Dude, all of those bridge humbuckers you speak of can "handle" metal. It's just point of reference and taste from there. The Tone Zone 7 is a great pickup. If you really don't like it, you're only out a few bucks because Air Norton's go for about $80 new, and I just about guarantee you won't be getting rid of that pickup. Besides, if you really hate the TZ7, you can always get $50 or $60 for it on Ebay.
