When it comes to dialing in ultra-tight, low-tuned metal tones, few players have refined the process like Buster Odeholm of Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta, and Thrown. Now, his exact Ashen recording signal chain has been distilled into a single plugin — the Thall amp — designed to give guitarists mix-ready heaviness without the clutter of traditional multi-FX suites.
The interface keeps things direct. Instead of vintage-themed controls or buried menus, Thall amp mirrors a real-world recording path from input to FX, with each stage switchable and meter-equipped. Presets from Odeholm, Calle Thomer, and other modern-metal producers offer instant starting points, while the layout encourages fast tweaking to fit any project.
One standout feature is DI Match, which applies EQ to shape your raw guitar signal to match the response of Odeholm’s own Hapas Ashen Signature. The Amount control governs how closely the match is applied, while a Smooth option blends the adjustment for more natural results. Auto Input Adjustment sets your gain level automatically — just strum and start recording.
The Shape section handles articulation and aggression. The Chug module works like a smarter tube-screamer, enhancing pick attack and palm-mute bite without sacrificing low end. A purpose-built Noise Gate keeps performance clean in fast, staccato passages, while Low Dirt adds a fuzz-style growl for weight. A Frequency dial fine-tunes where Chug is applied, from low-mid punch to high-end scrape detail.
The Pitch section delivers polyphonic whammy effects, sub-octave thickening, and parallel amp routing — all in real time. You can drop-tune without retuning, add glitchy Whammy-4-style screams, or blend a filtered sub-octave into its own amp path for massive depth without mud. A Cleanse switch instantly removes Low Dirt and Thicken for brighter, leaner tones in higher registers.
The amp stage itself is streamlined to five parameters — Drive, Low, Mid, High, and Presence — voiced to Odeholm’s preferences for rhythm-driven heaviness. A Lo-Fi switch adds a bandpassed filter for breakdown intros or atmospheric transitions. Cabinet tone comes from a single built-in IR matching the Ashen sound, though user IRs in WAV format can be loaded instantly.
Thall amp ships with presets from a roster of heavy-music producers and players, including Lance Prenc (Alpha Wolf, Thornhill), Jesse Zuretti (Riot Games, Ash & Aether), and Simone Pietroforte (Signs of the Swarm).
For early adopters, the plugin comes with a bonus IR pack, and during its launch period it’s priced at $109 right here (down from $159). For anyone chasing mix-ready modern metal tones without the typical plugin gymnastics, this may be the shortest path from riff to release.
