I witnessed first hand the fact that Anselmo has awareness of the heart of underground metal. I went to a concert many years ago with a few friends, the bill being Danzig, Superjoint Ritual, Pink Frothy AIDS, Nile, and Behemoth, with Nile being the highlight putting on a very solid performance while the other bands were plagued with assorted issues. I remember very clearly Anselmo ranting and raving during the Superjoint set about trying to bring back old hardcore and old black metal and the underground spirit. My memory is hazy about his particulars, but I believe he mentioned by name bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone. Of course, he was clearly on some kind of substance and halfway to being entirely incoherent, and his rant was phrased in terms of him and his efforts to play real old hardcore with Superjoint. The situation you described was on full display.
I think there was something profound in seeing so clearly the heart of why so many bands, even bands with underground metal and classic metal sensibilities, fail to produce that which they are striving for. They think they will produce music just like the old classics and that therefore it will be classic, thus saving the genre, but of course that isn't what matters at all, as we on these forums read all the time. In spite of their aims, the reality of the situation is their production of an ego-driven imitation. The savior complex is dangerous.