I remember a time when I was much younger when we'd get some old fogey in the store putting down the rock music of the day.

 

"It's just screaming and distortion"

 

I was reflecting on this on my drive to and from the post office while listening to the band Chrome.  Helios Creed, the guitarist for Chrome, uses quite a lot of distortion and other effects.  During the live set I was listening to he changed the tone of the distortion frequently, from bright and edgey to throaty, on the verge of serious feedback and all points between often in the same song.  I had to chuckle over the thought that using distortion was a sort of talent hider, a substitute for actual ability.  As most rock players know distortion has many faces and is the heart and soul of many guitarists.  If your ears are tuned to ...