| Revised: 5th June 2008
The music industry is forever changing, and so is our reviews policy. We are
now covering more new music than ever before and because of the volume of cds we review, some of the rules are going to be tweaked.
We'll no longer be covering mathcore, experimental hardcore, screamo and
other such formats, simply because we don't have any writers that like that
sort of thing and we need to concentrate on the more traditional forms of
extreme and heavy metal. The latest addition to the list is metalcore with
wimpy vocals, because that seems to be the current trend and this has
nothing to do with metal, in my opinion.
Downloads and Streaming:
Certain major labels offer a download facility for their new material, which
we are more than happy to work with. Unsigned bands are now following this
trend, which is also fine. But please note that we don't review online mp3's
such as Myspace etc... nor do we accept demos via email.
Keeping it current:
If you are a label, PR or band that hasn't sent us material before, then we
welcome your new material. But please be aware that we like to review
current cds. Sometimes we receive a parcel containing 8 or 9 cds, 2 of which
are new releases, the others are from the past 2 or 3 years. These are fine
as points of reference, or maybe for a pre-arranged interview, but we won't
generally review old material.
Please use this as a rough guide: Major label releases, not more than 5
or 6 months old. Underground/self release, we are more likely to stretch the
time limit to about 8 or 9 months. We most certainly won't review material
that is older than that unless it is a re-issue, or is being released in a
new territory for the first time.
Genres:
Again, this isn't set in stone as rules are meant to be broken and we are by
no means blinkered. We'll gladly cover most forms of Metal and related
genres, such as: heavy, power, true, traditional, black, death, thrash,
gore, grind, doom, instrumental, gothic, folk, Viking, industrial,
stoner, progressive, psychedelic, punk, neoclassical, symphonic, darkwave and any cross pollination of such genres is more than welcome. So
are more melodic genres such as hard rock, AOR, even a smattering of
hippyness etc...
Major no-no's are emo, pop punk, nu metal, indie and general kiddie crap.
If you aren't sure, look at the name of the website, it might give you a
clue as to what we are about.
Unsigned & Underground bands
We'll give everyone a fair crack of the whip, but please note: WE DON'T
REVIEW CDRS. This information has been online for months, but yet they still
arrive. If you want to send in a cdr as a preview to forthcoming material,
that's fine, but it won't be reviewed. If you take the time to present your
music properly, (ie: label on cd, a proper sleeve/booklet) then it will be
given the time and attention that it deserves. And please, if possible
include a biog or covering letter. So many bands just don't bother. The only
exception to the rule is if we are reviewing music that is only available as
a download.
Singles and EPs
Can I make this really, really clear: WE DON'T REVIEW ONE TRACK SINGLES.
We were bombarded with singles in 2007, especially one track singles
that last under 4 minutes. Save your money, time and your postage costs, cos
they ain't getting done. Normal singles and EPs will still be reviewed... as
long they are Metal/Rock related.
If you are uncertain of anything, please get in touch with us prior to sending promotional material.
Steve Green - Editor
Live4metalsteve@aol.com
Please send all promotional material to:
Live 4 Metal
PO Box 7626
Belper
DE56 9DQ
United Kingdom
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