Well, I have a pepper Laminate Prairie Hunter finished in just Matte... I suppose the High Gloss finish could make it look lighter or darker depending on which color of Laminate you choose. I've seen photos of the Nutmeg stock that didn't have the high gloss finish and it just didn't look very good... Just kind of a drab very generic wood look. And I've also seen one that had the high gloss finish on the nutmeg and it looked REALLY nice.

My Pepper has more of a Gray look then black, and I don't think it lacks in the "cool" factor. However, I also have the Coyote Laminate (also matte finish) and it really "POPS" when in the sunlight.