At the first point, the debate about the new album by Deafheaven will be about the band's change from metal to post-punk/shoegaze. Ian Cohen shares his contribution to the debate in the Ringer: "I’m reflexively inclined to say that 'Infinite Granite' is the most polarizing metal album in recent memory, even though it hardly sounds like a metal album at all. Or, it’s the most polarizing metal album in recent memory because it hardly sounds like a metal album at all". That leaves us with the question of whether it's good music, be it metal or any other genre.

"Emo has long been denied serious critical assessment, often dismissed as music for teens but never subject to the generous leeway or empathy given to pop music specifically designed for adolescents. But unlike with grunge or goth or any other subgenre that evolved from a defined set of sonic characteristics to a fashion phenomenon, the definition of 'emo music' is either too narrow or too vague to the point of being almost completely useless" - Ian 'Master of Emo' Cohen writes in the introduction to his list of 100 best emo songs, going back almost 40 years.