Metal fans 25+ --- Does it seem like the metal scene was much better in like 97-04?

Seems to me that by the late 90's metal was taken over by corporations, much like punk was in the 80's (when the real good punk was taking place in the 70's). Mainstream metal has been dead for 15 years. That's not to say that you can't find any good local options, but I'm just saying.