Mainstream media outlets have begun acknowledging the existence of heavy metal, even in its more extreme forms. Some of them have even taken a shine to it,. Somewhere along the course of its forty-odd raucous years, heavy metal became...acceptable. Respectable, even. Whether it's curiosity, novelty, or the simple realization that metal's history, complexity, and global impact more than afford it a place at the cultural table, get to the bottom of how and why it's happened, and what's coming next.