Ben's Forum Replies

Here's my three for October...


  1. Anorexia Nervosa - The Shining from Redemption Process (2004)
  2. Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn from Old Mornings Dawn (2013)
  3. Coldworld - Dream of a Dead Sun from Melancholie² (2008)

Alright...three very different tracks...from three different decades.

  1. Dark Tranquillity - Hours Passed in Exile from Damage Done (2002)
  2. Nocturnus - Possess the Priest from the Nocturnus EP (1993)
  3. Fallujah - Starlit Path from The Flesh Prevails (2014)

Making sure I get in this month... 


  1. Void of Silence - Opus II: With No Half-Measure from Criteria ov 666 (2002)
  2. Theatre of Tragedy - Venus from Aégis (1998)
  3. Evoken - In Pestilence, Burning from Quietus (2001)
October 07, 2020 10:00 PM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 3rd to the 7th of October, 2020.


1. The Spirit Cabinet (GUARDIANS, FALLEN) - requested by illusionist

2. Terra Atlantica (GUARDIANS)

3. Izah (INFINITE, FALLEN)

4. Decoherence (NORTH)

5. The Committee (NORTH)

6. Over the Voids... (NORTH)

7. Nexion (NORTH, HORDE)

8. Phinehas (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

9. Mikau (REVOLUTION)

10. Fawn Limbs (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

11. Carnation (HORDE)

12. Murkrat (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

13. Towards (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

14. Until Death Overtakes Me (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

15. Dreams After Death (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

16. Black Lodge (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

17. Illimitable Dolor (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

October 02, 2020 03:28 AM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 25th of September to the 2nd of October, 2020.


1. New Years Day (GATEWAY)

2. Palisades (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

3. Satan's Wrath (PIT, NORTH, GUARDIANS)

4. Bulldozing Bastard (PIT, NORTH)

5. Frosthelm (PIT, NORTH)

6. RAM (GUARDIANS)

7. Satan's Host (GUARDIANS, NORTH, HORDE)

8. Night Demon (GUARDIANS)

9. Axxanngabannaxaxagannababaillukuku (FALLEN, INFINITE) - requested by Revolution666

10. Amaranthine Trampler (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

11. Funeral Moth (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

12. Aeonian Sorrow (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

13. Funeral Mourning (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

14. Despond (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

15. Abske Fides (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

16. Arcana Coelestia (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

17. Ennui (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

18. Lethian Dreams (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

19. Death Karma (NORTH, HORDE)

20. Wiegedood (NORTH)

21. Shrine of Insanabilis (NORTH)

22. Ghost Bath (NORTH)

23. Northland (NORTH)

24. Autokrator (HORDE)

25. Beaten to Death (HORDE)

26. Wrvth (HORDE, REVOLUTION, INFINITE)

27. Of Feather and Bone (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

28. Zierler (INFINITE)

29. Mestis (INFINITE)

30. Earthside (INFINITE)

31. Jarrod Alonge (REVOLUTION)

32. Heccra (REVOLUTION)

33. Miss May I (REVOLUTION)

I shit you not, this is the best Metal Academy playlist to date. I'm not actually part of The Sphere, but this playlist makes me wish I as. It has a slightly rocky start for me, but once I reached Rammstein at track 6, the remaining hour and a half were consistently excellent.

So many classics that I already know and love (Samael, Ministry, Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Godflesh, Red Harvest) while also introducing me to heaps of great new tracks I've never heard before (Killing Joke, JK Flesh, Neurotech, Corrections House, Napalm Death).

Excellent work Daniel!

October 02, 2020 12:08 AM

I'll add these to the list.

Please note that requests for release additions should be made in the relevant clan forums. It generally makes it a lot easier for me to keep track of them and makes sure I don't miss anything.

While I do know the Linkin Park track in question, I'm not sure that I've ever heard a track by System of a Down or Deftones, and I've never heard an album by any of these bands.

So yeah, it's worth noting that one person's musical journey can be very different to another's. Hearing anything by these so called giants is educational for people like me.


Sorry, Ben could you please add short-lived Norwegian death doom outfit Black Lodge.

Quoted Sonny92

I'd be happy to. I bought their album when it came out and have a soft spot for it.

September 24, 2020 06:37 AM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 18th to the 24th of September, 2020.


1. Satyrasis (PIT, HORDE)

2. Excel (PIT, GATEWAY) - requested by Daniel

3. Dr. Living Dead! (PIT)

4. Enabler (REVOLUTION)

5. Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas (REVOLUTION) - requested by shadowdoom9

6. The Plot in You (REVOLUTION, GATEWAY)

7. Wage War (REVOLUTION)

8. Crystal Lake (REVOLUTION)

9. Ad Nauseam (HORDE, INFINITE)

10. Sarpanitum (HORDE)

11. Undergang (HORDE, FALLEN)

12. Disaffected (HORDE) - requested by MacabreEternal

13. Atavistia (HORDE, GUARDIANS) - requested by illusionist

14. Skinless (HORDE)

15. Uniform (SPHERE)

16. Tau Cross (GUARDIANS)

17. Vexillum (GUARDIANS, NORTH)

18. Winterage (GUARDIANS)

19. Marius Danielsen's Legend of Valley Doom (GUARDIANS)

20. Bosse-de-Nage (NORTH, INFINITE)

21. Dystopia Nå! (NORTH)

22. Katavasia (NORTH)

23. Clouds Collide (NORTH, INFINITE)

24. Ultha (NORTH)

25. Uuntar (NORTH)

26. Yaldabaoth (NORTH)

27. Evilfeast / Uuntar (NORTH)

28. Khors (NORTH)

29. Angela Martyr (INFINITE, GATEWAY) - requested by Sonny92

30. A Swarm of the Sun (INFINITE, FALLEN)

31. Kingcrow (INFINITE)

32. Blind Idiot God (INFINITE)

33. The Gazette (GATEWAY)

34. Persistence in Mourning (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

35. Vouna (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

36. Omination (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

37. Excantation (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

38. Lycus (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

39. The White Swan (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

40. Catacombs (FALLEN) - requested by Revolution666

1. Morbid Saint - Assassin from Spectrum of Death (1990)

2. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor from This Godless Endeavor (2005)

3. Coroner - Divine Step from Mental Vortex (1991)

1. Progenie Terrestre Pura - Progenie terrestre pura from U.M.A. (2013)

2. Sear Bliss - Dreams Spectre from Glory and Perdition (2004)

3. Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn from Old Mornings Dawn (2013)

I'll go for some goodies from the naughties...

  1. Nile - Cast Down the Heretic from Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)
  2. Septic Flesh - Virtues of the Beast from Sumerian Daemons (2003)
  3. In Mourning -  Past October Skies (The Black Lodge Revisited) from Shrouded Divine (2008)
September 20, 2020 10:12 PM

It fittingly shares an anniversary with Faith No More's Midlife Crisis compilation. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Damn. Missed out! Will have to get in early next month.

Regarding 20+ minute tracks, having read through the comments and given it some thought, perhaps it can be more of a case by case thing Daniel. Sonny is certainly right that funeral doom and drone get the short end of the stick with the rule, particularly the latter. Maybe this can be more of an encouragement than a rule? If there are bands out there that rarely release tracks under 20 minutes then perhaps exceptions could be made? If you do choose to include one, I think putting it last on the playlist is the way to do it. It's not overly disruptive then and listeners can just choose to stop it whenever they choose. Either way it should be a rarity. I'm a MASSIVE funeral doom fan and I reckon it's a pretty low percentage of tracks that have that sort of length. People can use common sense when recommending tracks.

The playlists are definitely Daniel's baby though. I'm easy either way.

September 17, 2020 06:26 AM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 9th to the 17th of September, 2020.


1. Legion of Andromeda (SPHERE, HORDE, FALLEN)

2. Zardonic (SPHERE)

3. Coldrain (GATEWAY, REVOLUTION)

4. Naïve (GATEWAY, INFINITE)

5. Abrahma (GATEWAY, FALLEN, INFINITE)

6. AngelMaker (REVOLUTION)

7. Buried in Verona (REVOLUTION)

8. Blessthefall (REVOLUTION)

9. Blistered (REVOLUTION)

10. Abiotic (REVOLUTION, HORDE)

11. A Night in Texas (REVOLUTION)

12. Death Alley (GUARDIANS)

13. Michael Schenker (GUARDIANS)

14. Heir Apparent (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by SilentScream213

15. Blackslash (GUARDIANS)

16. Magister Templi (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

17. Below the Sun (FALLEN, INFINITE)

18. Belzebong (FALLEN)

19. Abstracter (FALLEN, NORTH)

20. Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (FALLEN)

21. Void Rot (FALLEN) - requested by Sonny92

22. Domovoyd (FALLEN)

23. 6:33 (INFINITE)

24. Alkaloid (INFINITE, HORDE)

25. Amiensus (INFINITE, NORTH)

26. Akitsa (NORTH)

27. Aryan Art (NORTH)

28. Awe (NORTH)

29. Ieschure (NORTH) - requested by Sonny92

30. Ovnev (NORTH) - requested by Sonny92

31. Temple Desecration (NORTH, HORDE)

32. Deiphago (NORTH, PIT)

33. Diavolos (PIT, HORDE)

34. Bio-Cancer (PIT)

35. Act of Defiance (PIT)

36. Alustrium (HORDE)

37. Amon (HORDE) - requested by Sonny92

38. A Loathing Requiem (HORDE)

39. House of Atreus (HORDE)

September 15, 2020 09:29 PM

I thought I'd give this a go and listened to the Shape of Despair track.

Takes away everything that's amazing about it, leaving an unlistenable and ineffective mess. Each to their own I guess.

September 14, 2020 08:28 AM

Speaking of potential new features, go check out the Gallery now. You can now look for the top rating covers that you haven't yet rated. :smile:


September 14, 2020 06:16 AM

Anything is possible. I'll add it to the list.

September 14, 2020 05:14 AM

I agree with Tymell. I initially thought that a minimum ratings option would make sense the way it does for releases, but I've actually really enjoyed going into the Gallery every few days and voting on any covers that appear (that I haven't yet voted for). There's some really great stuff that people find that we simply wouldn't see if there was a minimum ratings filter.

Since you don't have to have heard a release to vote on its cover, I now don't think we'll ever have a minimum rating for The Gallery. It seems shadowdoom9 might disagree with this, so does anyone else have any feedback? As always, I like to make decisions as a community wherever possible.

Anacrusis have a couple of really great albums, being Manic Impressions and Screams and Whispers. Well worth checking out both.

I also enjoyed this playlist. With the exception of the crossover stuff, which never does much for me, there was a lot of great stuff. I previously didn't really appreciate Speed Metal very much, but since covering a fair few great albums in that style while doing the Metal Academy podcast, I've come around to it.

September 11, 2020 12:36 AM
I'm not sure the effort involved in allowing the ability to upload PDF documents justifies the need. I think we'll stick with images.
September 08, 2020 04:41 AM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 31st of August to the 8th of September, 2020.


1. Valkyrie (GUARDIANS, FALLEN)

2. Lady Beast (GUARDIANS)

3. Orbit Culture (HORDE, PIT)

4. Necrot (HORDE)

5. Entrails (HORDE)

6. Descend (HORDE, INFINITE)

7. Svartkonst (NORTH)

8. Bríi (NORTH)

9. Prison of Mirrors (NORTH)

10. Aodon (NORTH, INFINITE)

11. Xazraug (NORTH, INFINITE)

12. Andeis (NORTH)

13. Eternal Rot (FALLEN)

14. Loviatar (FALLEN, INFINITE)

15. Holy Grove (FALLEN)

16. Irist (INFINITE)

17. Okyr (INFINITE) - requested by Jean Elias

18. Expander (PIT)

19. Sharptooth (REVOLUTION)


Hi Ben, could you please add progressive metal band from Brazil: Okyr

Quoted Jean Elias

A quick look at RYM confirmed my suspicion that you're actually a member of the band. That of course is perfectly fine, and I'll add it to the list to be added to the site this week.

Feel free to share any info you want to about the band and/or the album.

Also, if you do intend to contribute to stick around Metal Academy, note that you have the option to have three clans. Just let me know which other two you like to be part of and I'll sort it.

September 03, 2020 10:38 PM


Ben, I have an album cover I've just rated but changed my mind and wanted to delete my rating. Can you please implement the ability to delete cover ratings? Thanks.
Quoted shadowdoom9

You're correct that you can't delete your rating, but I didn't think it would be necessary since you can easily change it to be what you think it deserves. After all, you can judge an cover by it's...um...cover!

Anacrusis - Sound the Alarm from Screams and Whispers (1993)

Morbid Saint - Assassin from Spectrum of Death (1990)

Grip Inc. - Hostage to Heaven from Power of Inner Strength (1995)



OK, as tempting as it is to include some classics, it looks like MacabreEternal has that sorted. Let's see if I can come up with a few that others might not have heard.

Illdisposed - I Believe in Me from 1-800 Vindication (2004) - I suggest starting the playlist with this track.

Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge from Onset of Putrefaction (2004)

Hate - Lux Aeterna from Erebos (2010)


Ben, please add the Boris with Merzbow album “Rock Dream”.

Quoted Daniel

It's already on this site (no mention of Merzbow).

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

September 02, 2020 05:47 AM

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

September 02, 2020 05:39 AM

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

September 02, 2020 05:09 AM

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

September 02, 2020 04:28 AM

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

September 02, 2020 04:23 AM

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

This release has been added to the Hall of Judgement.

Progenie Terrestre Pura - Progenie terrestre pura from U.M.A. (2013)

Sun of the Blind - Cursed Universe from Skullreader (2009)

Keep of Kalessin - Come Damnation from Reclaim (2003)


3 suggestions you say? Alright then... but you know I'm going big... and don't assume that limitation will stop me from including Shape of Despair. There are three doom albums released in the last few years that are (IMO) deserving of 5 stars. I'll take this opportunity to hopefully introduce them to others.

YEAR  BAND  ALBUM  TRACK
2015  Shape of Despair  Monotony Fields  Reaching the Innermost
2016  Trees of Eternity  Hour of the Nightingale  Gallows Bird
2017  The Ruins of Beverast  Exuvia  Surtur Barbaar Maritime



August 30, 2020 11:02 PM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 26th to the 30th of August, 2020.


1. Shadow Host (GUARDIANS, PIT) - requested by Tymell

2. Valkeryon (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

3. Heart of Cygnus (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

4. Hyperion (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

5. Kerion (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

6. Seven Kingdoms (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

7. Torian (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

8. Triosphere (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

9. Forlorn Path (HORDE, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

10. Crisis Sigil (HORDE)

11. Diskreet (HORDE, REVOLUTION) - requested by Tymell

12. Impiety (HORDE, NORTH, PIT) - requested by Tymell

13. Reptilian Death (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

14. Sathanas (HORDE, NORTH, PIT) - requested by Tymell

15. Cytotoxin (HORDE)

16. Ingested (HORDE, REVOLUTION)

17. Elvira Madigan (NORTH, FALLEN) - requested by Tymell

18. From the Sunset, Forest and Grief (NORTH) - requested by Tymell

19. Tågefolket (NORTH)

20. Atramentus (FALLEN)

August 25, 2020 11:57 PM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 24th to the 25th of August, 2020.


1. Siege Column (HORDE, NORTH)

2. Dearth (HORDE, NORTH)

3. Temple Nightside (HORDE, NORTH)

4. Asenblut (HORDE, NORTH) - requested by Tymell

5. Disgusting Perversion (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

6. Unhallowed (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

7. Cirkeln (NORTH) - requested by Tymell

8. Ahnengrab (NORTH) - requested by Tymell

9. Crom (NORTH, GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

10. Nokturnal Mortem / Graveland (NORTH) - requested by Tymell

11. Cinereous Rain (NORTH) - requested by Sonny92

12. Cauldron (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

13. Booze Control (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

14. Crosswind (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

15. Crystal Viper (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

16. Iron Kobra (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

17. Nitefall (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

18. Double Diamond (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

19. Graveshadow (GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

August 23, 2020 09:16 PM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 19th to the 23rd of August, 2020.


1. Forest Stream (FALLEN) - requested by Tymell

2. Lord Vigo (FALLEN, GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

3. Borgo Pass (FALLEN) - requested by Tymell

4. Manzana (GATEWAY, GUARDIANS) - requested by Tymell

5. Battlerage (GUARDIANS, PIT) - requested by Tymell

6. Almah (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

7. Arachnes   (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

8. Dreamtone   (GUARDIANS, INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

9. Prayer for Cleansing (REVOLUTION) - requested by shadowdoom9

10. Annotations of an Autopsy (REVOLUTION, HORDE) - requested by Tymell

11. Oni (INFINITE) - requested by Tymell

12. Panegyrist (INFINITE, NORTH) - requested by illusionist

13. Sombres Forets (NORTH) - requested by Tymell

14. Hammer Horde (NORTH, HORDE) - requested by Tymell

15. King of Asgard (NORTH, HORDE) - requested by Tymell

16. Empyrean Sky (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

17. One Man Army and the Undread Quartet (HORDE, PIT) - requested by Tymell

18. Broken Hope (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

19. Vore (HORDE) - requested by Tymell

20. Immaculate (PIT) - requested by Tymell

21. The Horde (PIT) - requested by Tymell

August 23, 2020 05:01 AM


I do like the idea of a rotating playlist, even though it'll take some serious upkeep to keep it going every single month. 

I think it'd be interesting to have each member be able to suggest a song for next month's playlist, so it's actually a Clan activity rather than forcing Daniel to leaf through his collection every single month. Obviously it will work better if the site grows, but just a thought to boost interaction for people who want to contribute. I know I'd want to throw in some 2020 stuff into Guardian/Infinite/North playlists. 

Quoted Xephyr

Love that idea. Daniel?

I think this playlist highlights just how varied the styles found in The Horde actually are, which is a good thing. I consider myself to be a very obvious candidate for the clan, given my lifelong love of death metal. I've even got a soft spot for melodic death metal, which I know others don't. Yet I don't get much enjoyment from 50% of these tracks. Not because they're not quality, although that's debatable for a lot of it, but more because they're playing in a style that I just don't like. Anyone that says that "all death metal and grindcore sounds the same" couldn't be further from the truth! It's certainly been interesting Daniel.

Does anyone think the snare sound in the Metrorrhagia track is actually enjoyable? I hear so many bands that use this trashcan lid snare that it has to be intentional, but it holds zero power for me. It's almost unlistenable!

I'm listening to it now. I know that the DJ in you wants to clump together the similar-sounding tracks, but man the start of this playlist is challenging! Kicking things off with a few very ordinary death 'n' roll tracks (particularly that atrocious Six Feet Under cover) and then following that up with Bubblegum Octopus and Phantomsmasher is TOO MUCH FOR MY FRAGILE MIND!!!!!! :scream: :scream: :scream: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

NOTE: It's possible that I'm just soft.

Bloody Phyllomedusa! Aaaagghhhh!!!!!! :rage:

I think I'll refrain from adding new sub-genres until the function is present, but it's definitely something I'm open to. Daniel and I are keen to add a few as well, such as Symphonic Death Metal (we have Symphonic Black Metal in The North, yet symphonic death metal albums end up in The Horde AND The Guardians) and Progressive Death Metal (so many bands are labelled as Technical Death Metal when they are really a mix of death and progressive). We can talk about Technical Thrash Metal too.

I actually think we have an excellent platform to discuss genre requirements properly. When certain genres really don't feel right in the clan structure we have, it's often because they're not great genres to begin with. Atmospheric Sludge Metal is probably the most obvious case. Let's face it, Atmospheric Sludge Metal and Post Metal are pretty interchangeable, and any Atmospheric Sludge Metal album that it feels correct to place in both The Fallen and The Infinite probably has a Sludge Metal genre anyway. Sludge Metal feels right in The Fallen. Post-Metal feels right in The Infinite. A lot of Atmospheric Sludge Metal is just Post-Metal that has an element of Sludge Metal, so let's just use those genres.

All this said, I'm keen to remove any unnecessary subgenres in the short term. I agree that Traditional Doom Metal is completely unnecessary, and I'd add NWOBHM to that discussion too. Genres should not be created based on a scene or a location, nor should they be created based on lyrical content. Genres should (in my opinion) categorise releases based on the music they contain, and nothing more. Should Goregrind be a genre or is it just Grindcore with a gore theme (I don't know, just putting it out there)? Should Enslaved and Borknagar albums be labelled as Viking Metal or are they just Black Metal albums with Viking themes?

I've probably opened a few cans of worms there, but I want to get everyone thinking and sharing those thoughts. There's a lot of metal knowledge and passion in this little community. I reckon we can build something special.

August 18, 2020 03:32 AM

The following bands have been added to Metal Academy from the 14th to the 18th of August, 2020.


1. Klabautamann (NORTH, INFINITE)

2. Árstíðir Lifsins / Carpe Noctem (NORTH)

3. Barathrum (NORTH)

4. Bekhira (NORTH)

5. Ravencult (NORTH, PIT)

6. Sunami (REVOLUTION)

7. A Dozen Furies (REVOLUTION)

8. Playing Enemy (REVOLUTION)

9. Bloodlined Calligraphy (REVOLUTION)

10. Fleshvessel (HORDE, INFINITE)

11. Asgaut (HORDE, INFINITE)

12. Cosmovore (HORDE)

13. Symbyosis (HORDE, INFINITE)

14. Archeon (HORDE)

15. Scrambled Defuncts (HORDE, GUARDIANS)

16. Psykup (INFINITE, GATEWAY)

17. Collapsar (INFINITE)

18. Wall of Sleep (FALLEN)

19. Macbeth (FALLEN, GUARDIANS, GATEWAY)

20. Wraith of the Ropes (FALLEN)

21. Highland Glory (GUARDIANS)

22. Axehammer (GUARDIANS)

23. Jacobs Dream (GUARDIANS)

August 17, 2020 02:03 PM

Good news! All of my suggestions have now been implemented. Check it out, let me know what you think.

August 17, 2020 01:45 AM

Alright guys, I think The Gallery is cool, and a differentiating factor that could draw in more people. I need to sign off on my developers work this week, so let's put our heads together and figure out how the feature could be even better. This is what I'm thinking...

  1. You can't currently see whether you've rated an album cover or not. I'm a little reluctant to make that visible from everywhere on the site, as that might get confusing, but it makes sense that when you're on The Gallery page you can see a Your Cover Rating section (similar to the charts). 
  2. I agree with others that it's really easy to accidentally rate an release when trying to rate a cover. The only solution I can think of is to separate them on the Release Page, maybe putting the Rate Release Cover section below the artwork itself?
  3. We could add a Cover Ratings section to the Profile page, so you can easily see what releases you've rated the cover for. Maybe even show a Cover Ratings distribution chart, like the one we built for releases.

Does anyone have any other ideas for improvements? If you have any feedback on any of the other recent changes / additions, please reply to the relevant threads. I don't want to let my developer go until everything we can do is done.

August 17, 2020 01:41 AM


Great feature, Ben! I have a couple suggestions about it; 1. Please add the ability to review album covers so any member can unleash the "positive/negative art critic" within. 2. This one's in the long run but after we get more members to do album cover ratings, please add the limit of minimum 5 ratings per album, so I wouldn't look like a rating hog. Yeah the whole drama we had with MadManx2084 and AlteredManx02 got me worried about my excessive rating and I don't wanna end up banned like them. OK thanks!
Quoted shadowdoom9

Firstly, I don't think I want to introduce the ability to review album covers. I agree with MacabreEternal that it would likely make things even more confusing than they already are for newcomers, and I don't actually think many Academy attendees would use it. I think I need to work on making the site more newcomer friendly in the short term (which I plan to do), before bringing in anything else to rate / review.

Secondly, I will add a minimum rating eventually, but let's build some momentum first. You never have to worry about being a rating hog. As long as you're following the rules (which you clearly are), then you never have to worry about being banned. I say rate away! The system will correct itself over time.

August 17, 2020 01:23 AM


**Ben - I tried to quote Andi for this post but each time I clicked "quote" it took me to the top of the screen?**

Quoted MacabreEternal

Not sure what was going on there. I've tested a couple and it seems to be working fine. Glitch in the Matrix!