Brent Hinds is a man who knows what he likes, and isn’t afraid to commit. I’m sure many people who knew him weren’t too thrilled when he got that face tattoo, and told him he’d never get a job – but if this isn’t vindication, I don’t know what is.
The Orange Amps Brent Hinds Terror is not only the signature sound of one half of Mastodon’s guitar team, it also sports Brent’s distinct face tattoo as its design basis. Not since Mike Tyson has a facial accouterment been so distinct as to inspire an entire aesthetic such as this. Not only is there a large orange version of it on the face of the amp (as though it were Brent’s face in amplifier format), there is also a mini version of it surrounding each knob to aid you in dialing in your exact tone with harpoon precision.
The BH Terror is a 15 watt, 2 channel lunchbox amp head with multi-watt functionality (15/7/1/half watt) and footswitch capability (footswitch not included), an effects loop and 3-band EQ. It’s based on the Rocker 15 Terror amp that preceded it, but with tweaks to the tones to make it more Mastodon friendly. The gain structure is different, and the Natural channel has added low end. I haven’t played the Rocker 15 Terror to compare, but the official Orange page for the amp has an in-depth comparison if you want to hear the differences. I found it to have a more palm-mute friendly kind of tightness to it than most Orange amps I’ve played, and it’s more metal by a mile than the Rocker 32 that I reviewed, although I still felt like it could use a bit more gain.
It’s an amp that’s clearly aimed at the lunchbox market, with a slew of wattage options for any kind of situation, most of which are on the low powered side for home playing or recording. But wattage doesn’t equal volume, and through the Orange vertical 212Â cab at full power, it easily reached ear-splitting full performance volume with no problem.
It’s easily my favorite of all the Orange amps I’ve played, and if you’re a fan of Mastodon and/or Orange, you’ll likely be pretty stoked on it for $749 for an all-tube amp that won’t break your back or the bank.
