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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. For the first several years, the site wasn't on many promo lists because we did not actively ask for promos (most of the time), so we would mostly review stuff that we buy. Call us crazy for trying to buy stuff we would like. ;) Over the past couple of years, the tide has changed a little. With the rising popularity of "mp3 promos" which cost very little for labels to distribute (there is a cost for those labels using mp3 promo services such as iPool and Haulix), we have started receiving a lot more promos than in the past. At the end of the day, if we like it we give it a reasonably good rating, otherwise we don't. 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.
What is the rating system?
There is no standard rating system on the site - it's pretty much up to each reviewer. The only standard is that the ratings are between 0 and 5 (with 5+ being "off the charts" for those albums that really kicked the reviewer's ass.) We've thought about standardizing, but with more than 5200 reviews already on the site at the time I'm writing this, it wouldn't make much sense. A rating is just a number. Read the entire review to get a better feel for it... After all that is what will tell you roughly what the album sounds like, not the rating.
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. Very few reviews have been rejected over the years.
How can I contact a reviewer?
Click on the reviewer's name on the review page. This will bring you to the reviewer's profile (if there is one) and you can e-mail from there if the reviewer is still active. If there is no profile for the reviewer, and if the reviewer is still active, then you'll be presented with a form you can use to send a message.
Can I write reviews for your site?
Possibly. Use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" to send an e-mail. If you have written reviews on some web sites, please provide a few links in the message as well.
Can you review or interview my band?
As long as it's metal, yes. Hardcore and "nu-metal" bands need not apply. Use the Contact page and select "Submitting Music for Reviews". If you qualify (i.e. we consider you to be "metal enough"), then you will be sent a postal address to send your CD to. Note that it can sometimes take a while before you get a reply. You can also e-mail a reviewer directly (see above), if for some reason you'd like a particular reviewer to review your stuff. Note that we are frequently backlogged, so it may take a while (sometimes months) for a review to get done.
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. However, if you think that this is not the case, then please use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" to send a message with all the details and we'll look into it.
What is The Metal Crypt MP3 Store? Are you running this off your server?
The MP3 Store is an affiliation with Metalhit.com/Klicktrack, and the actual store is run by Klicktrack. Unlike other affiliates (see the section on Affiliates), the MP3 Store is "branded" with the Metal Crypt logo. The Metal Crypt gets a percentage of the sales, which goes toward paying the operating costs.
Are the MP3s legit?
Absolutely. All MP3s sold through the store are legal, distributed with the label and/or band's permission. This also means that the labels and/or bands get their cut with every sale of their music.
What's the bit rate of the files sold through the store?
320Kbps for the most part. Check out the store FAQ for more details.
Can you add this or that band/album to the store?
No. The Metal Crypt is only an affiliate and is not involved at all in running the store. If you have questions or problems, please consult the store FAQ and the Help Page.
I have a billing/download/whatever problem or I have a question about....
Unfortunately we cannot help from this end. Please consult the store FAQ and the Help Page.
I can download anything I want. Why would I listen to your radio?
Nobody is pointing a gun to your head. ;) The playlist is updated regularly with new songs in various genres of metal, so it's a way to passively sample new stuff without having to go to multiple sources. Give it a try.
Nobody listens to the radio anymore!
A recent study showed that roughly 33 millions Americans listen to Internet radio - that's about 10% of the U.S. population. Not bad...
Why do I have to register on Live365 to listen to the radio? I don't want to get tons of spam in my e-mail!
Only Live365 have the correct answer to this. However, the registration is directly related to them having to pay royalties for the songs that are played. Also, Live365 do not sell e-mail addresses, and will only e-mail you things like monthly newsletters or special offers on VIP packages if you select the option in your account profile. It only takes a couple of minutes to register. If you are still worried about spam, then create a secondary accoount using some free webmail service and use that address - that's always handy no matter what.
Register? I've been listening to a few days and it hasn't asked me to register...
There is a short trial period during which you do not need to register. When that period is over, it will ask you to create an account.
Sometimes the sound will cut off while playing the radio. Why is that?
Pretty much the nature of the Internet. The songs may be transmitted through something like 20 servers before it reaches your computer. If one of them drops a packet, then you may experience such cutoffs. In my experience this is usually not bad. There may be times when it's worse than others and that's for a variety of reasons. There is also the occasional maintenance on the Live365 infrastructure which can result in such problems. If it gets too bad, just try again a bit later.
I don't like listening using my web browser. What can I do?
There are various options. The Live365 Desktop Player is a standalone application (a bit like, say, Winamp, but that will only play Live365 stations) which is pretty small. You also get a 5-day free trial of the VIP membership (no ads!) when you first use the desktop player. There are also other players for mobile devices such as iPhone, iPod Touch, Windows Mobile, Blackberry etc... available through the Live365 web site. If you're really into this stuff, you can also get actual radios that can stream live radio or even songs from your computer. Such devices are available from many vendors such as D-Link. The Live365 web site has some links to such products. I personally use a D-Link DSM-520 Media Center (which seems to have been replaced by the DSM-750) which can, among other things, stream Live365 stations.
Dude... What's with the ads?
Ads are inserted into the non-VIP (i.e. free) stream by Live365. These help pay for the royalties for songs (and of course Live365's hardware and staff). Royalties for Internet radio are very high, so there isn't much choice. If you really like the radio (and there are also thousands of other radios on Live365), you can always sign up for a VIP membership. There are no ads when listening as a VIP. If you decide to sign up for a VIP membership, please use this link to sign up. This will credit Metal Crypt Radio with a percentage of the sign up fee, which will reduce the renewal cost when it's time to renew the broadcast package (it's not cheap. ;)) When there are special VIP promotions (e.g. $20 off a 1-year membership), I'll usually add a link to the radio page, so keep an eye on that if you want to save a few bucks. I recently got 40% off a 1-year membership just by being attentive to promotions on the Live365 site.
When you started, you had three hosted shows playing 24/7. Why the change?
(For those who never listened to the radio before February 2010, this refers to the first couple of months that the radio was online: We'd have three hosted shows running in a loop 24/7 for about a week.) For one thing, in the long run it was not feasible to come up with new shows every week - or even every couple of weeks. Also, we noticed that 2-3 days after putting the new shows online, the number of listeners would drop significantly, which is most likely because it was just the same thing repeated in the same order 24/7 and one can quickly get tired of that. So we switched to a randomized playlist playing 24/7, with hosted shows playing at scheduled times. This seems to be a more successful approach. There are weeks when no shows are scheduled, usually because no one has had time to prepare one.
Why aren't the shows scheduled more than twice a week?
DMCA regulations prevent us from doing so. One of the many regulations is that a scheduled show cannot be scheduled more then four times in a two week period.
The times you schedule the shows aren't any good for me - I don't live in North America so the shows are in the middle of the night here!
We've had very little feedback on this, even though the possibility to suggest show times has been in place for months. Don't be shy and post in the Radio Feedback forum. Tell us what days and times are good for you and we'll try to accomodate. Make sure you include your time zone.
I'd like to hear some songs or submit my band's songs for airplay.
Use the Radio Requests forum to request a song (please read the short instructions first - this is to ensure you provide enough information about the song.) We'll do our best to find the song if we don't have it. If you are a band, please supply a download link.
Why don't you publish the playlist?
That's another DMCA regulation, though you can see the names of the recently played songs on the radio's page. Similarly, during hosted shows we cannot tell you the name of the song before it plays, only afterward...
I listen to other Internet radios and they don't have ads and all those "regulations"
This can be due to various factors: Maybe the radio isn't hosted in the United States, in which case the DMCA does not apply. Maybe it's a stream from a terrestrial radio. And of course some radios out there do not abide by the DMCA (because they don't care or just don't know), so they can do things that we cannot do...
Artist xyz has passed away. Why don't you do a full-day tribute?
We'd like to, but again the DMCA does not allow that. Here's one of the rules we have to live with: In any three-hour period, you should not intentionally program more than three songs (and not more than two songs in a row) from the same recording; you should not intentionally program more than four songs (and not more than three songs in a row) from the same recording artist or anthology/box set.
What's with all the affiliate links (Amazon, The End, eBay...)?
These links are there to help pay for the site's operations (web hosting, radio, domain names, postage, etc...) It does not cost you anything more if you go through these links to buy, for example, a CD through Amazon. A small percentage of the sales is paid to us.
Affiliate links? I'm not seeing any such links!
There are a couple of them on the main page and in all review pages. If you don't see them, you are probably using some kind of ad blocker which also unfortunately blocks affiliate links. If you want to see them, you can usually unblock the site through the blocker's settings.
You're just trying to make money off our backs!
Trust me on this: The money generated from those links is far from enough to cover the expenses, so I'm not retiring on this any time soon! ;)
But if a lot of visitors use the links, eventually you will make money off our backs!
Technically. But the idea behind the affiliate links is to make the site self-sustaining financially, so should this ever happen, the extra money would most likely go into adding more features to the site - for example a new, better trivia system would be an option but is pretty expensive to purchase, so for now it's not an option.
I want to buy something other than music. Will you get credited?
Yes. Even though the links displayed on the site are music-centric, once you get onto Amazon or eBay through one of our links, a percentage whatever you buy there should get credited to our account. So yeah, if you have an eye on that expensive big screen 3DTV, by all means go through our links. :)
I never buy anything from the stores you are affiliated with, but I would like to contribute financially. How can I do that?
Currently there is no way (unless you are really obsessed with the idea, in which case you could always contact me directly and arrange a Paypal payment, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with this scenario. ;)) Some people have suggested a "Paypal Donate" button. This may or may not happen in the near future - I'm still looking at the pros and cons of converting my Paypal account so that I can use the "Donate" feature.
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 can use the News & Promotion forum on the message board. 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 News & 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. :) A more detailed story was written on the site's 10th anniversary. Click here to read "10 Years and Counting..."
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. The current one is less prone to such problems. 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 7.0 and 8.0, Opera and Chrome. I don't feel like installing more browsers. . 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. Please note that due to the use of a few more advanced cascading style sheets, Internet Explorer 6.0 and below are no longer supported and you will see a message to that effect at the top of the screen if you visit using that. If you're browsing from home you shouldn't be using such old versions anyway, and if you're browsing from work... Well... Your company sucks. ;)
The site stretches my screen!
As an absolute minimum, you should be running in 1024x768 resolution.
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 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.
What's the frequency of mailing list postings?
Mailings are usually sent no more than once a week (except in extremely rare occasions.)
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.
Use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" to provide 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. Use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" and provide the name of the trivia, question and correct answer, with a source for the correct answer (if possible.) If your information is deemed correct, the trivia will be modified accordingly.
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 e-mail address. 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. And sometimes we're simply out of ideas for new games...
Can I submit a trivia game?
Yes. Use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" to provide 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?
E-mail, phone and in person. 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. Use the Contact page and select "Other Inquiries" to contact me with the details.
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.
Why did I get banned?
You probably asked for it. Spamming, being an overall asshole, posting inappropriate material are all grounds for immediate banning.
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 © 1999-2010, Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt. All Rights Reserved.
