Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I help write reviews for the site? ..... No?!? Why not???
    The reviews here at UMR are kept in-house for one specific reason: content continuity. Whether you agree or disagree with a review written by me, you at least know what to expect from the album. That is, if I give low marks to an album you really like, then you can use that as a gauge for similar albums/genres. Here's another analogy: Let's say UMR had several different reviewers---a glam fan, a death fan, and a prog fan. The glam fan could give a Poison album a 9.5, saying it's amazing. A death fan could give Cannibal Corpse a 9.5, and a prog fan could give Dream Theater a 9.5. Are all of these albums 9.5's? Well...sure--- to the fans of those respective genres, maybe. But overall to metal? That's the question, and the debate. By doing all the reviews myself, I try and give a whole-metal view on albums, no matter the genre. And, if you can see that I don't give certain genres quite as high marks as you would, then you can adjust the ratings accordingly. If different people were doing the reviews, then you'd never really know. "Ummm... did the glam fan review this one? Is it really that great...?"

  • How the HELL could you give the album "xxxxx" such a low rating??? It's a 10.0, for sure!!!!
    You will need to read the section entitled Ratings Info for a detailed reply on that. Basically, just because an album sold a lot of copies.... or that it was one of the first metal albums ever.... or it had a great "hit" song on it.... does not mean that it's a really "great" album. Several outside factors are taken into consideration as well, though they don't play as large a part as the actual music. Check the Ratings Info for more...

  • Do you own all the albums that are reviewed here?
    I own probably 75% of them. A (very) few were borrowed, and some were purchased---usually from pawn shops---and then sold a month or two later, after reviewing. It's not that I didn't want them or anything, but there gets to be a point where you can't listen to everything... Plus, I need to keep a turnover cash flow, in order to keep buying review inventory.

  • Why do some selections have "coming soon" beside them?
    "Coming soon" simply means that I own it, but haven't gotten a chance to review it. So, it will be gotten to eventually...

  • Why aren't newer bands like Korn, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, and others represented?
    These bands may get reviewed in the future... but they may not. Because of MTV and its flock of sheep, everyone pretty much already knows about these bands. There are still tons of new, traditional metal acts coming out today, and they are largely being ignored by any/all major media outlets. In my opinion, bands like Iced Earth, Hollow, Impellitteri, Conception, and many others deserve written space moreso than a band that you can hear about just by clicking on the TV---and bands that show more rap and flash than deep-rooted metal tendencies.

  • Are any of the CDs for sale?
    If you're interested in something, get in touch. I can't promise anything, but I'll listen to the offer.

  • How long have you been into metal?
    I really started listening to metal in earnest when I was about 10 or 11-- which was around 1984.

  • Do you play any musical instruments?
    I've played the guitar since about the 7th or 8th grade... but try and make myself familiar with many musical instruments, and the ways in which they work.

  • So is this your fulltime job? Reviewing CDs?
    Unfortunately, no. More detail is included in the Webmaster Bio file which can be accessed from the main page. Here are the basics, though: I taught high school English and coached football for four years.... I then moved out of the classroom, and an now in charge of the disciplinary program at a different high school, and am coaching football and baseball. I've been working on a nonfiction, non-music related book off and on for the past few years, and I've had a couple of non-music related articles published in major media newspapers. UMR doesn't pay the bills, sad to say. Thus the need for all that other stuff. I just hope to continue the page going in some capacity, is all...

Any other questions you'd like to see addressed here? Email them in!