IMO this is a great subject...thanks to OP for that.
I'm not a fan of this genre, either. But the few times I've heard heavy metal, I couldn't help but notice it was so compressed that whatever fidelity good audio gear brings to the party might not be as noticeable on typical recordings in this genre.
Of course, that wouldn't hold true for well recorded heavy metal. Someone who's into this genre would know which recordings those are...
I'm not a fan of this genre, either. But the few times I've heard heavy metal, I couldn't help but notice it was so compressed that whatever fidelity good audio gear brings to the party might not be as noticeable on typical recordings in this genre.
Of course, that wouldn't hold true for well recorded heavy metal. Someone who's into this genre would know which recordings those are...