Metal1990Left Hand Path

Left Hand Path Amp Settings

by Entombed

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Original Recording Settings

VerifiedResearched tone data for "Left Hand Path" by Entombed

Original Gear

Guitar: Ibanez X-series (Uffe Cederlund, rhythm), B.C. Rich (Alex Hellid, leads)
Pickups: Stock pickups (specific models not documented) (bridge)
Amplifier: Peavey Studio Pro 40 (small combo amp)
Channel: Clean channel (all distortion from HM-2 pedal)
Tuning: B Standard (all strings tuned down to B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Pickup Selector: bridge
Strings: 0.010-0.046 (confirmed by Cederlund — described as 'sloppy' for B tuning)

The iconic buzzsaw guitar tone was achieved by running a Boss HM-2 with all knobs maxed into a small Peavey Studio Pro 40 combo amp, mic'd with a Shure SM58. A second guitar track used a 50-watt Marshall combo with a Boss DS-1 for the center channel. Producer Tomas Skogsberg at Sunlight Studios also used a GC2020 rackmount stereo compressor on the guitars during mixing. The album was recorded in less than a week in December 1989.

Amp Settings

Bass

4.0

Mid

3.0

Treble

6.0

Master Volume

7.0

The Peavey Studio Pro 40 amp settings are not documented. The amp was essentially used as a clean platform to amplify the HM-2's distortion — the amp's own gain was minimal or nonexistent. All distortion came from the HM-2 pedal. EQ estimates reflect a relatively neutral amp setting that lets the HM-2's extreme character dominate.

Effects Chain

→

Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal

distortion

→

1.Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal — THE defining element of the Swedish death metal 'buzzsaw' tone. All four knobs cranked to maximum. Nihilist guitarist Leif Cuzner was the first to discover this setting, and it became the template for the entire genre. As Cederlund said: 'Everybody had that pedal, but Leffe was the guy who cranked everything to 10 first.'

Playing Technique

Aggressive, fast alternate picking with heavy palm muting. Down-tuned to B standard which creates a loose, buzzy string response that contributes to the overall chaotic sound. Tremolo-picked passages with occasional d-beat punk-influenced strumming patterns. The playing is intentionally raw and aggressive rather than precise — Cederlund himself described some tracks as 'really sloppy.'

Sources+

Guitar World — 'The birth of death metal guitar tone: how Entombed and Sunlight Studios made it happen' (June 2020, interview with Tomas Skogsberg and Uffe Cederlund)
BOSS Articles — 'HM-2: The Sound of Swedish Death Metal and Beyond' (June 2021, Tomas Skogsberg interview confirms HM-2, Peavey combo, GC2020 compressor)
Reverb.com — 'The Story of the HM-2: The Dark Side of Boss' (December 2023, Cederlund quote about Ibanez, Peavey, and HM-2)
Wikipedia — Left Hand Path album article (cites B tuning, HM-2 at max, DS-1 center channel, Shure SM58 mic)
CVLT Nation — 'Buzzsaw: An Oral History of the HM-2 Pedal' (September 2017)