Metal is whatever you want to get out of it. For example, I think Devin Townsend is one of the most gifted artists out there. It's great that people might want

Metal is whatever you want to get out of it. For example, I think Devin Townsend is one of the most gifted artists out there. It's great that people might want to listen to extreme grindcore or black metal or gore themed metal. They have Broken Hope lyrics to go read. Listening to folk metal is also a blast since it usually incorporates interesting musical instrument juxtapositions and/or incorporates mythologies told in a visceral manner. Or there's soul crushing depths incorporating brutal historical moments such as Ahab's depiction of the Raft of the Medusa. Pulling Metallica out of a hat as representative of any kind of metal, let alone "extreme metal", is a pretty big disservice to the genre's diversity and spectrum of appeal.