Zombie Apocalypse amp settings — M-Vave Blackbox
The Mortician guitar tone for “Zombie Apocalypse”, dialed in for a M-Vave Blackbox with a Tagima Tw Series 510. Studio version, Zombie Apocalypse EP (1998) — recorded November-December 1997
Roger Beaujard: Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal into a solid-state amp (likely Randall or similar), tuned to A on 7-string or heavily downtuned 6-string, massive low-end with the characteristic HM-2 chainsaw buzz. Mortician's signature tone relies almost entirely on the HM-2's distortion circuit with all knobs maxed or near-maxed (the 'Swedish chainsaw' setting)
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 10 |
| Bass | 8 |
| Mid | 2 |
| Treble | 7 |
| Presence | 6 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 7 |
01M-Vave Blackbox Distortion Block (HM-2 style if available, otherwise highest-gain distortion)
This is the primary gain source — Mortician's tone comes from a maxed HM-2 pedal, not amp distortion. If your Blackbox has an HM-2 model, use it with all knobs at 9-10. If not, use the most aggressive distortion with gain maxed and EQ boosting lows and highs while scooping mids
The M-Vave Blackbox is a multi-FX unit — select its highest-gain amp model as a platform, but the REAL tone comes from maxing a distortion block in front. Mortician's sound is the Boss HM-2 with everything dimed into a relatively clean power section. Your Tagima's humbuckers will get you close; tune down as low as your strings allow (Drop C minimum, Drop A ideal). The scooped-mid setting is critical — Mortician's guitar tone is intentionally buried and buzzy, not articulate.
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