Judgement Submissions

The idea behind the Hall of Judgement is to give site members the opportunity to vote on which genre(s) and/or clan(s) a particular release should belong to. If you feel that a release shouldn't be where it currently is, create a new thread here in the Judgement Submissions section. Make sure you're clear about what you think should happen, and provide brief summary as to why. It's your task to convince other site members that your opinion is the correct one.

Once you've stated your case, an admin will either enter the release into the Hall of Judgement or ask for clearer / more information.

I think that Anathema's 1996 album leans more towards gothic metal than doom metal, so I would like to see gothic metal added whilst retaining it's doom metal tagging. This won't affect the album's clan. My reasons, from my review are:

"The bass sound in particular comes straight from The Sisters of Mercy, the jangling nature of a lot of the guitar work owes much to The Mission or the early sound of The Cult's Billy Duffy and the multi-part Eternity, especially part III, even sees vocalist Vincent Cavanagh aping Aaron Stainthorpe's style of gothic delivery."

I have another judgement submission for the Blue Stahli album The Devil, which takes the project's industrial metal sound through mainstream territory, heading into alt-metal. This is given away by the frequent accessibility in riffs, melodies, and vocals. So I'd like to submit Blue Stahli's "The Devil" to The Hall to be added to The Gateway and alternative metal.

Blue Stahli has a lot of industrial metal going on alongside the industrial rock and electro-industrial in several albums. Many of the songs have the distorted guitar crunch and techno beats and keys that can be found in industrial metal, thus making them more than just electro-industrial rock (alt-metal for The Devil). So I'd like to submit Blue Stahli's 2011 self-titled debut album, "B-Sides and Other Things I Forgot", and "The Devil" to the Hall to be added to The Sphere and industrial metal.

The 1993 debut album from California's is one of the multitude of sludge metal releases that also receives a doom metal tag when there's absolutely no reason for it. Sludge metal already covers the doom metal component & the vocals & generally noisy aesthetic clearly put this record into comfortable sludge territory. For that reason, I'd like to see the Doom Metal tag removed from "Feel My Hate - The Power Is the Weight - R.I.P. Cain" with its Sludge Metal tag being the only one that's required.

https://metal.academy/hall/540

While Ministry's "Filth Pig" album certainly contains some elements of sludge metal & noise rock, it's still predominantly an industrial metal release with the existing Sludge Metal tag being overkill for the majority of the record. For that reason, I'd like to see the "Filth Pig" removed from The Fallen so that resides solely in The Sphere.

https://metal.academy/hall/539

Extol's 2003 "Synergy" album certainly contains an obvious technical thrash metal influence as well as a few songs that have a rightful claim to that subgenre as a primary tag however each of those songs is clearly grounded in progressive metal as well & the rest of the material is far too expansive & adventurous to be covered by thrash metal. There's really not enough thrash in tracks like "Grace For Succession", "Psychopath", "Blood Red Cover", "26 Miles From Marathon" & "Aperture" to justify it as far as I'm concerned. With that in mind, I'd like to see "Synergy" removed form The Pit & the Thrash Metal genre while maintaining its position solely in The Infinite under Progressive Metal.

https://metal.academy/hall/538

This nomination has been passed.

https://metal.academy/hall/537

https://metal.academy/hall/536

https://metal.academy/hall/535

This nomination has been passed.

I look at it like this:

Technical = Consciously complex & hard to play.

Progressive = Utilizes a more expansive palate of thematic, structural & melodic ideas which gives the music a more sophisticated (& sometimes spacey) feel. It can often be quite technical but not always.

Most technical releases could easily fit under the progressive tag in my opinion but I don't feel that the same can't be said in reverse.

That's what I've been thinking, but you phrased it way better.

https://metal.academy/hall/534

https://metal.academy/hall/533

As with Primus' first two albums, I can't identify any metal whatsoever on this bad boy. The links between Primus & metal music are purely a myth with this record sitting very comfortably under an experimental/psychedelic rock description. Therefore, I'd like to see "Pork Soda" removed from The Gateway so that it can reside under the Non-Metal grouping.

https://metal.academy/hall/532

Atheist's popular 1993 third album "Elements" is generally referred to as being progressive/technical death metal but I have question the album's claim to our The Horde clan because I don't hear any death metal whatsoever on this record. It's purely a progressive metal record as far as I can see so I'd like to see "Elements" removed from The Horde & reside solely in The Infinite.

https://metal.academy/hall/531

Fixed

I just gave this Sadist album some listening and a review to continue my on-off thrashy progressive death metal exploration. There is a bit of thrash riffing going on, but I'm still one of those people who would consider this a progressive death metal album, maybe even technical death metal. Most of the speedy riffing has more to do with the more technical side of death metal, helped out by some neoclassical leads, all that combined with the keyboard ambience stirring up the progressiveness in the sound. I'm afraid I'll have to give this entry a NO vote, Daniel. And I encourage Horde members to please add the technical death metal subgenre to the album's release page.

https://metal.academy/hall/528

Unanimated's debut album is clearly a melodic black/death metal hybrid in my opinion. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's more black metal than it is death metal & could well have been the catalyst for the entire melodic black metal phenomenon that took off out of Sweden later in 1993. For that reason, I'd like to see "In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead" added to The North on top of its existing position in The Horde.

https://metal.academy/hall/526

Heretical as it might be to some, I actually agree with this.

To me, Motörhead always felt like hard rock with as much of a punk element as a metal one, at least in the earlier works (and to some degree even on the later ones).

This nomination has now been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/525

A couple tracks are definitely deathly, but looking back at the other tracks, they don't quite reach that level. Sure they're dark and heavy but they've tamed down to more of a bleak atmospheric industrial metal direction. So this entry is getting a YES vote from me.

I remember listening to this In Mourning album long ago, and from what I can recall, the vocals aren't the only thing deathly there. With that and the melodeath riffing going on often, it reminded me a lot of Dark Tranquillity's Haven gone Opeth. So for this entry, I'll have to give it a NO vote, Daniel.

OK, thanks Daniel.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of judgement:

https://metal.academy/hall/522

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

I've passed these two nominations uncontested Andi.

Correct indeed! Throes of Absolution is progressive tech-/melodeath fury as it should be and a must-hear for all metalheads out there. The Infinite clan still hasn't been added to its release page though. Could you please fix that, Daniel? Thanks.

Based on the mess RYM have made of their genre-tagging in recent years, I wouldn't worry too much about what their members think Rex as there's not a lot of genuine understanding there. More importantly, we need a few more The Guardians members to vote on this release in the Hall of Judgement so that we can achieve a clear position.

I know.  I'm just expressing my pleasure that it's at least staying there for a while.  I don't have an RYM account as the staff isn't making the best decisions, but I wanted a place to express the pleasure anyway.

I just listened to it, and I agree and will vote YES for this entry. This short review of mine explains my thoughts, and if bands with only non-metal albums end up getting removed from the site, I'm sure Gloios will get the axe here once the entry succeeds. https://metal.academy/reviews/35730/33939

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/520

Mythra's "The Death & Destiny E.P." is not only the earliest legitimate metal release to come out of the NWOBHM in my opinion but it's also the very first release I deem to be worthy of the speed metal tag due to the inclusion of "Killer" & "Overload" which are both built on tremolo-picked riffs & high tempos. Please vote YES to have the E.P. added the The Pit on top of its existing position in The Guardians.

https://metal.academy/hall/518

After revisiting "Overkill" this week, I've come to the conclusion that any suggestions that the early Motörhead records were metal releases are clearly misguided. The only thing metal about the entire record is the double-kick work in the opening title track. Outside of that we have a raw & dirty hard rock record that should really be sitting under Non-Metal. Please vote YES to facilitate that change.

https://metal.academy/hall/516

With a unanimous vote tally of YES 5 NO 0, I've decided to pass this old Hall of Judgement nomination & have changed the database to reflect the change. Thank you to everyone who contributed to a result that I feel is undeniably correct.

As with Black Sabbath's first two classic albums, the age-old consensus that 1971's "Master of Reality" is a "heavy metal" record doesn't stack up to closer scrutiny, at least not when you take into account the modern metal genre tree. If the album was released today by as the debut release from a new band then I feel confident that it'd be tagged as a stoner metal record which is in line with my long-term feeling that it doesn't sit all that comfortably alongside your Judas Priests & Iron Maidens.

For the record, this is how I've tagged the album:

1. Sweet Leaf - Stoner metal

2. After Forever - Hard rock

3. Embryo - English folk music

4. Children of the Grave - Heavy metal

5. Orchid - Contemporary folk

6. Lord of This World - Stoner metal

7. Solitude - Psychedelic folk

8. Into The Void - Stoner metal

The folk interludes are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things but it is worth noting that the only one of any length (i.e. 'Solitude') has a psychedelic feel which again plays closer to stoner than it does heavy metal. There's only really the one heavy metal tune included in "Children of the Grave". Therefore, I'd like to see 'Master of Reality' removed from The Guardians & the Heavy Metal genre while maintaining its position in The Fallen under Stoner Metal.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/515

With a vote tally of YES 8 NO 3, my Hall of Judgement submission to have Black Sabbath's "Master of Reality" album added into The Fallen under the Stoner Metal genre has been passed. The database has been updated to reflect the change.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/514

So, we've finally reached an outcome on "Ride The Lightning" with the vote tally finishing at YES 4 NO 8 to deny its entry into The Guardians. Thank you to everyone who participated in reaching this result.

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

These two nominations have now been posted in the Hall of Judgement Andi.

https://metal.academy/hall/512

https://metal.academy/hall/513

I've passed this nomination uncontested Andi.

The sole 1979 album from Connecticut's Legend is generally tagged as one of America's first genuine heavy metal records but I'm going to have to question that theory as I simply can't identify enough genuine metal to qualify for a primary tag. The record is much more of a progressive/hard rock release in my opinion with heavy metal & jazz fusion playing more supporting roles. For that reason, I'd like to see "Fröm the Fjörds" removed from The Guardians & added to Non-Metal.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/511

Sacred Reich's third album is generally tagged as a thrash metal record but I feel that's inaccurate with the riffs & general tone having much more in common with Machine Head than they do with Vio-lence. I'd like to see 'Independent' removed from the Thrash Metal genre & added to the Groove Metal one instead.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/510

Fear Factory's death metal credentials were a little tenuous at the best of times but their 1993 remix E.P. moves them further afield again & I feel that it's a poor fit for The Horde. Please vote YES to have it removed from The Horde so that it resides solely in The Sphere where it belongs.

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/509

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/508

This nomination has been posted in the Hall of Judgement.

https://metal.academy/hall/507