During the Grunge-heavy 90s, it looked for a moment as though Metal was on its last legs. On the extreme outer edges it was almost impossible to go harder, faster, or louder in terms of music and lifestyle. Then Crossover, Nu Metal and later Metal-Core moved Metal back towards the mainstream once again.
Fast forward almost twenty years and Metal is anything but dead - enjoying sold out festivals, solid fanbases and healthy sales.
But there's nostalgia in the air: the headliners don't seem to have changed over the last few decades, bands originating in the 80s or even 70s are still releasing records and selling shedloads of merch, while new acts don't venture far from the beaten path.
There is a slight wind of change towards the hipper end of the spectrum, where eclectic indie festivals book left-field bands, and Doom bands perform at psych fests alongside world music acts.
But in the headbanging world it all looks kind of conservative and segregated, white and male.
So where is this leading? Where are the women? How is the business developing and, musically, what’s going on?

All we can ask is: where the bloody hell is the innovation?