the metal zone is one of the most highly overrated effects pedals ever produced
down to opinion of course
but they just are not very good...
boss effects tend towards the generic anyway

It's a great starters pedal... figuring out how to properly EQ your sound with the sweepable mid capability (pretty advanced for a distortion pedal) holds some value, as opposed to just turning a distortion knob that is.

if you are looking for starter stuff id say go for a multieffect of some kind, they are all bad but they give you plenty of options and things to learn
the eq on the metal zone doesnt really do much to the over all sound though, and certainly wouldnt suit anyone who doesnt play metal.

I remember my cousin's friend's amp had like effects built into it are those any good?

i hate them but they may be good for the beginner...

damn, can't argue with that... Metal Zone hatin' to the extreme ;)

I personally don't like using effects on an amp (especially chorus, ugh!). Currently on my Vox amp I have the reverb up somewhere between 1 and 2, just for a little more character to my sound.

I own a Vox AC15CC1 and was wondering what you folks would recommend for a good hard rock distortion. I own a TS9 and (as you know) the Boss Metal Zone, I run the Zone into the TS9 and out to the amp (I figured this was the best chain of command but if anybody has a different way they recommend I'm all ears). I heard the MI Audio Crunch Box is a good choice but not sure if it would be best suited for this amp... thanks in advance

hard to say. if i remember right vox's have a reputation of being really clean amps (akin to fenders). the TS9 also has a great reputation as a fuzz box of choice for lots of guitarists.

if anything i'd switch your line up so that the TS9 is running into the metal zone. that way you can use the metal zone as more of a EQ unit to further tweak the tone provided by the TS9.

for my own ears when it comes to classic hard rock distortion nothing beats the gain channel on a marshall.

Ok, I'll try that (switching the line up)... thanks.