I got the same impression regarding gain and metal with a Stiletto after testing one (again) at Guitar Center. I tend to play a broad variety of hard rock and metal and keep trying to find a reason NOT to buy one. I dialed in a sweet tone real quick, too. It's tough for me to define what a metal amp is these days, since the genre has gotten kind of broad. Are we talking Metallica, Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold, Sevendust, etc.? I messed with some various riffs from some of the bands mentioned and everything sounded like it would work. Also, youtube has a few clips of people doing metal with Stilettos. I'd say a Stiletto can handle the job and plan on getting myself a Duece.