Audiority Klirrton Grindstein Plugin Review

Today, we will take a look at the ultimate death metal plugin suite, the Klirrton Grindstein by Audiority.

Alright, let’s create a scenario: you are playing some killer metal riffs, but you feel something is missing in your tone. It is a little too polite or soft when you want aggression and chaos, maybe that unmistakable chainsaw growl that rocked the world in the 90s Swedish death metal scene.

That is when you reach for Klirrton Grindstein plugin, the death metal plugin suite from Audiority and Kohlekeller Studio that drags the death metal sound screaming back into the spotlight. It is never about subtlety but more about making your guitar tone a heavy weapon.

Modeled after the HM-2 pedal and powered by modern tech, the Grindstein offers two distortion channels covering the classic grit and the gnarly squelching chainsaw madness. I love its versatility as it’s more than a one-trick pony with its flexible EQ, noise gate, and cab simulations to round out your tone-shaping possibilities.

Whether for bedroom producers or seasoned metalheads, this plugin brings brutality into your DAW. So, let’s start banging our heads to see if it slices and dices like it claims!

Features

Packed with tools to sculpt your guitar sound into that chainsaw madness, as well as different gritty realms, this fully-featured suite brings some valuable tools to the table.

The Suite has 4 sections with: the Gate, Grindstein, EQ, and Cab. All sections have a bypass footswitch to activate or deactivate the section in the signal chain.

• Schnauze Noise Gate

Modeled after the famous Schnauze circuit, the built-in noise gate is there to keep your riffs tight and precise without unwanted squeals or hums that muddy the tonal waters.

The section features Boost and Threshold knobs to control the intensity of the noise gate.

• The Grindstein Preamp

At the heart of the plugin lies the Grindstein, the main distortion pedal section. It comes with two parallel distortion channels.

The Bottomshaker channel is the standard metal distortion for tight and heavy tones. It has the Boost, Gain, Bass, and Treble controls to finetune your sound.

The Chainsaw Channel is the star actor with its wild, squelchy Swedish death metal growl. This channel features Midcut, Grind, and High knobs to craft your sound while the Bright–Dark switch is there to decide the voicing. It also has a Phase Switch to change the phase on the Chainsaw channel for a gnarlier, more chaotic tone. It’s pure sonic mayhem, and I mean that in the best way.

You can also get the best of the two worlds with the Mix knob, blending the two channels for the perfect balance of clarity and chaos. Plus, the option to flip on the FX Loop switch to swap out the Bottomshaker for your favorite amp sim allows for even more tonal creativity.

• Fleisch EQ

The EQ section comes with 5 bands for surgical boosts and cuts.

• • Dozer (120Hz): Add that gut-punching low end.
  • Cleansing (400Hz): Scoop out the mud.
  • Scoop (700Hz): Tighten the mids for a cleaner attack.
  • Chainsaw (1.4kHz): Dial in that signature HM-2 grind.
  • Blade (5kHz): Add a sharp, aggressive edge to your tone.

Along with the band knobs, the EQ section also offers Input and Output Level knobs to control your sound.

• Cabinet Emulator

One of the most important sections of the suite is the Cab Emulator with its 7 cabinet IRs, handpicked by Kristian Kohle so you can load up crushing tones right out of the box. These are Filth and Slime, Modern Gore 1 and 2, Modern Disgust, Northwards, Wolverine, and Bloodpath.

Interface and Workflow

Let’s talk about how the Klirrton Grindstein plugin handles because, let’s be real if a plugin makes you feel like you’re defusing a bomb just to get a good sound, you’re not gonna use it. Luckily, Grindstein keeps things metal but manageable.

• Interface

I really liked the interface as it’s pretty sleek, intuitive, and straightforward. It is built to get you to those chainsaw tones fast without making you feel like you need a PhD in audio engineering. I also enjoyed the aesthetics with the red and black kind-of-creepy design, signaling the tones you will get.

As I mentioned before, the interface is broken into four main sections: Schnauze (gate and boost), Grindstein preamp, Fleisch EQ, and Cabinet simulator. Each section features its own tab, which you can switch from little dots at the bottom of the GUI. So, just click and tweak. Easy, peasy! It is kind of like having a whole signal chain with separate pedals but without the spaghetti mess of patch cables.

All the sections are pretty easy to follow, with a few knobs and switches. Everything is laid out in a way that makes sense, so the interface is great for me.

• Workflow

The Grindstein preamp section is where the real action is in the workflow. It is packed with control and features but not to the point that it overwhelms you. The knobs are clearly labeled, so you know exactly what you are tweaking.

The Mix knob is the core as it blends the gnarly Chainsaw channel with the beefier Bottomshaker channel. When it is at 0, it means you have the sort of clean distortion, while when you turn it, you start to blend it with the Chainsaw chaos. I love that they put this Mix knob instead of a switch to get the advantage of everything in between those two distortion channels.

One negative point is the tiny switches on the sides feel like they are hiding. I don’t know why, well, maybe they’re shy. But, I must say the addition of the FX Loop switch is genius as it allows you to run your own amp sims in parallel, giving you infinite tone possibilities.

Another plus that makes the plugin fun is the names of EQ bands, such as Dozer, Cleansing, Scoop, Chainsaw, and Blade, as they make it easy to dial in the exact frequencies you need to cut or boost. It’s functional, it’s intuitive, and it adds a touch of personality. You don’t feel like you’re tweaking numbers as you feel like you’re shaping destruction.

What really shines here is how quickly you can get a usable tone. You’re not scrolling through 500 presets or endlessly tweaking knobs hoping to land on something cool. The interface encourages experimentation but doesn’t demand it. You can jump in, make a few adjustments, and be off and running with a crushing tone in no time.

On the downside, as I said, the switches are too tiny for my taste, and the labelings can take a minute to figure out if you are new to the Grindstein vibes.

I think the interface and workflow strike a good balance between power and simplicity in the end. It has personality, which makes it a bit harder to get familiar with initially, but after that, it is a fun and easy plugin to play with.

First Impressions and Sound

I won’t beat around the bush: the Klirrton Grindstein plugin sounds absolutely feral. From the moment I fired it up, I was greeted with a tone that screamed, “90s death metal is back, baby!” It was aggressive and gnarly but didn’t stop there. As I played with it, I found out how versatile it could get.

The Chainsaw channel is exactly what you would expect it to be, as it delivers that signature Swedish death metal buzzsaw tone. It has the mid-range snarl all over, and it makes you immediately start riffing some old-school Entombed or Dismember tracks. I like how the tone cuts through the mix as it slices, dices, and leaves shrapnel behind.

On the other side, the Bottomshaker channel offers some much-needed beef. It has this thick, low, and modern sound, which brings massive low-end punch for a more polished metal tone. To me, it sounds a bit like the dual rectifier-ish with its warm realms.

One of my favorites here is the Grind knob, as it is more than just a gimmick, adding a layer of harmonic grit and unpredictability to the tone that makes the sustained chords and palm mutes come to life beautifully. It adds a great personality to the guitar tone, a bit unhinged personality in the best way possible.

About the cabs, I loved the Modern Gore 1 as it is the most neutral one. Northwards is also pretty good for lead playing with a more mid-focused sound.

Another great feature is the presets section as the plugin comes with 17 carefully crafted presets for different tones. The Kohle Very Swedish preset is one of my favorites which brings the iconic Swedish Death Metal sound to the point. Kohle Pulling Nails is another stand-out preset that blends the two distortion channels fantastically for a filthy tone.

Kohle Deadly Mids is great for lead guitar playing, while Kohle Tight Grind is for those looking for more modern metal tones. I think all the presets are pretty great, and the names really describe them well; just go and play with them to explore.

Compatibility

The Klirrton Grindstein plugin is available in VST2, VST3, CLAP, and AAX formats for Windows systems running Windows 7 or later. For macOS (Intel and Silicon), it supports VST2, VST3, AU, CLAP, and AAX formats on macOS 10.13 or later.

While the plugin is supported in all major DAWs, it can also be used in a standalone format.

Conclusion

The Klirrton Grindstein is a love letter to death metal tones, delivering authentic Swedish chainsaw grit with modern flexibility. Its unique Mix knob, FX Loop, and detailed EQ make it a dream tool for metal producers, while the intuitive interface keeps things user-friendly.

Sure, it’s niche and does not offer much for other genres, but if crushing distortion is your thing, this plugin is worth every cent, especially at its price. If you’re chasing that legendary HM-2 tone with extra versatility, Grindstein’s got your back.

Berk Oztuna

Berk Öztuna, a musician from Istanbul, is skilled in handpan, percussion, and guitar, performing and recording his own compositions globally. With expertise in music production and audio technology, he integrates virtual instruments and sound design tools seamlessly into his work. He also writes insightful articles on music production and gear for platforms like Plugin Noise and shares his music on Spotify and Instagram.

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