the Laney IronHeart I feel is very versatile! The amp is great round varying from blues to metal, but perfect for metal! This is my first tube amp, and what I fell in love with about this thing is that it lets the character of each guitar you play shine through. All my guitars have EMG's in them, but there are different wood combinations, and you can really tell a difference between the guitars when I switch them back and forth. The clarity and punch this thing has is AWESOME. Tons of gain on tap. So many features that actually work and shape your tone.