UMR Staff

-- Andrew Smith - Hey hey, that's me.
Creator, webmaster, album reviewer, layout designer, content management, bill payer.

BIO INFO: A fan of metal since the age of 10 or so. First albums to be self-recognized as "favorites" were Judas Priest's 'Screaming for Vengeance' and AC/DC's 'Back in Black'; this was back in the mid-80s, and the metal tastes have obviously expanded since then. I've attended countless concerts, and have had the pleasure of conducting interviews with several major-profile bands/artists. I was in a couple of high school bands, banging out noisy metal while driving the neighbors nuts.
A 1996 graduate of NC State University, I hold a BA degree in English Education, and have since added a Master's Degree in Health/PE and Sports Management. I've worked on a couple of non-fiction books at times, but never seriously, though I've been fortunate enough to have had an article published in North Carolina's largest daily newspaper, the Raleigh News and Observer. In addition to being a teacher, my wife and I own a dog kennel and a storage business.
I'm into all genres of metal, though you can never go wrong with pure power...
See the webmaster info page for more...
Email: info@metal-reviews.com

-- Dave Sobecki
Album reviewer (Dec. 2005 - present).

BIO INFO: Dave started assisting with reviews in late 2005. He has a doctorate in mathematics, and teaches collegiately at Miami of Ohio. He has published several books in the academic realm, and has been a metal fan for about... eh, 60 years or so! ;)

-- Michael Merrill
Review/content assistance (1997 - 2002)

BIO INFO: Michael is my cousin, and helped out in the early days of the page with info, feedback, and lots of support. He was also responsible for compiling the news, back when we had the Wire going.

-- Alex Urs
Graphic layout/design assistance.