They are pretty close-minded and stubborn, there's no doubt about that, but when Sargon (as ridiculously short as some of his reviews are) or Larry Griffin gives a high score to some band that no one has ever heard of before, they are pretty much always worth checking out. I would never join their forum, though, that's for sure.
EDIT: speaking of negative reviews, this site is pretty much the only metal webzine I've seen where the reviewers can write negative reviews to save their own lives. Those at the Crypt and especially the Archives (shudders) are usually completely over-emotional (with no music description to speak of) and filled with laughable exaggerations.