Metal Reviews

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Well, as someone who's got 500+ original CDs in collection, I'd say I do care about the metal spirit. Hell, I'll go and be bluntly honest and say that much like movies, critics and reviews rarely affect my opinion of a band or an album in particular. That said, I'd be pretty damn hypocritical to say a review has never influenced me to blindly buy an album. It has happened and that, several times.

But even though I did say most of the time, I'm not affected, I'm still pretty damn thankful for all the hard work that metalheads put into sites like MR to express their opinions but also share it with others and just "spread the word". Metal definitely has the most rabid and faithful fans (also the most elitist, but that's besides the point) and it's pretty amazing to see all the hard work put out by the fans to keep it alive ever since its birth. While many genres had their slips and dark times, metal keeps strong.

I really admire the ones who initiate sites like MR and also those who keep them running. Especially when knowing that one who reviews albums always expose themselves to the thunders of the hardcore fans and elitists and even to the nastiness of some band members (Kimberly Goss, anyone?). Now, I'm not sucking up to anyone here; I'm just saying MR (and many other sites) are doing awesome jobs and we, the fans, should be more thankful than we tend to show it. So yeah. Thanks for your enthousiasm and for the passion you put into your work... but most of all, thanks for all the hard work you guys keep putting every week for us faithful readers.

I've been visiting this site for many years now, and without it, I wouldn't have discovered 90% of the bands I've been listening to. Thank you!

That was very well written, and very much true. Good job Zad. I couldn't even think about writing something like that.

The part where you said you played the newest band to your family and friends hoping that they'd enjoy just as much as you, but they very rarely do is so true. I remember my first Slayer album, I played it for my dad. I thought he would like it, because it was him that got me my first Metallica casette and my first Megadeth CD. Everywhere you read, if you like Metallica try Slayer. So I thought my dad would like it, boy was I wrong. I believe it was South of Heaven, and I couldn't believe he didn't like it. I kept playing the Judas Priest cover to see if he'd come around, but he never did and never has. Doesn't stop me from listening to Slayer when he's around though.

That being said:




I like this approach to your task. There are so many reviewers around the net and in magazines that certainly need a little more 'humility' in their endeavours. Deeming themselves qualified to judge the work of the musicians while at the same time being utterly unable to appreciate the hard work, emotion and spirit that is the creative process, let alone create anything themselves. It is so easy to criticize, yet so hard to create and so dear to make the necessary sacrifices. The least one can do is listen properly.

For me reviewing albums should not only be a case of determining whether something is bad or good, but also should help us understand the wider music scene better.

For example, if I am talking about the new Nachtmystium album, I will obviously have to mention all the new elements and influences e.g. Pink Floyd, Hawkwind etc, then decide whether they work well or not.

But, in terms of usefulness and analytical value the next step up is to ask questions about what all this actually means in context. For example, are Nachtmystium out on their own doing this or is this part of a wider movement within the BM scene? If so, does it mean that it is becoming a less conservative genre, or does it mean something else? etc. etc.

There is a limited amount you can express about an album simply by voicing subjective viewpoints about how good it is. Someone will probably disagree with you, but what then? Just leave it and say each to their own, I guess. But if you talk more about what individual records signify to the world around them and the development of their genre then you open a whole new area of discussion up.

"I think every new Metalhead goes through a certain period when they’ve just discovered our fantastic genre, enthusiastically playing random songs to friends and family, expecting their joy to be matched... which it rarely is, of course."

lol so true. extremely well written as usual, you truly have a gift with words sir.