When it comes to playing metal, no effect is more vital to guitar tone than distortion.
For anyone who doubts it, check out this video from YouTube poster Vaalvla, titled “Metal Songs Without Distortion.” In it, he plays selections from six classic metal tracks on his modified Squier Jazzmaster using, apparently, no effects whatsoever.
The selections are, in order, Slayer’s “Angel of Death,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Pantera’s “5 Minutes Alone,” Slipknot’s “Left Behind,” Pantera’s “Cowboys from Hell” and Slayer’s “Raining Blood.”
You can see more of Vaalvla’s videos on YouTube and hear some of his original music as well.
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