Distortion in music

I listen to music all the time, and a lot of it has a ton of distortion. The best way I can describe it is being "thick", or "dense". I'm not sure why, but, for whatever sensory-driven reason, I'm really drawn to that thick, molasses-like distortion. When done just right, it can sound amazing. I'm not sure if anyone will feel the same on this matter, but I'm just looking for some possible common ground. Perhaps this will spark an interesting discussion, who knows