But the music genre is alive and well, not just worldwide but in Singapore as well.

One of the most iconic metal bands around, Metallica, is releasing its highly anticipated return-to-form ninth album Death Magnetic today.

The influential 27-year-old quartet has sold almost 100 million albums worldwide and sales of its releases in Singapore number more than 90,000. This figure is considered exceptional for a non-mainstream act, although a mainstream act such as Abba would typically sell some 150,000 copies.

A sign of Metallica's strong following here - it drew a sold-out show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 1992.

The concert scene here has also seen healthy crowds of up to 5,000 for acts such as Slipknot, Slayer, Helloween, Dark Funeral and Mayhem. And veteran Hollywood metal quartet Motley Crue will roar into Fort Canning Park next month.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times Life!