lack of metal knowledge in some reviews

I am rather bothered by the fact that this site collectively does not seem to know much about metal at large.  I do not think that Protest The Hero sound anything like System of a Down.... if people knew more about metal than what they are exposed to (by radio or other pop outlets) maybe they would know more about it and be able to make better assertions about metal.  I am not trying to say I know everything about metal, but I am rather insulted by a lot of the opinions of the genre and its subsequent sub-genres.  It seems that many people are content to listen to tip of the iceburg bands in any genre, and then they will claim they know a lot about said genre.  Now I don't claim to know everything about prog, but I know a fair shake, although I am sure a lot of you older more seasoned folks could school me with your expertise.  I guess I am just a little (perhaps neurotically) offended by the lack of knowledge that seems apparent on here.  When I go to the tech metal section/list of bands, I see a lot of one star reviews for bands that are known in the subgenre of metal for being exemplary.  It seems that a lot of old school prog heads or people who DO NOT NORMALLY listen to metal are flexing their prog muscles and sh*tting on certain metal bands because they find no merit in (the music...which is most likely not their "prefered genre)  I find it sad that people are turned off by nuances such as growl vocals or rapid fire playing.  It is all just music and perhaps should be explored at length like any other musical style before severe knee-jerk responses (ad hominem attacks and one star reviews????  get a life.) are put up.  If a band is deemed good enough by the collective to be included in the prog archives, why are we even allowing one star reviews?  I think it unjustly skews any decent reviewing.

I am not a vindictive, angry person by nature, so I do not find it necessary to "backlash" against a newly popular band and attack relentlessly with senseless reviews and one star-isms.

thank you.

Rant over.

I'm one of the people who doesn't know metal very well at all, but I try to understand individual albums beyond the surface. Mostly, I agree with you, except for

If a band is deemed good enough by the collective to be included in the prog archives, why are we even allowing one star reviews?

Because prog doesn't = good and because admission isn't a judgment of quality.

avalanchemaster wrote: If a band is deemed good enough by the collective to be included in the prog archives, why are we even allowing one star reviews?  I think it unjustly skews any decent reviewing.

Think about this one for a while.

I like metal quite a bit, but I find Protest the Hero quite intolerable.

Pnoom! wrote: avalanchemaster wrote: If a band is deemed good enough by the collective to be included in the prog archives, why are we even allowing one star reviews?  I think it unjustly skews any decent reviewing. Think about this one for a while. I like metal quite a bit, but I find Protest the Hero quite intolerable.

rileydog22 wrote: So you've decided that all of PA is out to get metal because of some poorly-written Protest the Hero review?

no.  there are some other reviews of some other bands (or merely just one star with no review) in the metal section....but I have not seen much tried and true knowledge about metal on here, point me in the right direction and I will shut up.  but for the time being, it seems like there is not a whole lot of insight into the genre at large...but I could be wrong.  IT COULD ALL BE SUBJECTIVE...


Edited by avalanchemaster - May 03 2008 at 21:09

avalanchemaster wrote: rileydog22 wrote: So you've decided that all of PA is out to get metal because of some poorly-written Protest the Hero review?  no.  there are some other reviews of some other bands (or merely just one star with no review) in the metal section....

Ratings without reviews are an entirely different issue.

Personally I think anybody who feels strongly enough about an album to rate it * or ***** should be able to write a review for it to justify their position (and we could leave **, ***, and **** as rates w/o review), but ratings without reviews are accepted for every rating at the moment, so complaining about that won't really help you make your point here.

Pnoom! wrote: avalanchemaster wrote: rileydog22 wrote: So you've decided that all of PA is out to get metal because of some poorly-written Protest the Hero review?  no.  there are some other reviews of some other bands (or merely just one star with no review) in the metal section.... Ratings without reviews are an entirely different issue. Personally I think anybody who feels strongly enough about an album to rate it * or ***** should be able to write a review for it to justify their position (and we could leave **, ***, and **** as rates w/o review), but ratings without reviews are accepted for every rating at the moment, so complaining about that won't really help you make your point here.

well I think we agree that if someone does rate in extremes, perhaps they should share in their opinion.   I guess I have never rated anything at one star to justify backing this up......maybe their should be an amendment to that one/five star rating, where you are required to justify said rating.....

avalanchemaster wrote: system of a down=protest the hero? fat f**king chance.  this comparison is retarded and something only those who know very little would assert. apples are not oranges....they share trivial similarities at best.... knowing more about a genre does make the review more cogent in terms of comparisons, (worthwhile comparisons at that) and other relevancies....

What are you trying to prove? I'm sorry you find us all such musical philistines, but really, do you need to keep on referring to SoaD and PtH? No one is even arguing with you about that or advocating such a comparison.

Is a "Prog Metal Specialist" label with your icon what you are looking for?

Additionally, what is "knowledge of a genre" in your opinion? Is it just having heard a lot of music from that genre or is it knowing obscure trivia? Oh wait, I almost forgot the third option... is it having to have identical tastes to yourself in regards to which bands sound similar?


With all due respect, get over yourself, man.


Edited by ClassicRocker - May 03 2008 at 21:20

ClassicRocker wrote: avalanchemaster wrote: system of a down=protest the hero? fat f**king chance.  this comparison is retarded and something only those who know very little would assert. apples are not oranges....they share trivial similarities at best.... knowing more about a genre does make the review more cogent in terms of comparisons, (worthwhile comparisons at that) and other relevancies.... What are you trying to prove? I'm sorry you find us all such musical philistines, but really, do you need to keep on referring to SoaD and PtH? No one is even arguing with you about that or advocating such a comparison. Is a "Prog Metal Specialist" label with your icon what you are looking for? Additionally, what is "knowledge of a genre" in your opinion? Is it just having heard a lot of music from that genre or is it knowing obscure trivia? Oh wait, I almost forgot the third option... is it having to have identical tastes to yourself in regards to which bands sound similar? With all due respect, get over yourself, man.

well for starters, a decent exposure (at the minimum) to the genre would help.  Obscure trivia only helps someone be higher on the Nerd-o-rama-ter.....
no I do not want Prog Metal Specialist as a tag.  that is irrelevant.  I never claimed that someone had to have identical tastes.....I am merely bitching about those who do not seem to back up their reviews with knowledge and an intelligent reason for having such extremes of opinions.  What I can't be annoyed by that?  it automatically makes me high-horsed and arrogant?  if we do not hold standards of conduct, what will happen next?   slippery slope.  obviously I hit a nerve somewhere in the discourse, that is too bad, because ironically your reply was just as arrogant......

darqDean wrote: One of the advantages of this site over other sites is that there is no limit to the number of reviews for any given album, so rather than getting a single opinion, you get many. Therefore not only do you get more opinions, you get a wider choice of opinions.   Not all those opinions will agree and they are not all by people knowledgeable in that genre. Sometimes a review by someone not familiar with the genre can give a different perspective on the music that you wouldn't normally get from an expert - whether you chose to accept those opinions is down to the reader, not the reviewer.   It is unwise to make judgements of any kind based upon a single review, so if you see a 1-star review for an album you must view this with respect to all the other reviews of that album, and if necessary all the other reviews by that reviewer.   Basically, you have to be selective in which reviews you take on board and those which you ignore based upon your own tastes, not those of individual reviewers.

Exactly.  For example, I trust Syzygy's reviews far more than The T's, not because Syzygy is a better reviewer than The T, but because he and I agree, whereas Teo (The T) and I, well, have our differences.