out to say hi 👋 hahaha
@@tylerwilliams5966 Hahahaha! That was hilarious. 😎
Probably the best chug from a solid state pedal I've heard.
I'm guessing the "heavy" and "heavier" designation is just meant for you to be able to get two tones out of one unit that you can easily switch between. Which is a great feature.
My thoughts exactly, fun to hear someone else come to this conclusion too. ^_^
Yes. There's no difference between both sides, other than the '-ier'.
There's definitely more saturation and compression on the "heavier" side. It's what Ola calls "mushier". The "heavy" side is more defined and less complex. That's why it's better in chugging and rhythm.
When I have this on my board I use the "Heavy" side as a slight breakup tone. Then the heavier side is my heavy rhythm tone. (I'm a rhythm player so I don't often utilize a "lead tone") Well, lead tone I use is an octave tone with a lot of delay and reverb.
Ola it’s my first day of school today and I might be late to finish this video! Thanks man...
I'm sitting in the parking lot before work and thinking the same thing. Its gonna be close!
School is stupid!
Bitter Qlinger I know man
Good luck dude!
It's the first day of school and I think I might quit
I am buying one. This demo completely sold me on this pedal
if you have a tube power amp
Try the Waza Metal zone had 2 of these the Waza craft Metal Zone killed em
@@scarreefty The Wasa Zone is a modern classic.
I just may as well.
Me too!
To my ears this is the very best CHUG sound so far in the WILL IT CHUG series. Thanks for the insight, never heard of this pedal before.
The amp pedal combination plus mic position is just perfect. Very chuggy. 🤘
Finally! A proper demo for this pedal!
These are obviously really good and informative... But id really like to see these into a Fender or Vox something that absolutely can not Chug by itself because a lot of us strive for perfect cleans and want a heavy pedal to remold the amp entirely....
Thank you for being an awesome regardless! Empress is awesome, their Trems and Modulation pedals will blow you away!
Empress Effects are very good but not well know that's quite sad ! Good job making this brand a little more known :) also space effects (reverb; delay) from this brands are awesome ! Nice video Brola !
An the paraeq is just a perfect, noiseless, eq!
Their reverby stuff is pretty much the golden standard afaik
@@fredriksvard2603 yeah it's also my feeling about that. And that distortion is great too
I wouldn’t say they no well known, just expensive/boutique sort of smaller pedal company
Curious about this!
This pedal is impressive. It is loaded with a lot of interesting features like the gate and the EQ.
I have had this pedal for 4 yrs. glad to see you finally demo it, by far the best pedal you have on the board!!
Amazing tones that can be dialed in, from Classic Hard Rock to Metal..
Keep up the great reviews!!
I'd like to see the Battle of Canadian Distortion pedals. Revv G3, G4 vs the Empress Heavy!
I actually just bought the G3 and the G4 and compared it to my Empress Distortion and the Empress had a much heavier sound. The Revv pedals are very mid present pedals but I didn’t hear the right cut that the Empress gave me. This Empress Heavy circuit would basically then blow the Revv Pedals away.
These guys a paraEQ that is awesome as hell! I might have to get this pedal..
you should make a guitar channel if you dont already have one. id be awesome to here you chug!
They just discontinued it too. Prices are gonna rise pretty quick.
I have both the heavy and paraeq and they're my favourite distortion and eq pedals. Used together they're killer! Especially if you want a great sound at lower practise volumes. Everything they make is top notch.
@@stoneeyeninja I too have both and yeah for sure, they're not going anywhere. They always discontinue the best pedals and I personally just don't get it.
$299 USD in Amazon
It's an amazing pedal. The one thing that I would change, is to give a wider gain range on the Heavy side , it will make the pedal a little more versatile and give more use of the Heavier side if it's needed.
got to love his Guaranteed approval Chug facial expression
that is when you know you want to own the pedal
and plugged to my Black SG of Honor
This has to be my favorite pedal you've reviewed so far, it's extra T H I C C and that noise gate is very impressive.
Almost my brother setup. He uses an Empress Heavy thru an Engl 530, Carvin TS-100 and 2x10 stereo Carvin cab. Great demo as usual. Cheers from Canada.
Ola, you forgot to boost it. I have an OD808 in front, takes it really well.
Also thx for the nice vids. Keep it up.
You should absolutely revisit this one and see how it handles when you run it direct with some cab impulses.
Ola was “Empressed” 6/10
That hit me soooo good.
3 6s out of 10
I've watched so many of these Chug videos , this is one impressed me enough to buy it. The Metal Zone video was impressive too, especially considering in the forums so many guitarist put the Metal Zone down as garbage and you made it sound fantastic! I've seen a couple of people do that with Line 6 amps also, I'd be like how did you get that amp to sound so damn good?!
That gain is so smooth
This pedal sounds amazing! Thanks Ola! Going to have to check these out!
Damn, that’s a NICE sounding pedal. I want...
Bought one of these after seeing this video. Couldn't be happier with it. Thanks Ola!
That pedal sounds fantastic
I figured you would have it chugging in about 20 seconds, this is the metal pedal my friend I knew you were gonna like this pedal it is a badass.
you didn't touch the weight knob, now im sitting here like WHAT DOES IT DO!? lol
It makes the bass tighter or looser and hence help it chug even more! I tend to have it around 8 - 10 o'clock for a tight rhythm. It's awesome and even better when used in conjunction with taking a small amount of 250Hz out to remove the boxy sound.
@@stoneeyeninja bro that is exactly what i would do! Ola was alil cracked out here and overlooked the things he for sire already knows. This thong reminds me of the Omega Granophyre in a pedal. Would love to get it one day.
@@toemasmeems Do it a.s.a.p.
This is the best pedal distortion for heavy tones I've ever heard.
Check out Tight Metal Pro II, Grindstein, Guardian of the Wurm. Lots of great distortion pedals out there.
Blown away........ordered and can't wait to plug it into my laney irt 120 stack
The day has arrived! Thank you Ola for this video!
7:05 "not the most chunky-ass tone i've ever played" ... proceeds to play some of the chunkiest chugs ever
Probably one of the faster chugs I've had...
...
...
That's what she said 👀
Empress.
Never bet against it.
JUSTSAYIN'.
Dude, could you make a video series on rig 101? It'd be awesome to listen to you explain what's all that shit to people like me who love metal but have no idea on "why do u need a preamp", "what are the usual amp settings", "how do u record metal today and how different it is from the 80s" ...there's a universe of knowledge that u already have and could share with us....anyway, great work, love you!
Just ordered one because of this video! Thanks Ola!
1:42
Empress. Damn, man.
That should be their slogan.
I especially liked the weight knob
Excellent chug that pedal is probably the best Petal I’ve ever heard and I think it is awesome keep bringing them ola They sound great good job I love you show
knew this was going to be great the second i saw the timer appear in the corner. sure enough, could have stopped that thing at 1 second in! play this with their para eq pedal too if you really want to dominate the world. Empress is just the best in everything they make. but especially the Heavy and Para EQ. I use their Buffer+ as well. has a great boost and noise gate built in as well. Probably going to get a Stereo Buffer Plus from them, as i have a guitar with piezos and therefore a stereo output. Cool video Ola!
Check out the Diamond J-Drive mk3. Diamond is another great Canadian builder.
Thanx Ola! Sounds great immediately!
Sounds pretty sick! Thanks Ola. Your Vlogs always let us metalheads know what sounds good before we go to music stores.
The heavy and heavier sides are almost identical. Heavier side has a bit more gain available. Sturdy and well designed. Top notch gear for top dollar. 😆🔥💰
Killer sounding pedal!! Sounds like a cascading gain structure
I own a empress heavy myself I had one for a long time now I also have an empress multi-drive with overdrive and fuzz
Holy shit that pedal sounds so good
Awesome solar! Very beautiful guitar!!!
Ola! As someone who's only listening to this video, the Empress Heavy sounds really nice!
Everything Empress makes is top notch. Ya pay for it though..
That is for surrrrre 😬😅 quality stuff tho definitely
I actually thought about asking you to try this one. It has a nice saturation of mids along with heavy distortion. Something I personally hated about most other pedals was always the lack of any mids. I prefer the more rich and melodic stuff. Therefore this one is on my "To Buy" list along with the snake oil pedals.
This Gibson ROCKS. I would buy a mate black with golden details. 🖤
Thanks Ola, much love from Canada
Didn't really think this was much of an exporation of the pedal, but within a second of that first note, and the tone it gave, I'm putting this on my shopping list.
this is my most favorite segment of ola, im always excited. thank you so much
Classical player hooked on Ola's videos...well done!
I noticed in tiny writing below the logo, Handcrafted in Canada 🤘😲🤘🇨🇦🇨🇦
Empress customer service is top notch. I had to send a pedal back and they had it sent there and back in less than a week.
That my fav guitar in these videos so far.
First pedal that had a wow factor shown on olas face. Definitely worth buying. I would be surprised if Ola wouldn’t as this to his rig. That sound with this Engl was brutal 🤟🏻🤟🏻.
This pedal and the Kraken pedal you demoed on "will it chug" are by far my favourites.
I think that you would be that more impressed if you had tried to play a little bit with the weight knob, it can make the sound even more chugy! 😊 But, all in all, I'm glad that you got the chance to review it in your show. I've been using it for 4 years now, really happy with it (in front of the amp and in the FX loop as well).
Sorry for being late to the party, but I too have the "heavy empress" on my board and I wholeheadtedly agree with you on this point. Works best with 4 cable connection :)
sounds great dayummn
Ahh.. always good to see Ola's chuggy chug chug video series :) Now.. I have the "heavy empress" on my pedalboard along with Jam Pedal Ripply Fall, Big Muff, Worm and some other babies. Since I play in a 90s Grunge / Hard Rock / Alternative / Stoner Rock / some Metal Coverband, this baby is a must in my personal oppinion. Yes... it costs 300+ €, but it's worth every cent.
Trying the empress fuzz !! It’s a yellow stomp box with 4 knobs , all their pedals are hand made from Canada 🇨🇦
Thanks Ola . just bought one because of this video .
Damn,Gotta pick one up!!! Awesome demo Ola!!!
Thanks Ola! I will probably be buying one of these in the next month.
I really enjoy this videos man!
The harmonics in that pedal are amazing that's what you want!!! Empress's delays are the best in the world too.
loving that guitar
This pedal was badass the minute you turned it on....wow man, not much I can say now.....thanks dude
YES!!!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING!
I have this pedal and love it. Curious how their recent MENACE (Empress) pedal is?
You did in fact make my Monday better.
Thanks a lot, Ola. :)
I knew when you hit the first note it would chug. That is one badass pedal
Empress build awesome effect pedals; whatever what you get from them - it´s from highest quality. I use the buffer+, the compressor and the para-eq (2x) in different setups. I would never again miss one of these tools.
I have the empress heavy. Had for about an year now. And it’s awesome. Have the para eq also. The heavy is an underrated pedal. Why I don’t know. Empress pedals are awesome and well made.
Wow! I *like* that guitar, Ola! Absolutely beautiful! 😎🎸
love that solar guitar!
My favorite pedal I own ! Really great company I have 3 of their pedals. Awesome video as always man!
the other two? are as good?
I would describe the gain as a crunch but with a warm buttery blanket just over the top. A blanket typically sounds cheap or foggy but its like JUST tamed enough to be tight and just warm enough to be dark and heavy. Its almost a sophisticated sound but its knarly its got so much gain. Its a strength dex build lol. A good bold powerban. Doesnt do muddy bass or piercing dry airy gain but no one really wants that anyway. It gives you as much as you can get from both while keeping it all together. Its one of those that just sounds good. If you arent in the mood to try and pair up a bunch of weird stuff and youre trying to have your playing be the interesting thing and you need a great straight tone to express your unique mote choices. Kinda like keep it simple stupid. But theres so many options to shape that good strong sound too. Its not like "which is better and which is unusable" its like "which good tone do you want cuz we got both"
I love that its not fizzy. Its thick and broken up but like he said not actually the chunkiest. The...crackle of distortion here is a great middle ground. Its not tv static or magma but its like that thundercloud low crackle if that makes sense.
You got the microphone ready! Not trying to be mean to you. You are awesome Ola! 🤘🏾
hi olaaa just a suggestion
alot of us have budgets on our gear and stuff it would be really helpful if u could make a series where u try out affordable metal gear and give ur suggestions. cheers
He does, he has demoed Behringer, TC Electronic cheap ones, etc
Look through his videos. He's tested all sorts of affordable gear.
He tests products from all kinds of price brackets
He even did shootout for budget pedals. And I mean, reall budget pedals.
In fact... he did a video called "Ola Englund budget Guitar Rig for under $600.00"
Type that in the search
Amazing!
I this is one of the best distortion pedals out there, good job reviewing it.
I have one Empress Heavy and i love it!
Damn, you are so good. Imagine, if this guy did some metal riff tutorials.
Hi Ola!! Huge fan. You should do a demo of the ISP Theta preamp pedal. Not the DSP one, the analog one. Absolutely monstrous preamp.
Great sound!
Well done Ola. I have known about this product for years now, a and your video makes me wnt to revisit it again..... Just saying.... Good show man
I'm still in love with that guitar. I will have one someday
Killer sounding chug-a-lugs. Empress makes great stuff!
Hey Ola you're playing sounded really good right here. Just had to tell you that ;) Really good.