The Boss Metal Zone vs Revv G3 comparison should not really make sense.
At least not on paper.
The Boss Metal Zone is one of the most famous and most hated distortion pedals ever made. It has probably been used badly through more tiny practice amps than any other metal pedal in history.
The Revv G3, on the other hand, is a much more modern high-gain distortion pedal. It is tight, controlled, amp-like, and generally much easier to take seriously.
So this is not really a “which one is better?” comparison.
The Revv G3 is clearly the more modern and refined pedal.
But what surprised me was this: when both pedals are dialed in for the same track, they can sound much more similar than I expected.
Not identical.
Not the same under the fingers.
But surprisingly close.
And that is what made this comparison interesting.
Why I Compared the Boss Metal Zone vs Revv G3
This whole thing started after a chain of Metal Zone videos.
Ola Englund plugged the Metal Zone into the effects return of his amp and got a good sound. Ryan Burke from 60 Cycle Hum did something similar. Colin Scott from CSGuitars explained the whole thing properly, because of course he did.
Then Henning did his own version of the idea.
Very Henning.
A lot of that discussion was about whether the Metal Zone works better as a preamp-style pedal into the return of an effects loop.
That is interesting, but I wanted to approach it from a slightly different angle.
Instead of only asking whether the Metal Zone works as a preamp, I wanted to compare it against a pedal I already know works really well for metal: the Revv G3.
Not to prove that the Metal Zone is better.
Not to prove that the Revv G3 is overrated.
Just to see how close these two pedals could get if I actually dialed them in for the same track.
The Setup
For this comparison, I used my Uraltone Jr amp.
If you have watched my videos before, you probably know this amp already. I have used it in a lot of demos, and it has turned out to be a really useful pedal platform.
The signal went from the guitar into the pedalboard, through the pedals, and into the amp.
From there, the amp went into the Two Notes Torpedo Live, using a closed-back 4×12 Revv cabinet.
I also tested a more preamp-style setup using the NUX Solid Studio, because that connects to the whole Metal Zone effects-return discussion.
But for the actual comparison, the important part was simple:
Both pedals were dialed in for the same job.
Same track.
Same general tone goal.
Same kind of metal rhythm sound.
That is where things got interesting.
The Revv G3 Sound
The Revv G3 is exactly what I expect from a good modern high-gain distortion pedal.
It is tight, clear, and controlled.
There is enough gain, enough low-end control, and enough bite to sit in a mix without immediately becoming a fizzy mess.
It also feels very amp-like.
That is one of the biggest differences between these two pedals. The Revv G3 reacts more to your picking. You need to be a bit more even with your pick attack, because the pedal lets more of your playing come through.
That can be a good thing.
It also means the Revv G3 feels more serious under the fingers.
It is not really hiding much.
The Boss Metal Zone Sound
The Boss Metal Zone feels completely different.
It is more compressed. It is more obviously a distortion pedal. It does not have the same amp-like response as the Revv G3.
But that does not mean it sounds bad.
The Metal Zone has a very powerful EQ section, and that is both the best and worst thing about it.
If you set it badly, it can sound awful very quickly.
Boomy.
Harsh.
Scooped.
Nasal.
Weird.
All of those things are available.
But if you spend time with the mid controls, the pedal starts to make much more sense.
The important controls are the middle and middle frequency knobs. That is where the whole sound changes.
Once I dialed the Metal Zone in for the same track as the Revv G3, the difference was not as huge as I expected.
The Midrange Is the Whole Trick
This comparison made me think about how important midrange is for metal guitar tone.
The Revv G3 makes it fairly easy to get a good sound. You plug it in, adjust the controls, and it usually behaves in a sensible way.
The Metal Zone makes you work harder.
But the Metal Zone also gives you a lot of control over where the mids sit.
That is probably why people get such wildly different results with it.
If you put everything at noon and expect it to behave like a normal distortion pedal, you probably will not get the best version of the Metal Zone.
But if you move the mid frequency around, you can find that focused area where the guitar starts to cut properly.
There is almost a cocked-wah character in some settings.
Not in a bad way.
More like a focused presence that helps the tone sit in the right place.
That is where the Metal Zone starts to get closer to the Revv G3 than I expected.
They Sound Similar, But They Feel Different
This is probably the most important part of the comparison.
The Boss Metal Zone and Revv G3 can be dialed to sound surprisingly close, especially in a mix.
But they do not feel the same to play.
The Revv G3 feels more dynamic and amp-like. It reacts more to how you play, which makes it feel more natural.
The Metal Zone feels more compressed and more forgiving. It smooths things out a bit more, and that can actually make certain riffs feel easier to play.
That does not mean the Metal Zone feels better.
It just means it feels different.
If you are only listening to the final mix, the two pedals can get closer than you might expect.
But when you are playing them, the difference is obvious.
Comparing Them in a Track
A guitar tone by itself only tells part of the story.
A sound can be impressive alone and completely useless in a mix. Or it can sound a bit strange alone and then work perfectly once the drums and bass come in.
So I recorded both pedals in the same track.
For the rhythm guitars, I recorded one left and one right guitar with each pedal. I also recorded the lead parts separately with both pedals.
The actual guitar solo was not recorded twice, because I was too busy and too lazy to do two separate takes of the same solo.
And guitar solos usually take me quite a lot of time.
So that part came from an older Joyo Meteor demo where the song originally came from.
But for the rhythm and lead comparison, both pedals got the same treatment.
And in the mix, they were surprisingly close.
Not identical.
But close enough that I think a lot of people would be surprised if they were listening blind.
Does the Revv G3 Still Sound Better?
In many ways, yes.
The Revv G3 still sounds more refined. It is tighter, more modern, and easier to dial in. It also feels better if you want that amp-like response.
If I had to choose one pedal for serious modern metal tones, I would still choose the Revv G3.
No drama there.
But the Metal Zone did much better than its reputation suggests.
The interesting thing is not that the Metal Zone beats the Revv G3.
It does not.
The interesting thing is that the Metal Zone can get into the same general territory when you dial it carefully.
That is what surprised me.
What This Says About the Boss Metal Zone
I think the Metal Zone is often judged by bad settings.
And to be fair, it makes bad settings very easy.
There is so much EQ available that small changes can make a huge difference. That means you can very quickly go from a usable metal tone to something completely awful.
But that also means the pedal has more range than people give it credit for.
The Metal Zone is not just a joke pedal.
It is also not magically better than every modern distortion pedal.
It is a high-gain distortion pedal with a very powerful EQ section.
Use that EQ badly, and it sounds bad.
Use it properly, and it can get surprisingly close to much more modern metal distortion sounds.
What This Says About the Revv G3
The Revv G3 still deserves its reputation.
It sounds good quickly. It feels good to play. It has a more polished voice, and it does modern high-gain tones without much fighting.
That is a real advantage.
The G3 does not require the same amount of careful EQ hunting as the Metal Zone. It gives you a strong sound much faster.
That might not sound exciting, but in real life that matters.
Especially if you are recording, gigging, or just trying to get a good sound without spending the whole evening moving one mid knob by tiny amounts.
The Revv G3 is simply easier to trust.
Which One Would I Choose?
If I wanted the better all-around metal distortion pedal, I would choose the Revv G3.
It is more modern, more dynamic, and easier to work with.
But if I already had a Metal Zone, I would not dismiss it.
I would spend more time with the EQ.
Especially the mid controls.
Because this comparison showed me that the Metal Zone can do a lot more than people often give it credit for.
It is not just about plugging it into the correct place or using it as a preamp.
The bigger thing is learning how to dial it in.
Once you do that, it can sit surprisingly close to a pedal like the Revv G3 in a mix.
Final Thoughts on Boss Metal Zone vs Revv G3
This Boss Metal Zone vs Revv G3 comparison was more interesting than I expected.
The Revv G3 is still the better pedal for modern high-gain tones. It is tighter, more dynamic, easier to dial in, and more refined overall.
But the Boss Metal Zone got much closer than I thought it would.
The two pedals feel very different under the fingers, but when dialed for the same track, they can sound surprisingly similar.
That is the real point here.
Not that the Metal Zone destroys the Revv G3.
Not that the Revv G3 is overrated.
Just that a lot of metal guitar tone comes down to EQ, mids, and context.
And when you get those things right, even the Boss Metal Zone can hang surprisingly well next to a modern high-gain pedal.
►►REVV G3 at Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/437353?offid=1&affid=394
►►REVV G3 at Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/KjeZ29
►►BOSS MT-2 at Thomann: https://thmn.to/thoprod/437353?offid=1&affid=394
►►BOSS MT-2 at Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jrWOD0