Often encyclopedias and reviews are able to mould our impressions into something that maybe totally opposite of something we may actually feel. Even if we do realize this fact, it may prove too late because we feel that we are not being true to ourselves, when the reality is totally the opposite. Metallum or the Metal Encyclopedia is one such website which does this to metalheads. Its ultra elitist purist admins who discard anything which does not fit into their idea of ‘real metal’, is testament to the problem of metal elitism, and letting others shape your views.

At one point, if you want detailed info about a metal band and can’t look it up on Wikipedia, then 90% chance, you will find it on Metallum with more than enough info, including reviews by a bunch of people on different EPs and LPs. But then you also have the 10% chance of finding highly expected bands, not available on the website, such as Between The Buried And Me, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, Hatebreed, Body Count etc, just because one group may have more hardcore influence or a rap background.

Then there are bands which while not metal, deserve to be on the archives simply for the amount of influence they hold in the development of heavy metal and how close they have come to sounding metal such as Van Halen, Guns N Roses, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zepplin, Uriah Heep, Black Flag, Blue Cheer, King Crimson etc.

Furthermore, the reviews on Metallum can get increasingly negative for any band trying out a sort of change in their sound. A change is not always successful, sometimes it even takes a group you like into the wrong direction, but even when the change is good the snobs of the archives are far from supportive and snub them at all forms of sonic experimentation. Bottom line, Metal Archives is a great place for searching up heavy metal information, though don’t make it your only base for looking up info, and certainly do not let the reviews shape your views for Metal Encyclopedia is the pinnacle of metal elitism.