Empress Heavy Menace vs. JHS Angry Charlie: High-Gain Pedal Shootout
- Nate Savage
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Hey, I'm Nate Savage—and yeah, while Guitar Fam might give off more of a bluesy or acoustic vibe, I’ve got a serious love for heavy tones. Over the past year, I’ve been on a quest—one involving obsessive pedal swapping, deep YouTube dives, and late-night tone experiments—to build the ultimate pedalboard. Clean boost? Check. Moderately dirty pedals? Got 'em. But I still needed something that could bring the high-gain fire.
That brings us to today’s matchup: the Empress Heavy Menace vs. the JHS Angry Charlie.
The Setup
This video and blog are all about finding that perfect high-gain pedal that can both chug and soar. Can one box cover tight, aggressive rhythm tones and smooth, sustaining lead tones? That’s what I set out to discover.
For this test, I ran my guitar straight into the pedals, then into my audio interface using aTonex XOG Lonestar model, with the Helix Native providing a touch of delay and reverb. No amp sims or crazy post-EQ magic—just raw pedal tone.
First Impressions
Let’s start with the Empress Heavy Menace. Full disclosure: I reached out to Empress (they're Canadian, I’m in Canada—it felt right), and they were kind enough to send one over. And man… from the first chord, I was blown away.
This thing just feels like a high-gain monster. Punchy, responsive, and incredibly flexible thanks to its mid-sweep and “weight” controls. It nails everything from modern metal chugs to vintage-inspired crunch. It immediately earned a place on my board for rhythm tones.
What About Leads?
Here’s where things get interesting. My current lead tone go-to is the Angry Charlie, and it’s phenomenal for that Andy Timmons-style sustain—super fat, chewy mids that just sing.
But here’s the catch: the Angry Charlie doesn’t quite death metal chug. It excels at singing lead and hard rock tones but doesn’t quite make it to those aggressive edgy tones I sometimes want for heavier rhythm parts. That’s where the Heavy Menace steps in. It’s got the bite, the definition, and the tight low end perfect for modern metal rhythms.
The Comparison
For the sake of “science”—and tone—I did a back-to-back shootout, comparing both pedals on rhythm and lead duties. And here’s the gist:
Heavy Menace: Sharp, articulate, aggressive. Great for tight, modern rhythm tones. Soaring leads are possible, but it can lean a little sharp if you're not careful.
Angry Charlie: Creamy, mid-forward saturation. Gorgeous for leads and solos. Not quite heavy enough for what I like in a true metal chug.
Honestly? They complement each other. If you want to cover both bases perfectly, you could easily justify having both on your board.
Final Thoughts
I actually wish that both pedals had a presence knob just to fine-tune those highs a bit more But you can always dial that in on your amp or modeler of choice. And the built-in gate on the Menace? Super handy for tightening up your sound, especially in high-gain situations.
If you’re more into sharp, cutting tones, go with the Menace. If you love those thick, singing leads, the Angry Charlie is hard to beat. But honestly, if you’re like me—juggling tone hunting with running a business, parenting, and life in general—being able to just plug in and feel inspired is a massive win. And the Heavy Menace gave me that feeling.
Stay loud,
Nate
P.S. Let me know in the comments what you think of these pedals—and definitely drop your high-gain pedal recommendations. I’m always down to try something new.
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