With so many practice amps out there, it can be hard to find a solid metal practice amp with true metal features that are suitable for bedroom volumes.
If you want to slap, shred, squeal, and strum your guitar with a seriously high, distorted sound, you need the best metal practice amp.
There are several reliable amp manufacturers in this genre that guarantee that the final signal will be loud enough to wake up your neighbors and cause permanent ear damage!
Here are some of the best guitar amps for the heavy metal genre.
Whether you’re a seasoned metal player or someone who’s looking to get metal quality into their next amp. By the end of this post, you’ll know the best-proven practice amps that are ideal for every high-gain music genre.
Best Metal Practice Amps for 2025
1. Blackstar HT-1R MKIII
The Blackstar HT-1R MKIII is the first and only unit on this list that has valves in its circuitry. Yes, you read that right.
This 1-watt amp is fully valve-driven (ecc83 for the preamp, ecc82 for the power amp).
In my opinion, having played guitar for over 20 years, there is nothing better than the natural harmonics, compression, and color of a valve-driven tone.
But let’s start from the beginning. As I said before, this is a 1-watt amp with a single 8-inch speaker.
The speaker is a perfect match for the amp’s tone, but it also has a USB out so you can connect it to your computer and use your favorite monitors or record without a mic.
Back to the 8-inch speaker, the amp responds perfectly to bedroom volumes and allows you to push the tubes for maximum gain without disturbing your nearest neighbors.
Plus, Blackstar, a pioneer in this type of amp, has created what they call “Infinite ISF.”
No, it’s not a stone that Marvel supervillains should steal, but it’s the ability to go from an American tone to a British tone and everything in between.
This allows you to play Mesa and Marshall with just a turn of a knob. That means you can replicate the tones of Zakk Wylde and Mark Tremonti with just one knob.
Speaking of tone, the four sounds of this amp (two channels with dual mode) can go from crystal clear to utter chaos and everything in between.
Finally, this Blackstar gets my vote for the best metal bedroom amp because it sounds naturally compressed and non-nasal, but that’s just my taste.
2. Blackstar HT Stage 100
If your budget is just over $1,000 for an amp head, this model is a great choice with six tubes, two 12AX7s, and four EL34s.
In addition to the tubes, this amp head has plenty of knobs for shaping the sound, and there’s plenty to choose from with its crisp tone and grit.
There’s also an effects loop and footswitch for additional tone. If your budget is too high, Blackstar offers a few other combo amps for practice scenarios.
Overall, the HT Venue has become one of the world’s best-selling tube amplifier lines.
Their name is already synonymous with class-leading tone and flexibility, but now, after over three years of intensive R&D and market research, Blackstar is introducing the impressive next-generation HT Venue tube amplifier.
The HT Venue MkII takes this award-winning line and adds all the key improvements the market has demanded, delivering a new level of professional performance.
The result is an incredibly flexible and powerful feature set, yet still intuitive and musician-friendly.
To improve the tonal quality, Blackstar’s engineering team began by comparing the oldest and newest tube amplifiers on the planet (including our own), some of which cost five times the price of the HT Venue.
The mission back then was simple: to elevate these sonic references in the way Blackstar is known for and combine their sound into a cohesive and creative product.
3. Blackstar ID Core Stereo 40
Blackstar is a company that makes a lot of great amps, but for this purpose they offer the ID Core Stereo 40 amp. What’s unique about this is that it’s a stereo amp, which is unusual in the guitar amp world.
It has a total of 40 watts of power, 20 watts per channel. It has two speakers, each measuring 6.5 inches in diameter.
Although this is a solid-state amp, the main tonal character comes from the processing of digital effects onboard.
The amp has six different “tones”, each offering its own unique tone. There are two clean tones, two “crunchy” tones, and two very saturated overdrives.
As for the knobs, instead of volume, gain, and a traditional EQ, there’s an additional ISF or Infinite Shape Feature control.
This control allows you to choose between standard British or American amp tones. There’s also a separate section with 12 onboard effects.
The USB connection allows you to connect it to your computer for detailed tone shaping with the Insider app, or for home recording purposes.
Overall, this is a very simple yet effective metal practice amp that can also be used for live performances. It’s not as flashy, but it’s still one of the best metal practice amps out there.
4. Yamaha THR10 II
The first thing I noticed about the THR10 II is its size and volume. And I’m talking about this small amp, after all.
To give you an idea, this is a desktop amp with dual Hi-Fi 3-inch speakers. You can even buy an aftermarket bag to carry it around with you!
This is literally a do-it-all device, not only is it a great amp to plug in your acoustic guitar to, but it can also help you shimmy all night long.
Yes, the 15 amp models stored in this amp include bass and acoustic-friendly settings, as well as fully distorted electric settings.
As I’m sure you will, I started with the “lead” model to get the most out of this amp. However, I wasn’t satisfied with the results until I tried the “high gain” model.
And things got really bad. When I palm muted, I could hear a squeaky sound, and when I cranked the high end, I could also get a lead that just swelled out of this amp.
To round out the package, you can also edit your sounds via USB, record directly through this amp, connect to external speakers, and use it with the built-in battery.
This is perfect for competing with your average park hippie who plays Wonderwall nonstop, and righteously plays Master of Puppets.
5. Boss Katana Mini
The Katana Mini earned a separate spot on this list because of the tone and features of the amp for its size and price range.
It only has 7 watts of output power and has very simple controls. It could definitely use more, but it’s enough to create a nice metal tone for practice.
In fact, some of the biggest names in rock music have started using the Katana Mini for warmups and practice.
It follows some of the same principles, but the amp has very simplified controls. There’s volume, gain, a 3-band EQ, and a switch for three different modes.
The “Brown” mode distorts heavily for home practice, but it still delivers a surprisingly tight tone. In addition to all of this, the Katana Mini comes with an onboard delay with time and level controls.
This is a very simple amp that’s specifically designed for home practice. It’s surprisingly small, with only one 4-inch speaker. But it still delivers a much-needed punch.
6. Positive Grid Spark Combo Amp
Speaking of a monster amp that can fit in the back of a motorcycle, this Positive Grid Spark combo generated quite a bit of hype when it was released.
I, like many of you and many other metal players around the world, was skeptical because you can’t get decent low-end from such a small amp.
But there’s a lot to talk about with this amp, so let’s rewind. First off, this might be the most modern guitar-oriented piece of gear I’ve ever used.
Yes, that’s right. The app lets you pick a song of your choice (there are over 50,000 in the database) and play along.
You get chord charts and precise guitar tones, and you can even slow it down to your liking. But that’s not all. The amp always follows along with the appropriate dedicated drum and bass accompaniment.
Plus, just play a chord or riff, and the app will figure out the mood, tempo, feel, and key to play along.
Controls on the Positive Grid Spark 40. You also get a dedicated ‘music volume’ knob. All of this is great, and we totally agree, but the star of this package is undoubtedly the sound library.
Yes, if you’re looking for Hetfield, Darrell, Mustaine, or Cantrell, you’ll instantly sound like them.
But that’s not all. Once you’ve loaded up the sounds, you can tweak them with the actual knobs on the control panel. If you want a practice amp that can do everything you need to learn, this is the perfect combination.
7. Orange Crush 20RT
Orange amps are very specific, but they do have one thing in common: regardless of price point or overall power, the distorted tone is a bit “muddy” compared to other amps.
So this is a good option for those who prefer old-school metal. And on this list is the Orange Crush 20RT, a very simple 20-watt amp with a single 8-inch speaker.
The controls are pretty simple, which is typical for Orange amps. But here you also get a headphone out, an auxiliary input, and even an onboard tuner.
The amp has a clean channel and a dirty channel, and you can also find some nice reverb.
All this aside, the amp is pretty affordable considering its overall quality.
A slight downside is that some players might not prefer the unique tone of the Orange. But to be fair, for a practice amp, you can get a surprisingly heavy and gritty tone for metal music.
This is something we hear from some old-school metal bands that lean mostly towards the doom and stoner sub-genre.
And even though it’s a cheaper option, the 20RT still manages to capture that vibe by adding some fuzzy overtones.
8. Boss Katana-50 MkII
The Boss Katana amp is an evolution of an already groundbreaking amp. Yes, there’s a lot of good news about the new iteration of this amp. This amp is becoming a classic.
First off, this is a great amp for the bedroom and beyond, with a 50-watt amp and 12-inch speaker. Yes, with 50 watts, you’re ready to take “your” sound from the bedroom to the stage.
You can also use it as a power amp (bypassing the processing and preamp sections), in stereo with another Katana, or as a head unit by connecting an additional cabinet.
Moving on to the sound, the five amp characters created with cutting-edge digital modeling offer a total of ten amp styles with transform buttons.
In that same vein, the company has added five world-class effects to the amp, which can be controlled from the top-mounted, screen-less control panel.
There’s also USB connectivity and BOSS Tone Studio software for additional tweaking and direct recording.
In addition to its versatility, power, and speakers, it can get serious metal tones from the bedroom level, and its portability, expandability, and great sound make it the amp to have with you as you take your first steps toward metal stardom.
Conclusion
The decision to buy the best metal guitar amp depends on your budget and why you need the amp. Remember, buying something too powerful for the wrong situation can result in you paying less.
Compare your need for high gain with your playing and practice situations to choose the one that makes the most sense.
Whether you buy a huge amp head or a mini, getting great sound out of it depends on how much you practice!
FAQ
Are solid-state amps good for metal?
Many solid-state amps have a “sharp” tone that is useful for metal music. Depending on the subgenre, some metal guitarists may prefer solid-state over tube.
Today, we have amps that combine solid-state and digital technology, offering great tone-shaping potential for almost any genre.
Are Fender amps good for metal?
It’s hard to say what the best metal amp is for a beginner. However, people tend to focus on certain brands.
Fender has some amazing amps that are great for metal music, but they generally fall into the high-end category.
Smaller, more affordable amps are generally focused on classic rock, blues, and general use.
Are Vox amps good for metal?
Like other brands, Vox amps are available in a variety of styles today, but the classic British tube-driven Vox amps have a certain bright tone.
These amps are great for classic metal and hard rock genres and are not as popular among modern metal musicians.
Can I gig with a combo amp?
Combo amps are popular among gigging musicians. They are much more practical than stacks and are much easier to transport and set up.
Depending on the output power and overall setup, a combo metal practice amp can be very useful in a live setting.