mr dave

depends on the style of metal you're looking to play.

for the most part you're looking for a distortion pedal. there are a few basic distinctions between the types of distortion you can get such as, fuzz, overdrive, or compression, but ultimately they're all distortion pedals.

new school metal and technical stuff that's played on 7+ string guitars would require down tuning, contrary to popular belief this also means LESS distortion. maybe even just a compressor to tighten up your signal so that it doesn't become a pile of mud.

on the other hand if you like the sludgy / muddy style of blues based metal then you're mostly looking for fuzz like a Big Muff Pi.

something a lot of old school metal guys used to do was 'scallop' their sound with the EQ settings on their amps. lows and highs would be maxed out and the mids would be completely removed. apparently Kirk Hammett used to duct tape the knobs on his amps to ensure that setting in Metallica's early days.

there's also a relatively cheap BOSS pedal called 'the Metal Zone' that normally runs around $100 that lives up to its name especially when you're still starting out. i'd also recommend picking up a wall adapter if you're going to get one as opposed to dealing with 9volt batteries.

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