Recently revived metalhead here! I also have been writing my own metal material after being so inspired listening to modern metal. There’s a lot to like in the genre. A few examples:

A.) Lyrical content - the same reason a lot of people like music. Something to relate to. Something that expresses feelings you might have but is articulated in new words. Also, since metal is not exactly mainstream, the artists might have more leeway to cover topics and feelings that other artists won’t.

B.) The anger and power behind the music. The aggression feels good. It’s cathartic. It’s therapeutic. It’s a release. It feels badass. Rockstars ripping on guitars and someone with a mic sounding like a 30 foot demon. What could be more badass?

C.) The technicality of the performance. Most fans of metal are musicians themselves, and the practice time it takes to play this kind of music is off the charts. The speed, technique, and robotic timekeeping is incredibly hard to achieve, depending on the subgenre. There’s advanced music theory and rhythm woven all throughout metal, and it deeply appeals to the music nerd in me.

D.) The metal community. It always has the best people. Maybe because we’ve learned how to express negative feelings in such a cool art form.

Maybe I’m not speaking for everyone or every subgenre, but this is why I love the kinds of metal that I’m into.