AHHH!! Now we're on a subject I truly love!!

First off, there is definitely a difference between METAL and HARD ROCK. Metallica is metal. G&R is NOT.. it's hard rock. There's different catagories of metal also, but that's a whole topic in itself!
I go way back in the metal days. Me and Timber24 have seen Metallica back in the late 80's with OZZY at the New Haven coliseum (long live Cliff Burton!), as well as others like MANOWAR and TESTAMENT at Lamour's in Brooklyn, DARK ANGEL at CBGB's, and even MEGADETH at the "Keg house" bar in New Haven on their first album tour (which I got thrown out of and saw the show through the window.. BAD DRUNKEN METALHEAD!!)
Even today's metal makes that stuff sound, like Mitch implies, SOFT. Some of my favorites now are MALEVOLENT CREATION, MONSTROSITY, CRADLE OF FILTH, and if you can find this, SOLSTICE(USA). They truly "CRACK THE CONCRETE".

Anyway, my top 10 switches every day, but here's some in no particular order:

1: Solstice (USA) self-titled
2: Celtic Frost "Morbid Tales"
3: Metallica "Kill 'em all"
4: Testament "First strike STILL deadly"**
5: Sacred Reich "Ignorance"
6: S.O.D. "Speak English or Die"
7: Morbid Angel "Domination"
8: Anthrax "Spreading the Disease"
9: Cradle Of Filth "Damnation and a day"
10: Ahh, who the hell knows what else..

** This Testament cd is a comp of their first 2 albums, re-recorded by them with today's technology. If you are die-hard fans of theirs from back in the day, this is a MUST to crank in your automobile!!

And finally I will add: ANYONE WANNA JAM?? HEHE!