Tone's in the hands, baby. <ducking> I thought the exact same thing. If I played through a Gorilla practice amp it would sound like ass. Slash plays through it and sounds like Slash.
Green Day - American Idiot Kings of Leon - Only By The Night Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Sugar - Copper Blue Def Leppard - Hysteria and Pyromania U2 - pretty much all of 'em and the one I get a ton of crap for... The Hooters - Nervous Night
I bought the Bullet For My Valentine album after hearing the single "Hearts Burst Into Fire". Damn good song, and great playing on the album, but I ain't a Cookie Monster guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_GJyUK0GUI
If you make it to Long Island, try the iced tea. I hear it's fabulous. Don't miss the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island museum. I wanted to resist all the "tourist" traps, but it was a pretty moving experience.