Lichtlaerm Audio Gehenna Guitar Effect

Lichtlaerm Audio Gehenna — Metal Distortion and Preamp Pedal

Built in Berlin by Lichtlaerm Audio, the Gehenna is a metal distortion and preamp pedal engineered to transform any clean amplifier into a high-gain tone machine. Covering everything from classic NWOBHM to raw Black and Death Metal and modern Djent, it spans the full spectrum of heavy music and works as a front-end distortion or preamp driving a power section.

Proprietary Cut Control and Hybrid EQ Architecture

The proprietary Cut control lets the player dial in different gain structures, saturation types, and frequency responses to match the tuning of the guitar. An active 4-band EQ pairs with passive Presence and Depth controls, creating a hybrid tone stack.

Active 4-Band EQ Plus Passive Presence and Depth

Active Bass operates in the 40–100 Hz range, active Lo-Mid sits at 400 Hz, and active Hi-Mid at 1 kHz. Active Treble covers 4 kHz to 10 kHz, while passive Presence and Depth add final air and low-end resonance.

• Bass: 40–100 Hz active — shapes crushing low-end thump
• Lo-Mid: 400 Hz active — cuts muddiness or adds body

Dual Footswitchable Gain Stages and Active Output Stage

A second footswitchable Gain control lets players switch between two gain levels. Gain I is indicated by a blue LED; Gain II delivers total saturation. The active output stage attenuates harsh frequencies while bringing out musical mids.

• Gain I / Gain II: footswitchable — two distinct gain levels in one pedal
• Cut: up to 1.5 kHz — proprietary control for gain structure and tuning response

Connectivity, Power, and Build

The Gehenna connects via 6.3 mm TS instrument jacks on input and output, with no MIDI interface or effects loop. Power comes from a 9V center-negative supply, and an internal charge pump increases headroom. True-bypass switching via Smart Relay preserves the dry signal when off.

• Input: 6.3 mm TS jack — standard instrument-level input
• Output: 6.3 mm TS jack — feeds amp, preamp, or power section