Gehenna

Metal Distortion/Preamp

## Description

### Graphic

Gahenna's graphic - by Tristesse - is of a flaming chalice. The indicator LED stands in as a jewel in the cup's stem.

### Controls

* Gain I - Input gain one
* Cut - High-pass filter
* Gain II - Input gain two
* Bass - Active bass frequency EQ
* Level - Output master volume
* Treble - Active treble frequency EQ
* Depth - Additional band of active low mid-range frequency EQ
* Lo-Mid - Active low mid-range frequency EQ
* Hi-Mid - Active high mid-range frequency EQ
* Presence - Additional band of active high mid-range frequency EQ
* Gain footswitch - SmartRelay footswitch, switches between Gain I and Gain II
* Bypass footswitch - SmartRelay footswitch, engages and bypasses effect

### Jacks

#### Top

* In - Signal input
* 9v - 9 volt, center negative power adaptor input
* Out - Signal output

### Webstore Description

> Let the fires burn as a signal!
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> The Gehenna is our take on a highly flexible metal distortion:
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> from classic NWOBHM to early 2000s Core-music, from raw Black and Death Metal to super tight and modern Djent - it’s all in there!
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> Featuring our proprietary cut-control that allows you to dial in different gain structures, saturation types and adjust the frequency response to the tuning of your guitar: from super tight and controlled to roaring and huge vintage sounds!
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> The Gehenna boasts one of the most expansive yet easy to use EQ-sections you’ll find in any pedal: An active dual-band mids control allows for tailoring of both high- and low-mids separately while active treble and bass controls and a set of passive presence & depth controls really set this thing apart from other distortion/preamp pedals and allow for immense tone-sculpting capabilities.
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> The mix of passive and active controls give you sounds that range from classic amp-like distortion to filthy sounding tones you never heard before!
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> Instead of adding a separate boost in front of the distortion section we added a second, footswitchable gain-control that let’s you switch between two levels of gain inside the insane spectrum that the Gehenna offers: the on-state of Gain I is indicated through the blue LED.
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> Another unique feature is the level control itself: while a lot of solid-state based devices tend to sound harsh and fizzy when you increase the volume the Gehenna has a unique active output stage that hold the sound together by attenuating harsh frequencies while bringing out the musical mids at high level settings: very much like a tube-amp.
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> The Gehenna was designed to be used as a distortion pedal in front of a clean amp but also lends itself for use as a preamp due to it’s immense output level and flexible EQ - you may want to use extreme settings especially on the presence & treble controls for this, tho!
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> For an in-depth manual click here
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> Features:
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> * Lichtlaerm Audio Smart Relay technology
> * tight, amp-like tone with lots of sustain
> * 4-band active EQ + presence & depth
> * huge range of gain and output volume
> * proprietary cut-control & output stage design
> * footswitchable gain-controls
> * increased headroom through internal charge pump
> * 9V center-negative power supply
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## History

### 2018

The first mention of Gehenna by name was on November 18, 2018 when Lichtlaerm reposted a link to an album teaser for German black metal band Blyh's "Awake to Emptiness," on which the guitars had been recorded using a prototype of the pedal.

### 2019

In a post dated April 20, 2019, Lichtlaerm teased two new pedals which may have been MKI versions of Trugbild and Gehenna. This post also marks Lichtlaerm's move to board-mounted jacks and relay-switching.

The Gehenna's official announcement was in a post from July 11, 2019 along with the announcement for the MKII version of Leuchtfeuer and the official announcement of Trugbild. It is described as "a super flexible distortion pedal with an independent tubescreamer-ish circuit in front." The original version of the pedal featured a three band active EQ, a boost mode, three switchable gain structures (Modern, Tight, and Vintage), and two amplification modes (British and American).

The first batch of Gehenna pedals was completed on July 22, 2019.

Gehenna (left) and Trugbild (right) MKI circuits, 2019/04/20New matte black and silver enclosures for (from left to right) Leuchtfeuer MKII, The Key and the Gate MKIII, Gehenna, Trugbild, and Altar MKII, 2019/07/11Gehenna, 2019/07/22
### 2020

On August 13, 2020, a pair of B-stock pedals, a Gehenna and a Trugbild, were made available for sale at a discounted price with the proceeds benefitting Belarussian activists who were being arrested and tortured for protesting their fascist government.

### 2022

The Gehenna was relaunched on November 22, 2022 as part of the webstore Black Week Sale. The new version expanded on the original's EQ section by splitting the Mid band into low- and high-mid controls and adding Depth and Presence controls as well as a Cut control. The Boost circuit was replaced with a second Gain channel, selectable with the secondary footswitch.

On November 26, 2022, it was announced that the first batch of relaunched Gehenna pedals had sold out in less than an hour. The second batch was completed on December 14, 2022.

### 2023

In a social media post on July 29, 2023 regarding an ongoing anniversary sale, a batch of Gehenna units with an updated, white-text look introduced by the first batch of The King in Yellow was featured.

On September 17, 2023, in a post on Lichtlaerm's social media pages regarding Guitar Summit 2023, it was revealed that all pedals in production going forward would feature white text and pedals with dual footswitches (except for the two reverb pedals, the Transcendence and the Untiefe) would feature dual bi-color LED indicators rather than a single bi-color LED.

## Videos

### 2019

* October 18 - PEDALBOARD ORG
* November 13 - PEDALBOARD ORG
* December 28 - Room89

### 2020

* January 23 - Masterlab Academy (with Altar, Trugbild)
* January 26 - Peter Geltat
* February 10 - EytschPi42
* April 19 - Dome
* May 21 - Glass Guitars
* July 15 - Louis Torres
* August 3 - Truck Driver Shawn
* August 19 - Dome (with KMA Wurm)

### 2021

* January 26 - Petar Makes Noise
* January 31 - Peter Geltat

### 2022

* January 27 - Max Power's Tasty Tones
* July 13 - Dome (with Klirrton Grindstein)
* November 22 (Relaunch Day) - Sonic Drive Studio, dots.sounds, Taylor Danley
* November 28 - Truck Driver Shawn
* December 2 - Kyle Bull
* December 14 - dots.sounds
* December 16 - Metalhead Productions
* December 18 - Dome
* December 20 - Leon Todd
* December 28 - Dome (Mk1 vs Mk2)

### 2023

* February 1 - Riffs, Beards & Gear
* February 12 - Max Power's Tasty Tones
* February 26 - Max Power's Tasty Tones (with Solar Chug)
* March 2 - Joss Allen
* May 16 - CSGuitars (distortion pedal vs preamp pedal)
* May 24 - Dome (with Void Weltall)
* May 31 - Dome (with Solar Chug)
* August 6 - SuperMaddutchman
* September 22 - Drew Creal
* October 4 - Mad Steex (feature explanation by Daniel with full Guitar Summit 2023 line)
* October 17 - Drew Creal (with other 2023 pedals)
* October 22 - Metal Prognosis
* November 13 - Ens\_Bass (bass demo with the King in Yellow, Altar, Medusa, Aquaria, and Electric Roots Meatgrinder, Lilith v1, and Lilith v2)
* December 5 - Ultimate metal guitar tones
* December 7 - Chernobyl Audio
* December 13 - Dome (with the King in Yellow and Medusa)