it depends on what you define as "metal" haha as lame as that sounds. i have a jcm 800, and i love it, but its a totally different sound. its very raw sounding, and in a sense vintage sounding. if by metal you mean tons of lows and highs with really scooped mids and an ass load of gain, than no, jcm 800's are quite the opposite. like mentioned above, you dont need half as much gain as you think you would. for instance, bands like silverstein and thrice, use jcm 800's. i recently just saw a band called mayday parade that have a really thick sound and their guitarist used a jcm 800. theyre great amps, and have that one sound really. theyre not that versatile, but the sound they get is great.