Importance of Reviews

[entanglement]

How much does 'critique' matter? How can reading a bad review of an album affect the way you're gonna think of the album before you've heard it?

To me, a lot.. depending on the source and the number. I usually check out reviews from a number of places before I decide to give something a go.

Lets hear it

 

[Ender Rises]

Hmm... this is a good question...
I take positive reviews more seriously than negative reviews. I can't really accept someone's negative opinion of an album until I hear it.

 

[Carcassian]

How much does 'critique' matter? How can reading a bad review of an album affect the way you're gonna think of the album before you've heard it?

To me, a lot.. depending on the source and the number. I usually check out reviews from a number of places before I decide to give something a go.

Lets hear it

Good topic, It matters quite a lot to me, but I always check which reviewer has given the review; there are, for instance, more than a few utter paedophiles writing for terrorizer that I am sure receive cash for points in their reviews. This is the only way I can reconcile their frankly ridiculous 10/10 Mithras review.

If the reviews are consistantly high, chances are the album is a good one. That being said, some of my favourite albums have only garnered average reviews. If I can hear samples, then all the better. I can make my own mind up then.

 

[Stormwatch]

It depends really on whether I know the band or not. If it's a band I've never heard of and they get a shit review I'll probably give them a miss. But if say, the new Maiden, Priest or Vader albums get bad reviews I'll still buy them.

Generally, I ignore the reviews in Terrorizer because they don't actually mention the music, they just blather on about a lot of shite that's not related to the actual music contained on the disc they're being paid to review.

 

[Zephyrus]

I have three primary sources for reviews before I go buy an album.

metal-observer.com
deadtide.com
metalreviews.com

High scores certainly make me more confident in my anticipated purchases but I also pay attention to what the review says about production, songwriting, and instrumentation. I also like it when reviewers compare the band's style to those of other bands in order to give a better impression of how the band may sound like.

I have purchased very few albums that haven't run the gauntlet of my review reading.

 

[DreamWorker]

I just trust my favourite Metal Magazine (Trash'em All)

 

[Carcassian]

You should all trust the reviews on www.live4metal.com

 

[no country for old wainds]

From a writer's perspective, reviewing serves the following purposes:
1. Allows the writer to express in a structured manner precisely why he/she likes a particular album - may even help the writer to appreciate it more.
2. Allows the writer to inform a particular target audience of top quality material which warrants recognition.
3. Allows the writer to correct misconceptions about a particular album.
4. Allows the writer to offer alternative/deeper interpretations of albums which have previously been interpreted in an incomplete, unintelligent or unsatisfactorily brief manner.

From a reader's perspective:
1. Looking out for new reviews by those with consistently good taste is probably the best way of finding less known high quality music.
2. Reading other people's interpretations makes one think harder about particular albums, often allowing them to formulate more coherent and grounded interpretations themselves.
3. Often reading reviews can inspire the reader to go back to albums they've got bored with, having been reminded of what its appeal is, or having been inspired to look at it in a different way.
4. Negative reviews often prevent readers from acquiring ear cancer or worse.

 

[Carcassian]

5. Allows an utter twat to spout on about shit.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i was giving advantages

 

[entanglement]

What I'd give even more importance to than reviews on a website or on a metal magazine, is a personal recommendation from a person who shares similar tastes or likes the same bands as I do. You don't really know the reviewer personally.. you don't know HOW his brain works. You don't know what mental state he's writing all that in... whether he's got 10 other reviews to still write while he's writing this current one. If he's being forced by the publisher to complete it in time or not (during which he'll be comparatively bitter), etc.

I almost always try out personal recommendations if the recommend(er) is a friend.

 

[Zephyrus]

^^^ I totally agree with that statement.

 

[Seance]

I read user reviews, just to get an idea of where I might want to start when I'm interested in checking out a band... then it's off to either whatever P2P it's on, or to a site with full song samples, to check it out for myself

 

[CF87]

Majority of reviewers have big fucking heads.

I can't stand it

 

[no country for old wainds]

 

[Blinded By Blood]

I used to go by reviews. Now I usually just read the critiques and decide whether to take the review seriously or not

 

[MasterOLightning]

Hmm... this is a good question...
I take positive reviews more seriously than negative reviews. I can't really accept someone's negative opinion of an album until I hear it.

I pay more attention to negative reviews, or at least the lowest review out of a group. Sometimes it's clear that that reviewer doesn't know shit, and those are ignored, but most of the time a critical review is written much more thoughtfully if done well. Especially in cases with highly esteemed bands where the low score will be 7 or 8 and most are around 9.

 

[PanzerKunt]

Reviews mean shit. I always download a couple songs regardless if it's got a good or bad review in "insert metal magazine/webzine here" if I intend to look into it. I don't read webzines either for that matter or pay for paper that someone wrote how much they like this and that band on. Tastes are diffent and I couldn't care less about the technical critique.

 

[Alongside Death]

Tastes are diffent and I couldn't care less about the technical critique.

Exactly. When power metal lover reviews a death metal album it gets 3/10. I read metal-observer reviews but some are not accurate for me. Like PanzerKunt said, it is only a matter of music taste.

 

[zim18]

the same way i take game reviews...they dont mean a damn thing, theres tons of games and albums i love but lots of people think suck