Dungeon Crawler Extreme Metal Distortion

Dr. Scientist Dungeon Crawler

Dungeon Crawler is Dr. Scientist's most amp-like distortion yet, built for unapologetically extreme metal sounds. Centered around three MOSFET gain stages that handle all of the clipping and saturation, all this pedal needs is a clean amp, which it will drive to the point of total destruction. A custom-designed noise gate clamps down on everything between the riffs, keeping palm mutes tight at gain settings that would make most overdrives blush, while the active EQ lets you sculpt all manner of metal tones—scooped or boosted mids, and anything in between. And to answer a question some of you may have—it surely does djent.

The circuit is original, but not without paying tribute to a couple of historically influential designs. The EQ is built on gyrator stages, the same approach that gave the Boss Heavy Metal HM-2 its chainsaw bite—the signature tone of Swedish death metal. And the Grind control brings in a rectifier stage that adds a nastier, tattered edge on top of the MOSFET saturation—a nod to Boss Hyper Fuzz FZ-2.

A year in the making, Dungeon Crawler is Dr. Scientist at their heaviest.

Dungeon Crawler Features

• FET-based distortion built around three MOSFET amplifier stages handling all clipping and saturation
• Wide gain range covering everything from a barely broken-up amp to full death metal saturation
• HM-2-inspired Gyrator-based EQ stages for deep frequency shaping
• FZ-2-inspired Grind control adds a silicon NPN transistor rectifier stage for a harsher, more aggressive edge
• Clean blend preserves pick attack and low-end definition at maximum gain
• Built-in noise gate designed for high-gain rhythm playing
• Second footswitch engages a Boost mode, raising both volume and gain