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| {{ |
{{Short description|Website on metal bands}} | ||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}{{About|the online heavy metal encyclopedia|other uses|Metallum (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{multiple issues| | |||
| {{more citations needed|date=May 2021}} | |||
| {{primary sources|date=March 2023}}}} | |||
| {{Infobox website | |||
| | name = Encyclopaedia Metallum | | name = Encyclopaedia Metallum | ||
| | logo = |
| logo = Metal-archives.jpg | ||
| | logo_size = 300px | |||
| ⚫ | | url = |
||
| | logo_caption = Logo | |||
| ⚫ | | url = {{URL|https://metal-archives.com}} | ||
| | commercial = No | | commercial = No | ||
| | type = Music database, reviews | | type = Music database, reviews | ||
| Line 8: | Line 15: | ||
| | owner = Morrigan, Hellblazer | | owner = Morrigan, Hellblazer | ||
| | author = Morrigan, Hellblazer | | author = Morrigan, Hellblazer | ||
| | |
| launch_date = July 2002 | ||
| | |
| current_status = Active | ||
| | alexa = 2,649 <ref> at ]</ref> | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives''' (commonly known as '''Metal Archives''' per the ] or abbreviated as '''MA''') is an ] based upon musical artists who predominantly perform ] along with its various ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| |url = http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/story/369201.html | |||
| |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090416073546/http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/story/369201.html | |||
| |url-status = dead | |||
| |archive-date = April 16, 2009 | |||
| |title = Club Chatter | |||
| |work = ] | |||
| |access-date = 2009-05-05 | |||
| |last = Miers | |||
| |first = Jeff | |||
| |date = June 13, 2008 | |||
| }}</ref> Encyclopaedia Metallum was described by Matt Sullivan of '']'' as "the Internet's central database for all that is ']' in the metal world."<ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Matt |date=December 22, 2009 |title=The indie-fication of metal, 2009 |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/2009-12-24/music/the-indie-fication-of-metal-2009/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228005625/https://www.nashvillescene.com/2009-12-24/music/the-indie-fication-of-metal-2009 |archive-date=December 28, 2009 |access-date=December 31, 2009 |work=Nashville Scene |publisher=City Press LLC}}</ref> '']'' described the site as "a {{Sic|?|hide=y|fully|-}}exhaustive list of pretty much every metal band ever, with full discographies, an active forum and an interlinking members list that shows the ever-incestuous beauty of the metal scene".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Alderslade |first=Merlin |date=December 2009 |title=Cyber Metal |journal=Terrorizer's Secret History |publisher=Dark Arts Ltd |location=UK |page=62 |pages= |type=The Decade |issue=2}}</ref> Nevertheless, there are numerous exceptions for bands which fall under disputed genres not accepted by the website. | |||
| ⚫ | Encyclopaedia Metallum attempts to provide comprehensive information on each band, such as a discography, logos, pictures, lyrics, line-ups, biography, trivia and user-submitted reviews. The site also provides a system for submitting bands to the archives. The website is free of ] and is run completely independently. | ||
| '''Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives''' (commonly known as '''Metal Archives''' per the URL or just '''MA''') is a ] which lists bands from various forms of ]. However, there are exceptions for bands which fall under disputed genres not accepted by the website; see ] for further information. | |||
| ⚫ | == History == | ||
| ⚫ | Encyclopaedia Metallum attempts to provide |
||
| The Encyclopaedia Metallum was launched in July 2002 by a Canadian couple from ] using the pseudonyms HellBlazer and Morrigan. A couple of years prior, HellBlazer had the idea of an encyclopedia for heavy metal and attempted to create an ] page for every metal band by hand. Although he gave up on that initial attempt, a fully automated site with contributions from its users was in the works.<ref>{{cite web |title=Encyclopaedia Metallum - Miasma Interview |url=https://v1.metal-archives.com/miasmainterview.php |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> The site initially went live early in July 2002 and the first band (]) was added on July 7, 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amorphis |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Amorphis/1 |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> In just over a year the site had amassed a database of over 10,000 bands.<ref>{{cite web |title=10,000 bands! |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/news/view/id/80 |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> The site continues to grow at a rate of about 500 bands per month.<ref>{{cite web |title=Band archives - By created date |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/archives/band-list/by/created |access-date=24 September 2015 |website=Encyclopaedia Metallum}}</ref> On November 13, 2014, the number of bands listed in the database reached 100,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=100,000 bands |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/news/view/id/220. |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> | |||
| On January 1, 2013, the site announced that bands with entirely digital discographies could now be submitted to the Archives, changing the site's decade-long policy of physical releases only.<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy New Year! We have a present for you |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/news/view/id/205 |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> Digital releases must have a fixed track listing, album art, professional or finished production and be available in a high-quality or lossless format through official distribution sources (such as ] and/or ]).{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} | |||
| The site also provides a system for submitting bands to the archives, and users are encouraged to use it. As of June 2008, the site boasts 60,000+ bands listed, 139,000+ releases, 36,000+ reviews and 157,000+ registered users (108,000+ of which are "currently active").<ref></ref> It is one of the top 500 most-visited websites in one country,<ref></ref> and the fifth most popular music website.<ref></ref> | |||
| A 2018 study of Encyclopaedia Metallum's database of approximately 350,000 musicians active between 1964 and 2015 found that 97% of metal musicians were male and only 3% were female, though the latter figure has increased slightly since the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Berkers |first=Pauwke |title=Gender Inequality in Metal Music Production |last2=Schaap |first2=Julian |date=June 19, 2018 |publisher=] |isbn=9781787146754 |pages=20-21, 34, 70-73 |doi=10.1108/9781787146747}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Herbst |first=Jan-Peter |title=Gender Inequality in Metal Music Production, Pauwke Berkers and Jual Schapp (2018) |url=https://pure.hud.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/18216194/Herbst_Review_Gender_Inequality_in_Metal_Music_Production.pdf |journal=] Research Portal |access-date=June 23, 2024}}</ref> In January 2022, '']'' reported that ] bands made up most of Encyclopaedia Metallum's database with approximately 51,000 bands listed, but noted that the highest number of active bands was within ] (approx. 26,000).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chainey |first=Ian |date=2022-01-31 |title=The Month In Metal – January 2022 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2174542/the-month-in-metal-january-2022/columns/the-black-market/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ==User interaction== | |||
| ⚫ | == Accepted and excluded bands == | ||
| As an incentive to get people to submit data, the site uses a "point" system, in which registered users gain points and move up ranks with the amount and value of data and information they submit. When joining as a member of the site all new members start off with the ranking of "mallcore kid". The more valuable and complete the information, the more points are awarded. Also submitting reviews of band releases is another way to gain points on the site. Typically though, the website offers more points to those who submit info about a band itself. The most points are given to users when actual bands they submit to the site are accepted. | |||
| ] | |||
| Encyclopaedia Metallum maintains a system where a user with a registered account is free to submit a band to the database that they deem to be within a heavy metal genre, but once the band page gets submitted it goes through an approval process where a moderator (or in some cases, multiple moderators) will review the band's music to determine if it's suitable for the website's classification of metal. ] genres and era (such as the ]) have stringent rulings; users are warned in the rules section to consider bands submitted under these classifications as "ambiguous", in the sense that if a band is submitted with these terms as their genre, the music will be extensively reviewed by the moderators before they decide whether or not to accept the band onto the website.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311162456/http://metal-archives.com/guidelines.php#bands|date=2010-03-11}}.</ref> This is because, in the past, some submissions labeled with those genres have turned out not to be metal according to the site's guidelines. Bands or artists commonly associated with either ] or ] will only be accepted if the moderators consider their material to be at least "fully, unambiguously metal", examples being ], ], ], ], ] and ], while the site will not accept certain rock- or hard rock-based acts like ], ], ], ], ] or ].<ref name="rules">{{cite web |title=Rules & Guidelines |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/content/rules |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> | |||
| The website is notably completely free of advertisements, and as of ] is run completely independently. Some, however, question whether or not this affects the quality of the website. Since the middle of 2005, frequent visitors noticed that the site was often down, though the stability situation began to improve in the beginning of 2006. Through the first three months of 2007 the site ran relatively free of downtime, with the exception of late March. The site also went down unexpectedly for five days at the end of December.<ref></ref>. This was in part due to an issue with the company that hosted the site. When the company changed its business strategy, Metal Archives was left out of the process and was subsequently ignored. The issue has since been corrected and the site is running normally again. | |||
| ⚫ | Additionally, there are some rare cases of non-metal bands featured on the site that are considered to be part of the metal scene despite not being metal themselves (usually ] and ] bands that are side projects of already well-known established metal artists), examples being ], ], ], ], ], ], etc. These bands were selected by the moderators "in an admittedly arbitrary fashion", and their submission by normal users was discouraged.<ref name="rules"/> In 2021 the staff collectively decided that they will not be adding any more of these "exception bands" to the database.<ref>{{cite web |title=Submission of non-metal side-projects and similar |url=https://www.metal-archives.com/news/view/id/231 |access-date=21 April 2016 |work=metal-archives.com}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | == Accepted bands == | ||
| The site is known for its extremely strict rules, especially those which mandate band submissions. Encyclopaedia Metallum only accepts bands which it deems metal, but many bands that once were rejected were accepted later on, and vice versa. The only exceptions are: side projects of members of metal bands that have a release on a label with worldwide distribution, bands that are no longer considered to be metal, but were in the past and ] bands that bear close similarities to ]. | |||
| Certain genres related to metal that the site does not accept are ] and ], although some bands who are on the site have released albums in the latter genre, such as ] and ], who both released nu metal material in the early 2000s, but are mostly recognized as ] bands. ] and ] are only allowed on the site if the moderators consider at least one album "clearly more metal than core", examples being ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], while other bands such as ], ], ], ], ], and ] are not allowed on the site.<ref name="rules"/> | |||
| ] and ] genres have stringent rulings; users are warned in the rules section, to consider bands submitted under these classifications as "''ambiguous''", in the sense that if a band is submitted with these terms as their genre, the music will be extensively reviewed by the moderators before they decide whether or not to accept the band onto the website.<ref></ref> This is because in the past, some submissions labeled with those genres have turned out not to be metal, according to the site's guidelines. Some bands which are commonly referred to as Traditional/heavy metal and NWOBHM, such as ] and ], are on the website due to only one or two of the bands' albums meeting the website's specifications. | |||
| ⚫ | Additionally, there are some non-metal bands featured on the site that are considered to be part of the metal scene despite not being metal themselves (usually ] and ] bands, examples being ], ], ], ], ], ], etc |
||
| ===Bands excluded by the website=== | |||
| Genres that are sometimes associated with extreme metal, such as ] and ], are also absent as they are seen to have more in common with ] than metal. Some grindcore bands are accepted if they are more associated with ] (e.g. ], and ]). Many users believe that ] bands have been completely banned from the website since a bulletin was posted that simply stated, "''Please stop submitting -core bands. Please.''" <ref></ref> However, this is false; many metalcore bands appear on the archives and many more have been added since the bulletin was posted, but the moderators have become more strict on what metalcore bands can be added and generally work case-by-case rather than saying all, or zero, metalcore bands will be accepted. Most of the metalcore bands that are allowed are the ones heavily influenced by ]. ] is rejected if the website owners consider the band more hard rock than metal. ] is only allowed if the site's staff consider it "more metal related than industrial", for example; the band ] is not allowed, while industrial rock pioneers ] were finally accepted in March 2006 (based on the newer output of this band which has incorporated a lot of thrash metal influence). Another recent accepted band once blocked by the administration is the industrial group ], based on their first three metal-influenced albums. | |||
| Bands that are associated with the ] label are completely forbidden and have been since the website started. However, certain bands which are commonly regarded as nu metal were also accepted, if the moderators considered certain albums "metal" enough. | |||
| The site runners have standards which exclude some bands that are considered by some sites (such as ] <ref></ref> and others) as founding and definitive heavy metal acts, such as ] and ]; the website's runners consider these acts as ], despite their often-attributed influence and history. However, there are some websites specialising in rock and metal music that, like Encyclopaedia Metallum, also exclude Led Zeppelin <ref></ref> or just mention Led Zeppelin as "hard rock".<ref></ref> | |||
| In fact, many of what are often viewed as the original 1970s heavy metal bands are missing from the website, such as ], ], ], ], ], Power of Zeus and many more. A small amount of users have questioned these exclusions on the website's message board in the past.<ref>.</ref> On the other hand, other 1970s bands such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] are accepted. | |||
| ⚫ | == History == | ||
| The Encyclopaedia Metallum was founded in July 2002 by two Canadians from Montreal using the pseudonyms HellBlazer and Morrigan. They have been interviewed three times about their site. The first interview was given to the now defunct MetalGospel.com site. The second interview was given to the Finnish magazine during May and June 2005,<ref></ref> and the issue was published in mid-October of the year. The last to date was given to the Quebecois magazine during December 2007, which was published in June 2008. | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| ⚫ | {{reflist| |
||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| ==References== | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| ⚫ | {{reflist|30em}} | ||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ⚫ | ==External links== | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| * {{Official website|https://www.metal-archives.com}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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Latest revision as of 18:42, 1 January 2025
Website on metal bands This article is about the online heavy metal encyclopedia. For other uses, see Metallum (disambiguation). | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
 Logo | |
| Type of site | Music database, reviews |
|---|---|
| Owner | Morrigan, Hellblazer |
| Created by | Morrigan, Hellblazer |
| URL | metal-archives |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | July 2002 |
| Current status | Active |
Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres. Encyclopaedia Metallum was described by Matt Sullivan of Nashville Scene as "the Internet's central database for all that is 'tr00' in the metal world." Terrorizer described the site as "a fully-exhaustive list of pretty much every metal band ever, with full discographies, an active forum and an interlinking members list that shows the ever-incestuous beauty of the metal scene". Nevertheless, there are numerous exceptions for bands which fall under disputed genres not accepted by the website.
Encyclopaedia Metallum attempts to provide comprehensive information on each band, such as a discography, logos, pictures, lyrics, line-ups, biography, trivia and user-submitted reviews. The site also provides a system for submitting bands to the archives. The website is free of advertisements and is run completely independently.
History
The Encyclopaedia Metallum was launched in July 2002 by a Canadian couple from Montreal using the pseudonyms HellBlazer and Morrigan. A couple of years prior, HellBlazer had the idea of an encyclopedia for heavy metal and attempted to create an HTML page for every metal band by hand. Although he gave up on that initial attempt, a fully automated site with contributions from its users was in the works. The site initially went live early in July 2002 and the first band (Amorphis) was added on July 7, 2002. In just over a year the site had amassed a database of over 10,000 bands. The site continues to grow at a rate of about 500 bands per month. On November 13, 2014, the number of bands listed in the database reached 100,000.
On January 1, 2013, the site announced that bands with entirely digital discographies could now be submitted to the Archives, changing the site's decade-long policy of physical releases only. Digital releases must have a fixed track listing, album art, professional or finished production and be available in a high-quality or lossless format through official distribution sources (such as Bandcamp and/or iTunes).
A 2018 study of Encyclopaedia Metallum's database of approximately 350,000 musicians active between 1964 and 2015 found that 97% of metal musicians were male and only 3% were female, though the latter figure has increased slightly since the 1970s. In January 2022, Stereogum reported that death metal bands made up most of Encyclopaedia Metallum's database with approximately 51,000 bands listed, but noted that the highest number of active bands was within black metal (approx. 26,000).
Accepted and excluded bands
Encyclopaedia Metallum maintains a system where a user with a registered account is free to submit a band to the database that they deem to be within a heavy metal genre, but once the band page gets submitted it goes through an approval process where a moderator (or in some cases, multiple moderators) will review the band's music to determine if it's suitable for the website's classification of metal. Traditional heavy metal genres and era (such as the NWOBHM) have stringent rulings; users are warned in the rules section to consider bands submitted under these classifications as "ambiguous", in the sense that if a band is submitted with these terms as their genre, the music will be extensively reviewed by the moderators before they decide whether or not to accept the band onto the website. This is because, in the past, some submissions labeled with those genres have turned out not to be metal according to the site's guidelines. Bands or artists commonly associated with either hard rock or glam metal will only be accepted if the moderators consider their material to be at least "fully, unambiguously metal", examples being Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Scorpions, Skid Row and Stryper, while the site will not accept certain rock- or hard rock-based acts like AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Queen or Poison.
Additionally, there are some rare cases of non-metal bands featured on the site that are considered to be part of the metal scene despite not being metal themselves (usually dark ambient and folk bands that are side projects of already well-known established metal artists), examples being Mortiis, Elend, Nest, Of the Wand & the Moon, Autumn Tears, Stille Volk, etc. These bands were selected by the moderators "in an admittedly arbitrary fashion", and their submission by normal users was discouraged. In 2021 the staff collectively decided that they will not be adding any more of these "exception bands" to the database.
Certain genres related to metal that the site does not accept are djent and nu metal, although some bands who are on the site have released albums in the latter genre, such as Machine Head and Chimaira, who both released nu metal material in the early 2000s, but are mostly recognized as groove metal bands. Metalcore and deathcore are only allowed on the site if the moderators consider at least one album "clearly more metal than core", examples being Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, After the Burial, Carnifex, All Shall Perish, The Red Chord, and Despised Icon, while other bands such as Bring Me the Horizon, Converge, Atreyu, Born of Osiris, Between the Buried and Me, and Oceano are not allowed on the site.
See also
References
- Miers, Jeff (June 13, 2008). "Club Chatter". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- Sullivan, Matt (December 22, 2009). "The indie-fication of metal, 2009". Nashville Scene. City Press LLC. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- Alderslade, Merlin (December 2009). "Cyber Metal". Terrorizer's Secret History (The Decade). No. 2. UK: Dark Arts Ltd. p. 62.
- "Encyclopaedia Metallum - Miasma Interview". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- "Amorphis". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- "10,000 bands!". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- "Band archives - By created date". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- "100,000 bands". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- "Happy New Year! We have a present for you". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- Berkers, Pauwke; Schaap, Julian (June 19, 2018). Gender Inequality in Metal Music Production. Emerald Publishing Limited. pp. 20–21, 34, 70–73. doi:10.1108/9781787146747. ISBN 9781787146754.
- Herbst, Jan-Peter. "Gender Inequality in Metal Music Production, Pauwke Berkers and Jual Schapp (2018)" (PDF). University of Huddersfield Research Portal. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- Chainey, Ian (January 31, 2022). "The Month In Metal – January 2022". Stereogum. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- "Websites "rules"... heavy metal/hard rock to be considered "ambiguous"" Archived 2010-03-11 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Rules & Guidelines". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- "Submission of non-metal side-projects and similar". metal-archives.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.