Mythos Envy Pro NV-9 Overdrive Review

Looking to call upon an iconic overdrive and take it for a new spin? Just dial Mythos at "808"

Mythos Pedals knows a thing or two about rich, creamy, saturated drive tones. For example, just look at their Chupacabra, Mjolnir or Herculean Deluxe. Any way you slice it, Mythos is sure to deliver you to a tonal Valhalla with charming tonality and awesome customization. If you're looking to call upon the famous tones of legendary circuits or blaze your own trail, Mythos has you covered in either department. The love Mythos founder Zach Broyles has for the pantheon of great overdrives of time is apparent, and with this latest addition to the Mythos lineup, players have a new outlet to start screamin'.

Green with Envy

The classic archetype of the green screamer overdrive would not be where it is today without good reason. For many, it's a time-tested circuit with too many player endorsements to ignore. There's no real need to reiterate on what we already know – classic 808 sounds are a timeless breed – but why pass such an opportunity up? It's all love for the iconic green box.

As the brand's resident 808 fiend, Broyles brings this classic effect archetype to the Mythos family. The Mythos Envy Pro Overdrive joins the 808 lineage in a fitting fashion as a sleek, green box of drive. With an interestingly textured casing, the Envy Overdrive comes together as a familiar stompbox with an intuitive interface and phenomenal tones under the hood. A three-dial setup and a pair of two-way switches lay things out plainly – so let's get into it.

The Greenprint

Envy follows a classic tradition of warm, boosted overdrive reminiscent of the TS-style circuits from across time. This sound manifested from Mythos starting from a familiar 808 blueprint and expanding from there with some of Broyle's favorite mods and adjustments. Because of this design process, Envy is entirely capable of time-tested "screamer" drive tones, should that be the path you take. Mythos took the time to craft a reliable 808 circuit, and it clearly shows. With Envy, Mythos delivers on a great, green overdrive for fans who simply can't get enough. Through Envy's Level, Drive and Tone controls, players can dial into saturated drives and hard boosts, alike, à la the great blues shredders across time. What's great, however, is that from here, the party is far from over.

New Overdriven Routes

With Envy, Mythos Pedals' Zach Broyles sought to share his love for screaming overdrives with the world. Through Envy's two mod switches can this love truly come to life. On either side of the tone dial, one will find a two-way push switch. On the left is Envy's Bass Boost, on the right, a Clipping Mode select. Pressing in and engaging the Bass Boost switch will do just that – thicken the lower end of the driven signal and filter out some mid frequencies. Through this mode, it becomes quite tempting to crank the Drive dial and let the saturated thickness fly.

Like many TS-style drives, the opportunity to get some real dirty, borderline fuzzy, voicings is clearly available. This experience is enhanced by another Mythos touch – the expanded drive range. With the Drive knob alone, Envy taps into a wider spectrum of sounds that can play interestingly on their own as well as mix with others. Dialing in new sweet spots among these few controls makes Envy already worthy of a spin. On the right switch, players can engage symmetrical soft clipping to alter the signal in a noticeable way. Pushing this switch will shift the 808 sound to a more traditional timbre, reminiscent of earlier screamer-style overdrives. Utilizing both of these mod controls in conjunction with Envy's incredibly responsive dials results in a varied and colorful tonal experience for players looking for a new angle on classic green equations.

Mythos Envy Pro Overdrive Final Thoughts

Mythos Pedals clocks in with another great overdrive with the Envy Pro. For Mythos fans, there's little explanation needed as to the brand's credentials as overdrive-slingers, so Envy is already an easy pick. For those uninitiated, Envy makes an excellent case for your own screamer-style overdrive. It's an incredibly interactive drive to bring to a full-on board or straight into your favorite amp. Let's keep it all positive, here. After all, this pedal is a cause for celebration among green-screamer fanatics everywhere. As an effect, this overdrive style has stayed relevant for a reason – so let's not get competitive. Jealousy can get ugly, but Envy will never go out of style.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for the green.