The reviews on this site are too positive! There should be more fairness and a better balance between positive and negative ratings! (I swear, this was really posted in the guestbook on several occasions.)
This is the stupid question/complaint that killed the guestbook on this site because I was tired of all the fucking morons whining about such a non-issue. Now for the more detailed answer: While many webzines and magazines review mostly stuff that they get free from the labels, here things are the other way around: We're not on many promo lists (by choice, mostly - although we can love or hate promos that we get also... duh) and we end up reviewing mostly stuff that we buy ourselves. Now... If we had an endless supply of money, we could afford to buy everything out there, including stuff that sucks to various degree, but such is not the case. That is the main reason why most of the ratings are positive: It's not about praising everything, like some others do just to keep the labels happy - it's simply that we tend to buy stuff that we will like. Of course, just like everyone, there's stuff that we buy and end up finding it sucks, and we then gladly trash it. Note that the question is stupid: There's no such thing as "balance" or "fairness" in the overall positive to negative ratio in ratings. Attempting to do so would be stupid. We take each album for what it is, we don't feel obligated to give a positive or negative review just to maintain an artificial ratio just to keep you happy. The reviews are the reviewer's opinion at the time he/she wrote the review, that's all they are. Don't try to make it a social issue. If you are really distressed about all this, there are kids out there who download just about everything and trash it just for the hell of it, you might want to look for such a site.
Do you get free CDs to review?
Sometimes, but not many. A few labels send promos for review, and also some bands send their CD to be reviewed. The vast majority of CDs reviewed here are CDs that we purchase ourselves, however (see previous question/answer.)
Do labels pay you to get good reviews?
No. Man that was a stupid -yet real- question. See first question above.
Why don't you have more reviews?
We don't have a large team of reviewers, and there are no quotas. Plus there's only 24 hours in a day, and it's not like this is a job either: We have other things to do. Usually I put a couple of reviews up per day.
Do you have a "reviews review board" to screen reviews?
No. I leave that to people who like to suppress free speech. A review is simply a reviewer's opinion and should be taken as such. Nobody will agree on everything in this world and it's likely you'll disagree with many opinions here (and elsewhere.) Tough.
How can I contact a reviewer?
Click on the reviewer's name on the review page. It's possible that the e-mail address of a reviewer be outdated because he/she has not reviewed in a long time and I've lost contact with that person.
Can I write reviews for your site?
We are currently not looking for additional reviewers.
Can you review or interview my band?
As long as it's metal, yes. Hardcore and "nu-metal" bands need not apply. E-mail for a postal address to send your CD to. Note that it can sometimes take a while for me to reply, usually because I'm too busy to answer ANY e-mail at the time. But I always get around to it. :) You can also e-mail a reviewer directly, if for some reason you'd like a particular reviewer to review your stuff.
Why are some albums reviewed more than once?
Because someone had a different opinion (or a similar one with different comments) about an album and submitted a review.
Why the hell is album xyz not reviewed!?!?! It's a classic!
For a variety of reasons.. It could be that none of the reviewers have the album, or nobody has had time to review it yet, or simply nobody has felt like writing one. It's impossible to review everything, classic or not.
Album xyz should have a lower/higher rating!!!
Not according to whoever reviewed it. Opinions vary. But if you suffer from insomnia because of that, submit your own review.
There are way too many reviews of this or that band!!!!! Not fair!
No. Shut up.
Why do you review older albums, rather than only the most recent releases?
Metal isn't pop music with a 6-months lifespan. Also a lot of people do not own older releases, and reviewing them today allow these people to learn about them.
Why did you trash my favourite band?
Because I wanted to hurt you.
I found a review that's also on another site. Are you stealing reviews?
Nope. Some reviewers also write for other sites, and sometimes they also submit the same review here. This is cleared with the owner of the other site as well.
Can you post news about my band/label/etc... ??
There is no news section on the web site (there was one for a short period of time, a few years ago.) All is not lost, however. You have two options: The Classified Ads and the "Shameless Promotion" forum on the message board. You can use one or both. Note that this is for metal-related stuff only (and "nu-metal" (sic) is not permissible - such ads will be deleted.) Note that you do NOT need to register on the message board to post in the Shameless Promotion forum. Only people wishing to participate actively on the message board should register a user name there.
Can you put my banner up on your site?
Usually no. There's occasionally a banner up for things such as the Classic Metal Festival, but that's my prerogative.
Do you sell advertising space on your site?
No. It's not ruled out in the future, but for now there's no advertising other than banners I select personally (see previous question.)
When did the web site open?
September 18, 1999. It was originally called "Michel's Metal Page", then "Michel's Metal Crypt", then I finally settled on "The Metal Crypt", which is what most people were calling it anyway. :)
Is the visitors count accurate?
Pretty much. I've used other counters in the past that were more accurate, but they often went offline and stopped counting for several hours or days. So I reverted to a "stock" counter. It still gives a pretty good idea overall.
What browser can I use to view the site?
I try to test each new features with Firefox (my standard browser), Internet Exploder 6.0 and Opera 7.x. I don't feel like installing more browsers. Netscape 7.x interferes with Mozilla due to it being based on Mozilla, so I don't have it - but usually what runs fine on Firefox should also run fine on Netscape 7.x. Let me know if you run into any problems while viewing the site, making sure you tell me where on the site the problem occurred, and what browser (including version number) you were using at the time.
The site stretches my screen!
As an absolute minimum, you should be running in 800x600 resolution. Even at this low resolution, some things might stretch on occasion, but I try to avoid that. Unless you have a 15" monitor, there's really no reason for you to stick to 800x600. Think big.
Why don't you have an MP3 section?
MP3 files are large and therefore eat up a lot of disk space and bandwidth, meaning $$$ in web hosting costs. There's one person paying the bills here, and the site does not generate revenues (well, a little through Overture, but that barely covers a couple of months of hosting per year if I'm lucky...) There are also legal issues that would need to be dealt with (obtaining authorizations etc...) that make this even less worth it. Most web hosting companies, including the one this site is hosted on, do not allow the posting of mp3s unless they are our own music. I don't make music, so that pretty much solves that issue. :)
I'm offended by the language in a review/interview/article/message board post.
Then I suggest you go to a web site for children, where you should feel safer.
What's in the mailing list?
Usually a list of new interviews and reviews since the last posting, plus other "significant" changes/additions to the site, if any. If you are a regular visitor, there isn't much point subscribing to the list. You can see the mailing list archive by selecting the mailing list option in the menu, then clicking on the archive link. There's also one in the trivia section, with mailings sent only when a new trivia is added.
What's the frequency of mailing list postings?
It's rarely been more than once a week. It usually varies from every two to four weeks.
You suck!
That's not a question. But hey, you suck too.
Metallica rules!
A little tense-challenged, aren't you? It's spelled "ruled".
Why isn't the site always updated every day?
I try to, but sometimes there just isn't time.
Some of the answers to these FAQs are rude!
Lighten up.
I was playing a trivia game and it timed out on me.
E-mail me your username and the name of the trivia.
Why did my high score disappear in the trivia?
High scores are reset after a certain amount of time. It happens to everyone, not one user in particular.
Some of the trivia games are way too difficult! How am I supposed to know about this or that?
Relax... It's a game, and you're provided with the answer if you give a wrong answer, so you learn something. It's not like there's some prize to win.
There's an error in one of the trivia games.
It's possible - sometimes something slips through the screening. Please e-mail me the name of the trivia, question and correct answer, with a source for the correct answer (if possible.)
Why do I have to register to play the trivia? I don't want to give you my e-mail address!!
Well, for one thing, I can't see the e-mail addresses (at least in the current version of the trivia system), so that's relatively safe. Even if I could, I don't spam or sell the addresses. Only people who subscribe to the site's mailing list or the trivia announcement list will ever get e-mails. Registration is necessary because of the way the trivia system was built by the company that sells it. Suggestion: Use some free webmail account when you need to register for such things, that way you don't give away your main account. Also, registration enables things such as the possibility of a list of high scores, and seeing which games you've played or not. Without registration, this would not be possible.
Why don't you add more trivia games?
Lack of time. It takes a while to find questions/answers and to enter them into the system. That's why there can sometimes be long periods between the addition of new games.
Can I submit a trivia game?
Yes. E-mail me the questions, each with a few choices (try to keep it around 4-5 choices per question), with the correct answer marked (I don't know everything.) Please ensure the answers are correct.
I don't want to register for the trivia games!!!
Then don't play.
Are interviews conducted by phone?
The vast majority is conducted by e-mail, but there are a few exceptions.
Why do you keep such old interviews?
Why the hell would I delete them?
I interviewed a band but have nowhere to publish it. Can you do it?
If it's metal, yep. E-mail me.
Can you host a forum for my band on your message board?
Maybe. E-mail me about it.
One of the moderators deleted my post/thread!
Usually there's a good reason for it. Contact the moderator through the board's private messenger to know the exact reason.
Why can't I promote "nu-metal" (sic) on your board? Band xyz rules!
Because it's not metal, and xyz do not rule. Go away. There are plenty of retarded boards for you to promote that crap.
Are the official forums on the board really official?
Yes, they were created with the bands' permission, and are usually accessible also from the band's official web site.
I have a web site but I do not want or can't host a fully-featured message board on it. A single forum would suit me well. Can you host one?
E-mail me about it. Note that any site promoting even a glimpse of "nu-metal" (sic) need not apply, and such requests will not even be dignified with a reply.
I lost my password and I'm not able to retrieve it!
E-mail me with your username. You should be using the same e-mail address you used when you registered on the board so I can confirm you're the same person.
Why did I get banned?
You probably asked for it.
Can you unban me?
I can, but I don't want to. Unless you were banned by mistake, of course.
Can I be a moderator?
If I ever want more moderators and think of you, I'll let you know. ;)
What happened to the artist features?
Artist features quickly became a maintenance nightmare, and most of them had not been updated in years. Beside, Metal-Archives is better suited for this kind of stuff - check it out at www.metal-archives.com
Copyright © 1999-2008, Michel Renaud. All Rights Reserved.